Day of AI for parents: the free AI lessons from MIT RAISE, by grade
What Day of AI is, which free AI units it has for each grade from Pre-K up, whether you need an account, and how a parent can use one at home.
Day of AI is a free AI-literacy program that began at MIT RAISE in 2021: ready-made lessons that teach children what AI is, from Pre-K to grade 12, plus a family toolkit made with Common Sense Media. It's written for teachers, but a parent can run most of the youngest units at a kitchen table. Below is what's in it for each grade, what's free, what needs an account, and how to use a unit at home.
This post is from Peabody (peabody.kids), a free reading and learning site for kids, free through the end of 2026. Day of AI isn't ours, and nobody paid to be listed. Everything below comes from Day of AI's own pages, opened in October 2026.
What is Day of AI?
Day of AI was created by faculty and researchers at MIT RAISE, the group founded by MIT professor Cynthia Breazeal. It began at MIT in 2021. In August 2024 it became an independent nonprofit, and it still works closely with MIT RAISE.
The name is now a little misleading, because it isn't one day any more. On 19 August 2026, Day of AI launched what it calls a free, grade-by-grade AI literacy curriculum from Pre-K to grade 12. Its FAQ says schools can run the lessons "on any day that works for you", or over several days.
Day of AI curriculum by grade
These are the units on the Day of AI curriculum page as of October 2026. Lesson times are Day of AI's own estimates.
| Grade (age) | Unit | Lessons | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-K (4 to 5) | People, Nature, and Machines | 2, about 25 to 30 minutes each | Sort things from nature from things people made; talk about what being intelligent means, with movement, songs and sensory play |
| Kindergarten (5 to 6) | Machines All Around Us | 2, about 30 minutes each | Find machines around them, learn that machines are made by people and aren't alive, compare machine sensors with human senses |
| Grade 1 (6 to 7) | Learning from Patterns | 2, about 40 to 45 minutes each | Unplugged games about spotting patterns and making predictions, and why predictions aren't always right |
| Grade 2 (7 to 8) | Data All Around Us | 3, about 40 to 45 minutes each | Build and sort datasets, ask who is missing from the data, and see how people stay in charge of creative work |
| Grade 7 | Thinking Critically About AI | Not stated on the page | Thinking critically about what AI produces |
| Grade 8 | AI and Human Oversight | Not stated on the page | People's role in overseeing AI |
| Ages 11 to 18 | AI, Effort, and Your Brain; Truth, Tricks, and AI; Student Voices in AI; Student Senate: AI Policy in Schools | Varies | Effort and learning with AI, checking information, student views and school AI policy |
| Ages 12 to 18 | Sounds Like You: AI, Identity and Trust | Not stated | AI, identity and trust |
| Grades 7 to 12 | Foundation of Computer Science and AI Systems | A project-based course | A longer course rather than a short unit |
A gap worth knowing: when we checked, the curriculum page listed no units for grades 3 to 6. Day of AI's launch announcement describes a PreK–4 band and a grades 5–8 band, so more may appear. Until then, Code.org's AI for Oceans (grade 3 and up) and Google's Teachable Machine fill those years well.
Is Day of AI free?
Yes. The Day of AI FAQ says all its curricula and teacher training videos are "completely free and will remain free". It is a nonprofit with sponsors, and we found nothing on the site to buy.
Do you need an account?
For the full materials, yes. Each unit page shows the overview to anyone, but the slide deck, educator guide and student resources sit behind a line that reads "Login or register to view all of the resources available." Registration is free. According to the FAQ, you register, get a link by email, and sign in with your email address; there's no password.
The units are written for teachers, so expect classroom language ("students", "class periods"). We couldn't find anything on Day of AI's pages about whether parents or homeschoolers may register. The resources themselves are slides and printable guides, so nothing is asked of your child: no account, no data.
When is Day of AI 2026 or 2027?
There isn't one fixed day any more. Day of AI's FAQ says there is a celebration day each year to show off student work, and that it's announced at the start of the calendar year. As of October 2026, no date for 2027 has been posted. If you want a reason to do a unit on a set day, the Hour of AI runs 7 to 11 December 2026, and Day of AI's units fit inside it.
How to use a Day of AI unit at home
The Pre-K, Kindergarten and Grade 1 units are short and hands-on, which makes them the easiest to run with your own child.
- Pick by age, not by grade label. A curious four-year-old can do the Pre-K unit; a six-year-old who reads well may enjoy Grade 1.
- Register and download. Open the unit, register with your email, and download the educator guide and slides.
- Read the educator guide first. It has the questions to ask and the order to do things in. Skip anything that needs a whole class.
- Do one lesson at a time. Each lesson is about half an hour. Split it in two for a younger child.
- Swap classroom props for house things. The Pre-K sort works with a basket of real objects: a pine cone, a spoon, a toy car, an apple. The Kindergarten machine hunt is a walk round the house.
- End by asking, not telling. "Is the washing machine smart? Does it know it's washing?" Let them argue.
For a second lesson, try the free Peabody page that explains AI for 7-year-olds, which you read aloud together, or a round of Quick, Draw!, where a computer guesses your child's doodles. (Every Quick, Draw! drawing joins a public dataset Google shares, so it's worth knowing before you start.)
The family toolkit with Common Sense Media
This is the part of Day of AI made for parents, not teachers. The AI literacy toolkit for families, from Common Sense Media and Day of AI, is free and has:
- Three short videos, each in English and Spanish: "What is AI? A Guide for Parents", "Talking to Kids About AI: Privacy, Fairness, and Responsibility" and "Using AI Wisely for School Success".
- A family activity guide for each video, with tips for grown-ups, conversation cards, activities to do at home and a glossary. The guides for the first two videos come in English, Spanish, Arabic and Mandarin; the third is in English only.
Day of AI's own family resources page links the same toolkit, plus a slide deck schools can use for a parent evening. If your child's school hasn't mentioned AI yet, that deck is a polite way to start the conversation.
Where Peabody fits
Day of AI teaches what AI is. Peabody doesn't; it's a reading and learning site that uses AI to write stories at a child's reading level and screen them for safety. There's no open chatbot (the one chat is short and screened, for 3rd grade and up), and the math is made and marked by code, not AI.
The two fit together in one way. After a Day of AI lesson, make a short story with your child on the free AI story generator, read it together, and ask how the AI knew what to write. Or just pick a book from the Peabody library. For a safety checklist for any AI app, see is AI safe for kids' learning?.
Using Peabody in your homeschool
In a homeschool, a Day of AI unit fits as a two- or three-week thread: one lesson a week, about 30 minutes, on the same day each week. The Pre-K to Grade 2 units work well with siblings together; for ages 8 to 10, where Day of AI lists no unit yet, use AI for Oceans instead. On the other days, keep reading going on Peabody: a library story at your child's level for 10 to 15 minutes, and once a week a story made together on the free AI story generator, followed by "how did it know what to write?" The honest limit: Day of AI's pages don't say whether homeschool parents may register, and Peabody has no AI lessons of its own. See AI in homeschooling and the homeschool hub.
Learn more elsewhere
- Day of AI curriculum: every unit, with the scope and sequence and a 2026–27 planning guide.
- AI literacy toolkit for families: the Common Sense and Day of AI videos and talk cards.
- Day of AI: about us: where it came from and how it relates to MIT RAISE.
- Hour of AI activities: the December event's free activities, many of which fit grades 3 to 6.
For about seventy more free links, sorted by age, see where to learn about AI.
Questions parents ask
What is Day of AI?
Day of AI is a free AI-literacy program created by MIT RAISE researchers in 2021 and run as an independent nonprofit since August 2024. It offers ready-made lessons on what AI is, from Pre-K to grade 12, plus a family toolkit made with Common Sense Media. Schools can teach the lessons on any day.
Is Day of AI free?
Yes. Day of AI's FAQ says its curricula and teacher training videos are completely free and will remain free. You need a free registration, with just an email address and no password, to download the full lesson materials.
What grades does the Day of AI curriculum cover?
As of October 2026 the curriculum page has units for Pre-K, Kindergarten, Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 7 and Grade 8, plus units and a course for ages 11 to 18. We found no units listed for grades 3 to 6, though the August 2026 launch describes bands covering them.
Can parents use Day of AI at home?
The lessons are written for teachers, but the Pre-K, Kindergarten and Grade 1 units are short and hands-on enough to run at home, one half-hour lesson at a time, with household objects in place of classroom props. The family toolkit with Common Sense Media is made for parents directly.
When is Day of AI this year?
Day of AI no longer has one fixed date. Its FAQ says a yearly celebration day for student work is announced at the start of each calendar year. As of October 2026, no 2027 date has been posted, and the lessons can be taught any day.
Does my child need an account for Day of AI?
No. The grown-up registers to download the slides and guides, and the lessons themselves are taught from those. The Pre-K to Grade 2 units are mostly talk, games and sorting, and the Grade 1 unit is described as unplugged.
Checked against how Peabody works on 18 October 2026. Written with help from AI. Peabody is a reading app, not a reading assessment: if you're worried about your child's reading, talk to their teacher.