💡 Silly Inventions Pitch

What you need

Equipment: Paper and pens (optional). Split into teams of 2-3 and give each team paper and a pen. Write the five parts of a pitch on the board: product name, what it does, price, who it is for, and slogan.

How to play Silly Inventions Pitch

1. Give the round's prompt, for example "Invent a product nobody asked for" or "A product that solves a ridiculous problem".
2. Each team has 3 minutes to invent the product and fill in all five parts.
3. Teams can also draw the product or its packaging.
4. When time is up, each team gets just 20 seconds to pitch, like pitching to real investors.
5. Every pitch must say the name, show how the product works and end with the slogan, out loud.
6. After each pitch, the other teams act as investors and ask one question.
7. Investors vote with a show of hands: invest or pass.
8. In round two, add a constraint: the product must include a word you give them.

Scoring and wrapping up

Scoring: Most investors vote yes: 3 points. Best slogan: 2 points. Pitch finished within 20 seconds: 1 point.

To finish: Announce the Funded Product of the Day and write its slogan big on the board.

By age

• Ages 8-12: use "a product nobody needs" and work in teams.
• Ages 13 and up: add the investor questions and constraint words.

Variations

• Big group: run a few pitching rooms at once, then send each room's winner to a final.
• Buga twist: teams swap products halfway and must pitch the other team's invention.

Tips for the adult in charge

• Give 3 minutes to invent and keep pitches short. The pitch is the main event.
• Model a quick, silly pitch yourself first so shy kids see it is okay to be goofy.

🖨️ Printable invention prompts

Draw one card per round as the prompt, or use the constraint words in round two.

• A product nobody asked for
• A product that solves a ridiculous problem
• A gadget for socks that keep disappearing
• Something to make Mondays better
• A machine that does homework, but badly
• A product for pets who are bored
• Something to stop little siblings from touching your stuff
• A new way to wake up in the morning
• A backpack with a strange extra feature
• Shoes that do something amazing
• A device for people who always lose their keys
• A snack that does something besides taste good
• Something to make car rides less boring
• A hat with a secret power
• Constraint word: banana
• Constraint word: umbrella
• Constraint word: robot
• Constraint word: glitter
• Constraint word: spaghetti
• Constraint word: trampoline