Make a game for your son or daughter, with them as the hero

Ideas by age

• Ages 4 to 7: Pet rescue. Your kid saves a scared puppy in a storm. Try: "my son from this photo helps a scared puppy get home in a thunderstorm, no losing, just stars"
• Ages 4 to 7: Bedtime hunt. Find the toys before bedtime. Try: "find 10 toys in the house before bedtime, my daughter is the hero, gentle music"
• Ages 4 to 7: Fox friend. Follow a fox around a farm and pick fruit. Try: "follow a fox around a floating farm, pick pears, no enemies"
• Ages 8 to 11: Dragon knight. Your kid rides a dragon over their own town. Try: "my son is a knight riding a dragon over our town, collect 20 stars, a friendly boss"
• Ages 8 to 11: Dad as the boss. You are the final boss. They will love beating you. Try: "my son from this photo fights me as the final boss, I throw socks, 3 phases"
• Ages 8 to 11: Pet care. Look after a fluffy pet every day. Try: "look after a fluffy pet, feed it, bathe it, play with it"
• Ages 12 and up: Their idea. Ask for their idea and only help with the sentence. Try: "my son's own idea, written in his words, then we change it together"

Make it together

Sit with them. Let them say what the game is, and type it into Roam as a sentence or start from a photo. Play the first version together, then let them ask for changes: "more dragons", "make me faster". This is the fun part, and it teaches how games are made: idea, test, fix.

Before a child uses any app, Roam included, check its age rating on the App Store and play it yourself first. Roam is a free iPhone app with a feed of games other people made, so decide whether your kid plays from your phone with you.

Gentle Roam games and other options

Gentle Roam games to try first: Niblet, a fluffy pet that wants food and baths. Block Buddy, a blocky cat to look after. Puppy Fears Thunder, a scared puppy and a brave cat on a rainy night. Follow the Fox, a cozy farm with a fox and a pear harvest. If your kid wants to learn coding, ScratchJr suits ages 5 to 7 and Scratch suits older kids, both free from MIT.

Questions people ask

How can I make a video game for my child?

Ask what they want to be, then describe the game with them. On Roam you can start from their photo and a sentence.

Is Roam safe for kids?

Check the App Store age rating and play it yourself first. Decide whether your child plays on your phone with you.

What is a good game-making tool for kids who want to code?

ScratchJr for ages 5 to 7 and Scratch for older kids. Both are free and use code blocks.