Kids are wellsprings of imagination and untapped potential. And even though they’re young, they often have big ideas about the world in which they live and ways to make it better.
With that in mind, we’ve put together an easy-to-use Invention Planning Worksheet to help students not only brainstorm great ideas, but work through the details of the design process.
Download it today—and who knows? Your students’ fresh perspectives may reveal the next generation’s creative genius!
Inspire students to think deeply about a problem they’d like to solve.
Kids have their own perspective on the world, and sometimes they see things we adults miss. Spend a couple of days teaching about inventors and their clever inventions, including those made by kids, as a whole-group activity. Read books and articles, or watch a few of these engaging videos to get their wheels turning.
Use the worksheet to record the identified problem and its possible solution.
Gather students for a brainstorming session and have them call out ideas off the top of their heads. Then, break up into small groups or partnerships to help them dig deeper and come up with viable invention options. Finally, have students use their journals to choose the idea they feel most passionately about and formulate a possible solution.
Help students plan out the details of their invention.
This would be a good time to introduce the engineering design process (EDP). The EDP, according to 5th grade teacher Melissa Sheffer, “is the secret recipe used by engineers all over the globe to tackle brain-busters and come up with some seriously cool solutions.” Use the “Design an Invention” worksheet as a place to record what their invention will look like and what materials they’ll need.
Use the worksheet with a STEM challenge.
Our “Design an Invention” worksheet is a natural fit for STEM learning. Every subject in school is a launching pad for discovery. Maybe you’re studying weather. Students could come up with ideas for better forecasting. Or maybe you’re learning about propulsion. Have students create a powered vehicle of their own. One STEM activity that is a crowd favorite is the classic Egg Drop Challenge. It may well be the most versatile activity there is and will definitely get your kids excited about inventing.
Get your free “Design an Invention” Worksheet!
To download your free invention-planning worksheet, just fill out the form on this page for instant access.