Learn artificial intelligence as a family
Learning artificial intelligence as a family is not about giving a tech talk at home. It is about using it together to create something: a story, a song, the plan for a weekend. The idea behind it is simple, create instead of only consuming, and it works just as well for a nine-year-old as for an adult who has never touched an AI tool.
While You Create is a series of three books by M. Henning, one for each stage: kids, teens and adults. Each book comes with a free companion site with over 80 prompts and a 30-day challenge. Here is where to start depending on the age of your family.
A book for every age
- While You Dream (ages 8 to 12) A summer story so a child learns to create with AI: a story, a picture, a good question. Free companion site →
- While You Scroll (ages 13 to 18) How to go from watching the screen to making things with it, with a 30-day challenge and a chapter on deepfakes. Free companion site →
- While You Sleep (adults and families) For parents who want to understand AI without jargon and guide their children while they use it. Free companion site →
Where do we start at home?
You do not need to buy anything to begin. Pick a prompt, try it this week and show the result at home. Creating a single thing changes your family relationship with AI. When you want a plan with more structure, the 30-day challenge suggests one small creation a day, with a diploma at the end.
Guide to AI for families → Start the 30-day challenge →
At what age can a child start with AI?
With guidance, from age 8 a child can already write their own prompts and see the result right away. Before that, it is natural for the adult to handle the tool and share the creation with the child. What matters is not the exact age, but doing it together and keeping the focus on creating, not consuming.
Do I need to pay to start?
No. Almost every AI tool (ChatGPT, Grok, Gemini) has a free version that is more than enough to start creating as a family. The books companion sites, with the prompts and the 30-day challenge, are free too.
Do you need to know about technology?
No. All three books are written without jargon and start from zero. If an adult can write a message on a phone, they have everything they need to guide their children with these books.
Want to see the approach before you decide? On the blog you can read how to create a personalised story in 10 minutes with AI.
Frequently asked questions
Which of the three books do I choose?
By age: "While You Dream" for kids aged 8 to 12, "While You Scroll" for teens aged 13 to 18, and "While You Sleep" for adults and parents. All three share the same approach, create instead of consume.
At what age can a child start?
With guidance, from age 8 to create stories or drawings. Before that, better for the adult to handle the tool and share the result.
Do I need to pay for AI tools?
No. The free versions of the common tools are enough for everything the books propose.
Do you need to know about technology?
No. Everything is explained from zero and without jargon, meant to read and apply as a family.