# Parents Who Build: How Parents and Kids Are Building Together in the AI Age *A recap from our first community event among parents with young kids -- and what it means for our AI-forward future* By [Hard Mode First](https://hardmodefirst.xyz) · 2025-10-15 --- **Demos & Discussions in the AI Age** ------------------------------------- Last week, we [convened](https://luma.com/en1q93po) about 40 parents of young kids to learn from each other and to get hands-on with AI. We met not just to _talk_ about what this new technology means for our children, but to _build_ with it. It struck me how quickly “vibe coding” (aka: building software without writing code) has made it possible for parents like us to experiment with technology in deeply personal ways. For me, the first apps I built weren’t for work at all. They were for my family. My first app, [**MuseKat**](https://musekat.com/), helped me engage with my own kids at museums by making the exhibits more accessible for their age and interests. The second, [**Scribblins**](https://scribblins.app/), takes children’s artwork and transforms it into playful AI-enhanced creations, turning AI into an **imagination catalyst,** rather than just a screen to stare at. As I started asking other parents how they’re navigating AI, I found the responses all over the map. Some are leaning into screen-free, tech-free childhoods. Others are [literally vibe-coding with their nine-year-olds on weekends](https://hardmodefirst.xyz/what-happens-when-parents-build-for-their-own-kids). But most of us are somewhere in between, trying to figure out what “good tech use” even means anymore. And if the social-media era of parenting taught us anything, it’s that when things go wrong, they can go _really_ wrong. So the stakes feel high. ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/e917c72c32c2e4b1929efaca7f106dd5e5e1cae50849ef7fcd6121a906c6aea1.jpg) [_Tarun Sachdeva_](https://x.com/tarunsachdeva)_, a dad of two 7-year-old twin girls, shows how he sees his kids as creative partners, and how they all find joy out of building things together on the weekends._ ### **Inside AI Week at Trevor Day School** That’s why I was so energized by the group that gathered at [Trevor Day School](https://www.trevor.org/) in Manhattan last week as part of AI Week, an event that drew over 100 RSVPs (and even a few journalists, including [this Business Insider writeup](https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-workshop-parenting-new-generation-kids-technology-chatgpt-gemini-exposure-2025-10)). We heard from parents experimenting with AI with their kids (from as young as age three) in very different ways: * [**Tarun Sachdeva**](https://x.com/tarunsachdeva), who treats AI tools like a new kind of Lego brick. Every weekend, he and his seven-year-old daughters [build mini-apps together](https://github.com/tarunsachdeva), making his kids feel like creative partners in the process. * [**Ece Kaner**](http://linkedin.com/in/ece-kaner-3312534)**,** who teaches AI literacy in academic settings, is building tiny image-based learning tools with her three-year-old, helping her child understand AI as something she can _shape_, not just consume. * [**Matt Hamilton**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/diogeneshamilton/), who collaborated with me to build [**Scribblins**](https://scribblins.app/), shared our new public-beta app, which we designed around a simple question: “_What if AI could spark imagination and curiosity in kids, instead of just presenting content for them to consume?”_ Following these demos, [**Megan Kiefer**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-kiefer-a47488b/), author of [**The Takeback**](https://www.thetakebackbook.com/), anchored us in a discussion about what families can take away from media literacy in the AI age. Then we invited parents to participate in small-group conversations about storytelling tools, moments of hesitation, and the nerves that come with letting kids explore technology that even adults are still figuring out. ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/b7a226c40e5c4fc722cd0293c199703f1533d6d721540a99a7dd8cb4a16ff5a9.jpg) _A screenshot of the Business Insider article covering the event, which features Matt Hamilton doing a realtime demo of_ [_Scribblins_](https://scribblins.app/)_, a new app that invites kids and their grown-ups to turn real art into AI-generated creations._ * * * **A New Framework for How Families Use AI** ------------------------------------------- I’ve been talking with a lot of technologists about how to think more intentionally about AI use. After hearing some of these pro-tech positive use cases, I’ve started to take note on where an AI-native digital experience exists for kids across a few key axes: ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/e0f6927f48b8045e056fe1df7763e0b582b91010570b0b1ed8ff5ac39a4fb0d6.png) An early framing into how I incorporate AI-native experiences for kids. #### **1\. Creation ↔ Consumption** _How much is the tool encouraging your kid to build or create something new vs. simply passively consume content (ie: mindless scrolling)?_ #### **2\. High agency ↔ Low agency** _To what extent does the AI app experience promote a “high agency” engagement threshold, inviting kids to demonstrate independence or creative thinking?_ #### **3\. Co-play ↔ Solo** _How inherently social is the experience, and is it subbing as a “technology babysitter” or is it inviting co-play with grown-ups or other kids?_ #### **4\. Real-world ↔ Digital only** _How much is the technology being used as a bridge to something real and tangible in the world around us, vs. inviting kids to simply engage more with the screen?_ In addition to critically important child-safety and moderation filters on any AI generated content, I’m particularly interested in tools that lean toward the left side of these axes, especially those that embed technology into real-world experiences instead of keeping kids glued to screens. * * * **What’s Next** --------------- Since last week’s event, I’ve already heard from a half-dozen parents that the session inspired them to **build something too**. One mom already has plans to vibe code an app. Another messaged to say that she made an AI-generated song with her kid over the weekend. ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/f8df79a4255cba851c628e46ef5ef5f64eba908dea645ac78ff5d4785eba0b18.jpg) _Following the demos, we invited parents to break into small groups and discuss how AI is impacting the way they parent (and what they’d like to see going forward)._ Yes, it may be a “mapless frontier” for us brave enough to raise kids in the AI age, but we are embarking on the quest together. And along the way, we are realizing something paramount: We must get involved to get informed. That’s why the energy from this event has already sparked a new **WhatsApp group for AI-curious parents**, where we’re sharing experiments, mini-apps, and honest reflections about what’s working (and what’s not). If you’d like to join that group, or if you’re a parent of a five- to ten-year-old and want to try out [**Scribblins**](https://scribblins.app/), we’d love to hear from you. And if you’re curious about learning by doing, check out a [**Build First Academy** workshop designed specifically for parents](https://chat.whatsapp.com/BnZ6dSlKqDuByQHZL5XVja?mode=wwt). Because the best way to form an opinion about AI is to _build with it yourself._ --- *Originally published on [Hard Mode First](https://hardmodefirst.xyz/parents-who-build-how-parents-and-kids-are-building-together-in-the-ai-age)*