Make a 21-page vacation activity book and gamified chore charts for three kids with ChatGPT

Posted

Sep 22, 2026 by Sara Sprong, as told to Julia Pugachevsky (Business Insider)

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Last checked

Oct 18, 2026

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Method:

How we verify

Evidence: Article or interviewA newsletter, journalist or interview account of what happened.

Context: As-told-to essay: the account is the parent's, written up by the reporter.

Beginner-friendlyNo logins, payments or coding needed. Low risk: paste the prompt and you should get something useful.

Outcome

Sara Sprong, a parent of three in Colorado, uses ChatGPT as a brainstorming partner to make printable resources. For a trip to Rhinelander, Wisconsin, it helped create a 21-page activity book for their kids and cousins, with Mad Libs about their activities and a scavenger hunt around the resort, formatted for printing. Sprong also made a 'Bedroom Boss Battle' chore chart in timed levels and a tracker for one-on-one parent–child dates, and says it has helped cut screen time at home.

Agent

ChatGPT

The source didn't share its exact prompt, so we wrote this from what it describes.

Let's work this out together. I'll tell you what I know, you suggest options and ask what you need, and we'll narrow it down step by step. Nothing gets booked, bought or sent until I say so.

Goal: Help me make printable, personalised activities for my kids, such as a trip activity book or a chore chart they'll actually use.

What I'll share as we go:
- Kids' ages and interests
- Where we're going or what the chore is
- What the place or day involves
- Print size and how many pages I want

Rules:
- Brainstorm with me first and refine until it fits each child.
- Base trip activities on real things we'll be doing; ask me what's planned rather than inventing it.
- Break big chores into small, timed steps with fun names.
- Format everything to print cleanly on standard paper, and check for stray or garbled text in images.
- Check facts that can change (prices, opening hours, dates, availability, rules) against the official source, and tell me anything you couldn't verify.

Output: Print-ready pages with a short list of what's on each one.

You'll know it worked when: the kids use it without me nagging, and it prints cleanly.

Let's work this out together. I'll tell you what I know, you suggest options and ask what you need, and we'll narrow it down step by step. Nothing gets booked, bought or sent until I say so.

Goal: Help me make printable, personalised activities for my kids, such as a trip activity book or a chore chart they'll actually use.

What I'll share as we go:
- Kids' ages and interests
- Where we're going or what the chore is
- What the place or day involves
- Print size and how many pages I want

Rules:
- Brainstorm with me first and refine until it fits each child.
- Base trip activities on real things we'll be doing; ask me what's planned rather than inventing it.
- Break big chores into small, timed steps with fun names.
- Format everything to print cleanly on standard paper, and check for stray or garbled text in images.
- Check facts that can change (prices, opening hours, dates, availability, rules) against the official source, and tell me anything you couldn't verify.
- Keep reading level and difficulty right for the youngest child, with a harder version for older kids.

Output: Print-ready pages with a short list of what's on each one.

You'll know it worked when: the kids use it without me nagging, and it prints cleanly.

Before you finish: re-read my goal and constraints, check your answer against each one, and list anything you assumed or couldn't confirm.

Source

https://www.businessinsider.com/mom-ai-activity-books-chore-charts-chatgpt-2026-9