Introducing Dungeons & Dragons to Kids

I cannot wait until the day I get to sit down with my kids (who are presently too young to grasp the concept of paper and pencil role playing games) to go dungeon delving, rolling d20s, and counting up treasure while each of us partake in some awesome story telling moments.  Back in the Spring of 2010, Wizards of the Coast put out a free to play adventure (if you're old school like me you call them "modules") geared towards just that: introducing D&D to kids.  The recommended age is "6 and up" but of course your mileage will vary.  Here is the description from Wizards of the Coast:

Are you a parent who wants to share the fun of Dungeons & Dragons with your kids, but you’re worried that the rules are too complicated or a standard adventure would tax their attention spans? Are you a teacher or librarian who would like to introduce your students to the game, but you’re reluctant to take on the regular time commitment of a full-blown campaign?
There are a great many reasons to share D&D with kids. Besides being just the kind of imaginative play that kids naturally engage in, Dungeons & Dragons develops an array of essential educational skills, including:

• Math skills
• Reading skills
• Writing skills
• Cooperation and leadership
• Problem-solving
• Creative thinking

We’ve heard from many of you out there that you’ve been wanting to unlock these benefits for your kids, but you feel that they’re not ready for the basic game or you just don’t have the time to run your own campaign. So we put together this variation, based on the new novel for young readers, Monster Slayers by Lukas Ritter. Monster Slayers: The Heroes of Hesiod captures the flavor, fun, and educational benefits of Dungeons & Dragons in a fast-paced, easy-to-learn experience for kids ages six years old and up.
Monster Slayers: The Heroes of Hesiod requires no previous knowledge of Dungeons & Dragons, and all you need to play is included in this adventure, aside from a few dice and pencils (and some friends to play it with). Play time can be as little as fifteen minutes or as long as an hour, depending on how many monsters you run.
Monster Slayers: The Heroes of Hesiod isn’t just for kids. It’s also a fun diversion for experienced players who need their D&D fix but don’t have the time for a full-length game. Or share it with your non-gamer family and friends who claim to be intimidated by the rules of the game. It won’t be long before they’re hooked on the game you love!

Linkage to Wizard of the Coast's information page HERE.

And HERE is the direct download linkage for the adventure/module.