Short answer: use ChatGPT with a child as a coach that a parent sits beside, not as a machine that does the work. Open a new chat, paste one of the exact prompts below, let your child do the drawing, making or thinking, and use ChatGPT for the next step and kind feedback. OpenAI's terms require users to be 13 or older, with a parent's or guardian's permission for ages 13 to 17, so children under 13 should only use a parent's account, together.

Jump to: Drawing · Crafts · Science · Stories · Golf · Any topic

Before you start: four rules (checked September 2026)

  1. Age. OpenAI's terms say you must be at least 13 (or the minimum age in your country), and if you are under 18 you need a parent's or guardian's permission. See OpenAI's terms and its Is ChatGPT safe for all ages? page.
  2. Use a parent's account. For a child under 13, a parent opens ChatGPT on their own account and the child sits alongside. Never create an account for a child under the minimum age. For teens, OpenAI offers parental controls that link a parent and a teen account.
  3. Keep personal details out. Do not type your child's full name, school, address, phone number or passwords. When you attach a photo, photograph only the paper or the craft, never a face.
  4. ChatGPT can be wrong. Treat its answer as a first draft. A grown-up should check any science fact, safety instruction or golf technique against a trusted source before the child relies on it.

The five steps that work every time

  1. A parent opens ChatGPT on their own account and clicks or taps New chat.
  2. Copy one of the prompts below and paste it into the message box. Replace anything in [square brackets] with your own details, for example [my age].
  3. The child does the activity on paper or with real materials, one step at a time. ChatGPT cannot see the table, so nothing happens until you tell it.
  4. Reply with what happened. Type next for the next step, describe the problem, or attach a photo of the paper. On a computer the attach button is the paperclip icon, and on a phone it is the + button (see OpenAI's image help page). Menus change, so if yours looks different, check that page.
  5. Finish by asking for one thing to celebrate and one thing to improve. Then a grown-up double-checks any facts.

Drawing with ChatGPT

ChatGPT describes shapes in words, so it works best as a step-by-step coach next to a video or the numbered steps on the drawing page you came from.

Starter prompt. Replace the subject and your age:

I am [my age] years old and I want to draw [subject]. Give me 6 steps using only simple shapes like circles, ovals and lines. Give one step at a time and wait until I type “next” before giving the following step.

Then: draw the step on paper, type next, and repeat until all six steps are done.

Too hard? Send:

That step was too hard for me. Split it into two smaller steps and describe each shape in simple words.

Get feedback. Photograph only the paper, attach it, and send:

Here is my drawing of [subject]. Tell me two things that look great and one thing I can improve. Be kind and use simple words.

Fix the one thing it suggests, then add colour.

Crafts with ChatGPT

ChatGPT is good at turning a craft idea into a materials list from what you already have at home.

I am [my age] years old and I want to make this craft: [craft name]. List the materials using only things I can find at home. Then give me 7 numbered steps. Mark any step where a grown-up must help, like using scissors or hot glue.

Missing something? Send:

I do not have [item]. What can I use instead that is safe and easy to find at home?

Stuck on a step? Send:

I am on step [number] and this happened: [what you see]. What should I do?

A grown-up should do every step marked as needing help, such as cutting with sharp scissors or using hot glue.

Science ideas with ChatGPT

Explain [science idea] to a [my age]-year-old in 4 short sentences. Then give me one safe experiment I can do at home with a grown-up: the materials, the steps, and what I should see. Finally ask me 3 questions to check I understood.

Do the experiment with a grown-up and write down what you actually saw. If your result differs from what ChatGPT predicted, tell it:

My result was [what happened]. Why is it different?

Never mix household chemicals or heat anything unless an adult has checked the steps against a reliable source. ChatGPT can make mistakes, so compare its explanation with a science book, your teacher or the page you came from.

Talking about a story with ChatGPT

ChatGPT cannot watch a video, so the child first retells the story in their own words. That retelling is the reading and speaking practice.

I just watched a story called [story name]. Here is what happened: [write 3 to 4 sentences in your own words]. Ask me 5 questions about it, one at a time: 2 easy ones, 2 thinking ones and 1 imagination question. Tell me if each answer is right before the next question.

Answer each question out loud first, then type it. At the end, ask for a new ending in three sentences.

Golf practice with ChatGPT

Explain [golf skill] to a [my age]-year-old beginner golfer in 5 steps. Then give me a 10-minute practice routine I can do safely in a big open space with a grown-up watching.

Practise only in a large open space with a grown-up watching and nobody standing near the swing. Check any technique advice with a coach before relying on it. Afterwards, send what went well and what was hard and ask what to practise next.

Learning any topic with ChatGPT

Explain [topic] to a [my age]-year-old using one real-life example. Then tell me one thing AI still gets wrong about this topic, and give me a 3-question quiz.

Answer the quiz, then ask: Which parts of your answer should I double-check with a second source? If ChatGPT and a trusted page disagree, trust the page and ask a grown-up.

When ChatGPT gets it wrong

  • Ask: How sure are you about that, and what should I double-check?
  • Ask it to show its steps again in simpler words, or one step at a time.
  • Compare with the page you came from. When they disagree, the child should ask a grown-up rather than pick a side.
  • Start a new chat if the conversation gets confused. Paste the prompt again.

Sources checked in September 2026

Product menus and policies change. Use this page for the prompts and habits, and use OpenAI's own pages for the current settings.