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Prompt library · AI · 16 prompts

Prompts from the guide

AI for families: a shared calendar, parenting, cipher scavenger hunts, and bedtime stories on demand

16 prompts from this guide. Fill in whatever sits in [square brackets] — your own context, the document text or the name of your tool. That context is exactly what separates a generic answer from a usable one.

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Step one: turn chaos into one overview

I'm a parent of two kids and want to build one overview of our family
logistics. I'm attaching several sources: a photo of the activity
schedule, copied messages from the parents' group chat, and text
from a school email.

Turn this into one table with these columns:
day, time from–to, who (older kid / younger kid / both), what,
location, who's driving, note.

Rules:
- Don't guess. If a time or location is missing from the source,
  write "missing" in the cell — don't fill in an estimate.
- At the end, add a list of questions I haven't answered that leave
  the overview incomplete.
- List recurring events (every Tuesday) once, not once per week.

Step two: a weekly plan you can actually live by

From the attached family logistics overview, build a plan for next
week (Monday through Sunday) in a form I can pin to the fridge.

Format: one block per day, listed chronologically:
time — who — what — who's driving — what to bring.

Also:
- Start with a line called "Watch this week" listing at most three
  things that differ from a normal week.
- Where we need to be in two places at once, or where less than
  20 minutes separates two commitments, mark it "CONFLICT" and
  explain why.
- Don't add anything that isn't in the source. No advice, no tips.
- The whole thing has to fit on one page.

Prompts that model this way of working

I'm preparing for a conversation with my [11-year-old] about
[talking unkindly about a classmate a lot lately]. I don't want
a lecture, and I don't want them to shut down right at the start.

Give me:
1. Three ways to open the conversation — each as one sentence I'll
   actually say out loud, with a note on what each one is likely
   to trigger (including the uncomfortable part).
2. Three sentences I should avoid, and why.
3. Four questions that will get me more information than if I do
   the talking.

Don't script the whole conversation, and don't guess what my child
will say — you don't know them. How I run it is my call.

Prompts that model this way of working

I'm attaching text from a [report from an educational psychologist].
I've removed names, addresses, and other identifying details.

Give me:
1. A summary in plain English, ten sentences at most — what it says.
2. A glossary of the technical terms in the text, one sentence each.
3. Questions I should ask whoever wrote the report — especially
   anywhere the text is ambiguous or skips what to actually do.

Don't interpret beyond the text, don't add your own conclusions,
and don't tell me what you think about it. I want a translation,
not a second opinion.

Prompts that model this way of working

I want to change my [9-year-old]'s evening routine. Right now it
looks like this: [description of what happens between dinner and
falling asleep, including where it gets stuck].
Goal: [in bed by 9 p.m. without a nightly negotiation].

Suggest a two-week plan:
- what to change right away versus what to save for week two,
- what should stay exactly the same every day (and why that
  specific thing),
- what to do if it stops working on day three,
- how I'll know after two weeks whether it worked.

Be concrete and realistic — don't tell me it's guaranteed to work.
And note anything in the plan that might be a bad idea specifically
for a child who [description of temperament — e.g., handles change
poorly].

Six ready-made scavenger hunts

Design a scavenger hunt for [3] kids ages [8, 9, and 11] on a fantasy
theme with a ring and a map.

Setting: [our house — description of layout — and the backyard, plus
a patch of woods past the fence]. Time: [70 minutes]. Stations: [4].

For each station, tell me: exactly where to hide the card (three
options based on my description), the text on the card including
a story sentence, the type of cipher and the complete key, the
solution, and a hint in case the kids get stuck.

Use these ciphers: cut-up paper puzzle, mirror writing, numbers for
letters (A=1), Caesar cipher. Keep them short, two words max.

At the end, add an opening letter (5 sentences max) I'll read to the
kids, a list of things to prepare, and a table with the solution to
every cipher.

Six ready-made scavenger hunts

Design a simple pirate scavenger hunt for [4] kids ages [5 to 7] —
two of them can't read well yet.

Setting: [a yard with a sandbox, two trees, and a shed]. Time:
[35 minutes]. Stations: [3].

Conditions:
- At least one station must be solvable without reading (pictures,
  counting, a physical task).
- Ciphers no longer than three letters, each with a printable key.
- For each station, tell me what to do if the kids get stuck.

Add the text of the message in the bottle (4 sentences, simple
words), a list of props, and a table with the solution to every
cipher.

Six ready-made scavenger hunts

Design an indoor detective scavenger hunt for [2] kids ages [9 and 12].
[The cake we baked for tomorrow's party] has gone missing.

Setting: [description of the home, room by room: ...]. Time:
[50 minutes]. Stations: [4].

I want an investigation, not a chase:
- the first clue should be a logic puzzle with a list of [5] suspects
  and elimination clues (invented characters, not family members),
- the second clue a book cipher (page–line–word) — explain how I
  should check the numbers against my own copy,
- the third clue a keyword cipher, keyed to the culprit's name,
- the fourth a short Caesar cipher pointing to the hiding spot.

For each clue: the card text, the solution, and a hint.
At the end, a reveal I can read out to the kids.

Six ready-made scavenger hunts

Design an indoor space-mission scavenger hunt for [2] kids ages
[6 and 9]. We'll play after dark and can turn the lights off.

Setting: [the home, room by room: ...]. Time: [45 minutes].
Stations: [4].

Use these ciphers: Morse code (tapped or flashed — explain how to
send it and how long the pauses should be; 4 letters max, and I'll
include the key), numbers for letters, a QR code (just give me the
text to put into the code), and a final step assembling the code
from the pieces.

For each station: card text written like a shipboard announcement,
the cipher, the solution, a hint, and an idea for where to hide it.
Add a "ship's log" opening (5 sentences max) and a solution table.

Six ready-made scavenger hunts

Design a forest trail scavenger hunt for [5] kids ages [6 to 12]
(a mixed group — the youngest can't read well).

Setting: [mixed woods with a path, a stream, and a large rock, route
about 2 kilometers]. Time: [80 minutes]. Stations: [4].

Conditions:
- The materials have to survive two hours outdoors — tell me what
  to put in a bag and what to do if it rains.
- One station should be a purely natural collecting task with no
  reading, so the youngest can do it too.
- Nothing gets left in the forest — add a list of things to collect.
- Ciphers: mirror writing and a Caesar cipher, both short.

For each station: text, cipher, solution, hint, and how to mark it
so the kids can find it but passersby can't.

Six ready-made scavenger hunts

Design an indoor scavenger hunt for a rainy afternoon, for [3] kids
ages [8 to 13].

Setting: [a small apartment, plus the shared hallway with doorbells
and a stairwell]. Time: [45 minutes]. Stations: [4].

Use things that are normally around the home — bookshelf, calendar,
door numbers, old photos. No props I'd have to go out and buy.

Ciphers: keyword cipher, book cipher (page–line–word), and numbers
for letters. Include the full key and solution for each.

Add an opening text for the envelope (4 sentences max), a prep list,
and a version in case we can't use the hallway (everything happens
inside the apartment).

How to get a hunt custom-tailored

You're an experienced organizer of kids' games. Design me a
turnkey scavenger hunt.

Details:
- Number of kids: [3]
- Ages: [6, 8, and 11] — has to keep both the youngest and the
  oldest engaged
- Space: [describe the home, yard, park, or route — be specific:
  rooms, furniture, trees, stairs, landmarks]
- Time: [60 minutes]
- Theme: [whatever the kids are into right now]
- Treasure at the end: [what it'll be]
- What I have on hand: [printer, flashlight, UV pen, string...]
- What I don't want: [scary elements, running on stairs, anything
  breakable]

Output structure:
1. An opening text I'll read to the kids (5 sentences max).
2. A station table: number, location, task type, cipher, solution.
3. For each station: card text, the cipher's key, the solution,
   a stuck-hint, and an idea for where to hide it.
4. A list of everything I need to prepare, with an estimated
   prep time.
5. A backup plan: what to do if the game is too hard, and if it's
   going too fast.

Rules:
- Easiest cipher first, hardest in the middle, quick one last.
- Mix up the task types: cipher, physical task, search, question.
- The youngest kid needs something to do at every single station.
- Keep ciphers short — two words max.
- List the solution to every cipher separately, so I can check it.

A basic custom bedtime story

Write a bedtime story for a child age [5].
Topic, chosen by the child: [a digger that's afraid of rain].

Conditions:
- Length for 5 minutes of reading aloud, roughly 700 words.
- Calm pacing, a comforting ending — the child should end up sleepy
  after it, not wound up.
- Nobody dies, nobody gets lost for long, no scary characters.
- Short sentences, concrete words, no abstract concepts.
- One repeating line the child can look forward to.
- No moral at the end. If something is implied, let it come from
  the story, not a stated lesson.

Write only the story, no introduction or explanation.

The child as the hero, with a sequel the next night

Write a story where the main character is named [Pinecone] — a
nickname my [6-year-old] made up.

What I know about Pinecone: [brave, loves dogs, afraid of elevators].
Tonight's topic: [an expedition into the backyard, where statues
come alive at night].

Conditions:
- About 700 words, 5 minutes of reading aloud.
- Pinecone solves the problem alone — no adult swoops in to help.
- Leave the ending open: the last paragraph should hint at where
  they'll head tomorrow, without giving anything away.
- At the very end (outside the story itself), give me a list of
  the characters, places, and things that appeared, so I can build
  on them tomorrow.

A story that quietly deals with a real topic

Write a story for a [4-year-old] that quietly touches on this topic:
[we're having a second baby in two months, and the older one keeps
asking whether we'll still love them the same].

Conditions:
- Don't name the topic directly. No sibling appears in the story —
  it has to work through an image, not a matching situation.
- Give the hero a moment of fear, and let them discover they haven't
  lost anything.
- No moral, no sentence like "and so they realized that..." The
  child should take something from it on their own, or not, and
  that's fine either way.
- About 600 words, calm tone, a reassuring ending.

Below the story, add two sentences on what image you used to carry
the topic — so I know what I'm actually reading to my child.

A story based on a drawing your child made

I'm attaching a photo of a drawing my [5-year-old] made.

First, describe what you see in the picture — just a plain list,
no interpretation, no judgment of the drawing. Then wait; I'll
confirm it or correct it.

Once I confirm it, write a 5-minute bedtime story that includes
everything we confirmed, and nothing extra. Give the characters
names that fit the drawing.
Calm tone, comforting ending, no moral.

All prompts