World-Building for Kids: Draw Your Own Planet
World-building lets kids design a whole planet: creatures, maps, rules and stories. Here's how to start a drawing-based world-building project at home.
World-building is creating a whole imaginary place: its creatures, landscapes, rules and stories. For kids, it is one of the richest creative projects possible, combining drawing, map making, writing and logic, and it can grow for weeks or even years.
Many beloved books and games started as someone's childhood world. Kids who build worlds learn to think big, organize ideas and stay with a creative project over time.
Start with the place
- What kind of world is it? A planet, an island, an underground city?
- What is the weather like?
- What does the landscape look like?
Draw a map to start. See drawing maps for ideas.
Then the creatures
Who lives there? Draw the inhabitants. For a sci-fi world, How to Draw: Alien Cyborgs gives kids a cast of high-tech aliens to populate their planet. Once they can draw a few, they can invent their own species with different gadgets and abilities.
Then the rules
Good worlds have rules:
- What do the creatures eat?
- How do they travel?
- Who is in charge?
- What are they afraid of?
- What is special about this world?
Then the stories
Stories happen when rules are tested. What happens when a creature breaks a rule? When a visitor arrives from Earth? When the volcano wakes up?
Keep a world book
A notebook or sketchbook dedicated to the world keeps everything together: maps, creature drawings, notes, stories. Kids love flipping back through it and adding new pages.
A family project
World-building can be shared. Each family member creates one creature or one region. Put them together on a giant map. For more on inventing, see inventing characters.
Questions parents ask
What is world-building for kids?
It is creating an imaginary world with its own places, creatures, rules and stories, often through drawing, maps and writing.
How do I start a world-building project with my child?
Begin with a map of the place, then draw the creatures who live there, decide on rules and tell stories about what happens.
What skills does world-building develop?
Creativity, planning, writing, logic, map skills and long-term focus on a project.
More in creativity and imagination, or browse all 217 posts on the blog.
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- One Shape, Ten Ideas: Divergent Thinking for KidsDivergent thinking means finding many answers to one question. Turning one shape into many drawings is the perfect workout. Try it with your kids.
- Draw Last Night's Dream: A Morning Creativity GameDraw last night's dream: a fun morning game that builds memory, imagination and storytelling. Plus tips for turning dreams into drawings and stories.
- Drawing as Communication: When Words Are HardWhen words are hard, pictures can speak. Learn how drawing helps children communicate ideas, needs and feelings, from toddlers to kids with speech delays.
