Design a birthday party!

Your thinking drives everything in your life

The way we think drives our success in life.

If you think about it, your life is a collection of problems. And these problems are not bumps in your journey. They are your journey!

Take a moment to reflect upon your life and consider your reaction to a few big problems.

Did you get annoyed?

Did you want to get rid of these problems ASAP?

Did you feel like a victim?

What would it mean for you if you had a positive approach towards problems?

What if your problems can propel you to where you want to get?

What if problems are opportunities to achieve more than what you hoped for?

With a particular way of thinking and tools, problems can propel us. Issues have the power to help us grow personally and professionally.

Therefore, the key to success in life is-

having a positive approach towards problems
knowing a process, tools, and strategies that help us solve problems
our ability to find creative solutions to problems
knowing that we can tackle any problem

It is about developing our thinking capabilities and learning a way that enables us to find creative solutions to problems.

Therefore, teaching your child how to think and approach problems is vital to their happiness, well-being and ability to flourish in a complex, ever-changing world.

There is an approach to problem-solving you can teach your child to develop their thinking capabilities. This powerful approach is called – Design Thinking.

What is Design Thinking?

Design Thinking is a combination of mindset, approach, methods, and tools that enables you to develop innovative solutions to problems. (Or create a better future) At its heart, Design Thinking is human-centric, which means we approach the problem with the desire to understand the reality and the different points of view of the people who are related to this problem. It means we approach others with empathy, an open mind, and a strong desire to understand and help.

In Design Thinking, we are solving the problem WITH the people who are facing this problem. (As opposed to solving it FOR them)

For example – if there is a problem related to your child, you will explore and solve this problem WITH your child, not FOR them.

In Design Thinking, we follow a process called The Double Diamond. (This process enables you to solve any problem)

It is also important to note that Design Thinking is a hands-on approach. We progress on our problem-solving journey by doing things and testing our thinking.

Why Design Thinking?

The connection between Design Thinking and education lies within the skills people develop when they learn and apply Design Thinking.

Design Thinkers are excellent problem solvers. This means they are innovative and inventive in their thinking. And this, in turn, means they have developed their beautiful 21st-century skills.

Therefore, learning and practising Design Thinking will help your child develop the skills they need for success today, cultivating aptitude to problem-solve, curiosity, creative and critical thinking, resilience, empathy, and ability to collaborate.

Moreover, Design Thinking goes beyond the specific knowledge-focused fields and lays a strong foundation for success in any career.

This process also develops a growth mindset. For example, Design Thinkers know that failure is part of the journey: they learn from it and start again.

As you probably know, today, we have complex global problems to solve, such as food security, children’s education, gender equality, and global warming, to name a few. These problems can’t be solved using the same thinking that created them: we need to develop a different kind of thinking. Design Thinking develops creativity and teaches us to find unusual connections, enabling us to arrive at unique solutions.

Many organisations already recognise Design Thinking as a powerful way to drive successful outcomes. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation uses this methodology to successfully solve some of the most complicated problems we face today, such as polio eradication.

Moreover, many start-ups and companies, such as Airbnb and Netflix, also use Design Thinking to drive their success.

This mini-project is your perfect first step in helping your child become an excellent problem-solver and a designer.

It is your easy way to introduce Design Thinking in a fun and engaging way and leave your child wanting more.

You don’t need to have Design Thinking knowledge to facilitate this fun activity with your child.

Who is it for

This project is designed for parents who want to help their children –

Develop their 21st-century skills
Develop empathy
Learn how to design solutions to real-world problems
Learn to consider other people’s needs, wants and desires
Become excellent problem-solvers

If the above sounds like you, this project is exactly what you are looking for!

This pack includes

Design a birthday party for your partner – parent's guide (32 slides)
Design a birthday party for your partner – worksheet

What will your child gain from doing this activity?

This fun activity will develop your child –

✅ Creative thinking

✅ Problem-solving skills

✅ Research skills

✅ Ability to collaborate

✅ Communication skills

✅ Empathy

✅ Critical thinking

✅ Understanding of the Design process

To facilitate this project, you would need to –

Print out two copies of the worksheet
Have a laptop/tablet so you can use the parent's guide

Want to help your child become an excellent problem-solver?

Click on the image below to purchase this pack now for only $5 USD, and start your Design Thinking journey.

This activity is designed for 7-12 years old.