A little drawing. A whole new world.
Draw an Alien Planet Tattoo: A Small Mission with a Big Imagination
“Draw an alien planet tattoo.” It is a short mission prompt, but it leaves a wonderfully big question for a child to answer: what would a planet of their own look like?
The photo below shows one answer from our family: a temporary drawing on an arm, with a dark outline, colourful bands and red marks reaching out around the edge. There is no polished template to copy. It is an idea made visible.
A planet nobody else has visited
Ask a child to draw a planet and they might begin with a circle. Add “alien” and suddenly the rules are theirs to invent. It could have purple rivers, square mountains or a moon that changes colour whenever someone laughs.
Those are possibilities to explore, rather than details I am claiming about the drawing in our photo. That distinction matters: the child gets to tell us what their marks mean.
Instead of deciding whether the picture looks like a real planet, we can ask, “What is that part?” or “What happens there?” A line might become a road, a stripe might become an ocean, and a little patch of colour might become somewhere a creature lives.
The drawing can be the beginning
The mission gives children something concrete to do. Once they have a design, they also have a starting point for a story.
You do not need to turn that into another assignment. One curious question can be enough. If they want to explain, listen. If they are pleased with the picture and ready to move on, that is a perfectly good ending too.
- What is your planet called?
- Who lives there?
- What would a visitor notice first?
- What is the funniest rule on your planet?
- How would you welcome someone arriving from Earth?
There are no correct answers to collect. The pleasure is in discovering what the child has imagined.
Try an alien-planet design at home
Suggested age: 5–11.
Allow: around 5–10 minutes, or longer if the story grows.
Simple paper version: paper and crayons or coloured pencils.
This is a suggested way to explore the idea at home, not a transcription of the app’s complete mission instructions.
- Choose your canvas. Paper works beautifully. Draw an arm outline on the page if you want to design a pretend tattoo.
- Invent your planet. Choose a shape and add colours, patterns or unusual landmarks. It does not have to look like Earth.
- Give it one surprising detail. Perhaps it has two suns, a floating island or an ocean made of bubbles. Let the child choose.
- Name it. Say the name aloud or write it beside the drawing.
- Share the idea. Explain one thing that makes the planet special, or simply show someone the finished design.
If your family chooses a temporary skin drawing, a grown-up should supervise and use only a product specifically intended for children’s skin, following its label. Ordinary pens and craft paints are not a substitute. Children can choose the paper version instead.
A personal design, without a competition
The word “tattoo” makes this prompt feel like a design of your own: something chosen, drawn and shown. It is pretend, temporary play, and it can stay entirely on paper.
With more than one child, there is no need to vote for the best planet. Each person can introduce their world. One might invent the inhabitants while another is more interested in colours and shapes.
For a shared version, draw two planets on a sheet and imagine a journey between them. What would the travellers bring? How would they say hello? These are optional extensions for families who want to keep playing.
A little prompt that opens a door
What I like about this kind of Super Funday mission is how little it needs to begin. A child has a clear invitation, then space to decide what happens next.
The screen does not need to provide the finished world. The drawing, the choices and any story that follows belong to the child.
Our photo captures one small design. Behind it is the possibility of a planet nobody else has imagined in quite the same way.
The phone gives them the idea. They create the adventure.
Try a free sample mission or explore more space-themed ideas.
Try a free mission → Free Space Adventure PackMore ideas from our family
Read about Kian’s three-sock and plastic-cup game, explore photo memories in Super Funday, or discover how the game began.