Dragon Cave Adventure

Why Dragon Cave Adventure works

The opening should make reason easy to read and solve easy to compare. Keep everything else quiet enough that the child can notice what changes when using enters the sequence.

Set up — Choose the reason for entering the cave

Prepare household items before the child is asked to choose the reason for entering the cave. The setup is ready when the child can choose the reason for entering the cave and then move on to the instruction to solve the first obstacle using a spoken or paper clue without a new explanation. Keep props ordinary and safe, and do not copy real hazardous, medical, or emergency procedures while those two steps are connected.

Step 2 — Solve the first obstacle using a spoken or paper clue

After the child tries to solve the first obstacle using a spoken or paper clue, ask one brief question about the result. Connect their answer to the next request to meet the dragon and decide whether it needs help, a trade or a message rather than explaining it for them.

Step 3 — Meet the dragon and decide whether it needs help, a trade or…

Have the child meet the dragon and decide whether it needs help, a trade or a message before offering a solution. What happens here should help them understand how to resolve the dragon problem without physical combat, especially compared with the earlier request to solve the first obstacle using a spoken or paper clue.

Step 4 — Resolve the dragon problem without physical combat

Give the child time to resolve the dragon problem without physical combat and notice the result. The following instruction to leave the cave and tell what changed during the adventure should use what they learned after previously trying to meet the dragon and decide whether it needs help, a trade or a message.

Step 5 — Leave the cave and tell what changed during the adventure

Allow room for a mistake while the child tries to leave the cave and tell what changed during the adventure. A self-correction here is more useful than fast repetition before the child moves on to leave the cave and tell what changed during the adventure.

What to notice before Leave the cave and tell what changed during…

After the child has tried to resolve the dragon problem without physical combat, ask what changed. An answer connected to the earlier attempt to meet the dragon and decide whether it needs help, a trade or a message is good evidence of whether the next pretend action follows from what the characters just did before the final step.

Make Meet the dragon and decide whether it… easier or harder

If asking the child to meet the dragon and decide whether it needs help, a trade or a message is too demanding, use one role, one place, and one short problem. Once that step is comfortable, add a second responsibility, clue, customer, or consequence that must be handled in order before returning to the final request to leave the cave and tell what changed during the adventure.

Finish after Leave the cave and tell what changed during…

Leave the cave and tell what changed during the adventure. When that step is complete, Dragon Cave Adventure has done what it was designed to do. Continue with a different idea from the activity search or the activity generator.