Back to Week 1 plan

Day 1 of 7

30 min

Prompt Like A Game Designer

Day 1 -- learn the one trick the pros use.

P

Pixel

When the kid opens the day

“Okay okay okay. Hi. I am Pixel. We have got six weeks. By the end of week six you will have a real game with a link you can send your mom. But today? Today we are learning the ONE trick that makes AI actually useful. Ready? Let us GO.”

Today’s artifact

Prompt Recipe Card -- saved to your Capstone Locker

Recipe

GOAL + DETAILS + EXAMPLES + LIMITS

The lesson, beat by beat

  1. 1

    Why bad prompts get bad answers

    ~5 min

    Pixel says

    “Watch this. I am gonna ask an AI to make me a game. Just like that. Make me a game. Yeah. It gave me a tic-tac-toe with comic sans. That is because I did not tell it anything. Garbage in, garbage out. That is the rule.”

    Kid does

    Read the two example AI responses Pixel shows. Spot which one is better and why.

  2. 2

    The Recipe (GOAL + DETAILS + EXAMPLES + LIMITS)

    ~8 min

    Pixel says

    “Every good prompt has four parts. GOAL: what do you want? DETAILS: what should it look or feel like? EXAMPLES: things that are kinda close. LIMITS: what NOT to do. Four parts. That is the whole trick. Pros use this. You are a pro now.”

    Kid does

    Write each of the four parts on the Recipe Card template. Pixel walks them through one part at a time.

  3. 3

    Try it (ask AI for game ideas)

    ~7 min

    Pixel says

    “Okay let us USE it. Write me a prompt asking for three game ideas you might want to build. Use the recipe. I will wait. Take your time. The better your prompt, the cooler the ideas you get back.”

    Kid does

    Type a prompt using the GOAL+DETAILS+EXAMPLES+LIMITS pattern. Pixel reviews it and gives one piece of feedback before sending it to the AI.

  4. 4

    Read the results (which ideas have YOU in them?)

    ~5 min

    Pixel says

    “Look at what came back. Now (and this is important) which one of these feels like YOU? Not which one is coolest, not which one is most impressive. Which one would YOU actually wanna play? That is the one we are keeping in our back pocket for tomorrow.”

    Kid does

    Pick ONE idea that feels like them. Mark it on the Recipe Card under tomorrow's seed.

  5. 5

    Save the card

    ~3 min

    Pixel says

    “Boom. Save it. That card is yours forever. Every prompt you write the rest of this whole school year? You will use this recipe. Trust me.”

    Kid does

    Click Save. Card lands in the Capstone Locker under Week 1 / Day 1.

Pixel signs off

“Dude. You just learned the thing most grown-ups do not know how to do. Save your Recipe Card. We are using it every single day this week.”

Show your grown-up

Go show whoever is around (mom, dad, big sister) and read them your Prompt Recipe Card. Tell them what each part does. Bet they will be impressed.

What goes to the parent dashboard

Your kid learned how to write effective AI prompts using the GOAL + DETAILS + EXAMPLES + LIMITS pattern. They saved a Prompt Recipe Card they will reuse all week.

diligencehonestystewardship of gifts

You’re at the start of the week

Next · Day 2

Choose The Game Concept