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Child Expert Session

Child picks something they know how to do and teaches the parent; the parent is the student throughout.

Cartoon illustration of a parent and child at home doing Child Expert Session.
  • Age2.5 to 11 years
  • Time5 to 15 minutes
  • EnergyModerate
  • CostFree
  • WhereIndoors
  • PrepNone

Your child is the teacher for 10-15 minutes. They pick something they know how to do: a game they invented, a fact they love, a skill they've practised: and you are the student. You ask questions, you try, you get things wrong. They correct you.

How to do it

  1. Ask your child: "Is there something you're good at that you could teach me?" Let them think. If they're stuck, offer a few frames: "A game you made up? Something you've been practising? Something you know about?"
  2. When they choose, say "Okay, I'm your student. You're the teacher." Then be a genuine student: ask questions, attempt what they're teaching, make real mistakes without performing them.
  3. Don't take over. Don't correct their teaching method. Don't offer a better way to do the thing they're teaching. Follow their lead.
  4. After 10-15 minutes (or when the session feels naturally complete), tell them what you learned. Be specific: "I didn't know that trick worked like that" or "I didn't realise how hard that is."
  5. Do this once a week or whenever your child comes to you with "I want to show you something."

What you need

  • Child chosen materials

Signs it is working

Your child prepares something ahead of the session without being asked. They correct you with confidence when you get something wrong. They reference it afterwards: "Remember when I taught you that?"

If it is not quite clicking

Your child can't think of anything to teach: Spend time over the next few days noticing what they do that you don't: build a list together from observation, then let them choose. They want to teach something they know you already know: Play the student genuinely anyway: their teaching of a known thing is still valid. The session goes longer than expected because they're engaged: Let it run

Make it yours

Younger, 3-4 years: What they "teach" may be showing you how they play with a toy. That's enough: be a genuine student of their play. Older, 7+ years: They may teach something complex (a card game, a coding concept, a historical fact they love). Let it be as deep as they want. Siblings: Each child gets their own session separately: one teaches while the other isn't present

Try this with your child.

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