For parents, teachers and their AI assistants
The Big Index
Everything we could find worth reading about kids, learning and AI: the studies, the guides, the books and podcasts, the films, and every learning tool we know of, our competitors included. Each one has a line on what it is and why you might care.
- 1574 entries
- 15 topics
- 1078 free
- 234 questions answered
- 112 top lists
- 940 in the who's who
Also: 112 top lists, who's who and the AI software map. Sending an AI assistant? Point it at the whole index as Markdown or everything on one page. Links checked 2026-10-24.
Start with a question
What parents ask most, what the evidence says in a sentence or two, and where to read more. Every topic page has more.
Do AI tutors actually help kids learn?
Sometimes, and usually by a small amount. Well-designed tutors have shown real gains in a few trials (Harvard physics, Nigeria, Ghana), but the biggest independent school trial, of Khanmigo, found small gains about the same as ordinary practice software. Stanford's 2026 review found only 20 strong studies and none with US K-12 students.
- The Evidence Base on AI in K-12: A 2026 Review (Fesler, Martinez, Agnew & Loeb, Stanford SCALE)
- AI tutoring outperforms in-class active learning: an RCT introducing a novel research-based design in an authentic educational setting (Kestin, Miller et al., Harvard)
- One Click Away: AI Tutoring with Khanmigo in a Two-Year School Experiment (Oreopoulos & Low, University of Toronto)
- From chalkboards to chatbots: Transforming learning in Nigeria, one prompt at a time (De Simone et al., World Bank)
More in AI as a tutor
Can using ChatGPT for homework make my child learn less?
There is good evidence it can. In a trial with about 1,000 high schoolers, plain ChatGPT raised practice scores but students did 17% worse on a later test without it. Large platform data suggests the same pattern on easy-to-paste math problems. Guardrails that give hints instead of answers reduced most of the harm.
- Generative AI without guardrails can harm learning: Evidence from high school mathematics (Bastani, Bastani, Sungu et al., Penn/Wharton)
- Faster Completion, Less Learning: Generative AI Reduced Study Time on Math Problems and the Knowledge They Build (Rismanchian et al., UC Irvine and McGraw Hill)
- Kids who use ChatGPT as a study assistant do worse on tests (Jill Barshay, The Hechinger Report)
More in AI as a tutor
What is the single most useful study habit I can teach my child?
Self-testing (retrieval practice): having your child recall what they know before looking at notes, through quizzes, flashcards or just telling you about it. Reviews of hundreds of studies rate it among the most effective techniques, and it beats rereading in lab and classroom studies alike.
- Improving Students' Learning With Effective Learning Techniques: Promising Directions From Cognitive and Educational Psychology (Dunlosky, Rawson, Marsh, Nathan & Willingham)
- Test-Enhanced Learning: Taking Memory Tests Improves Long-Term Retention (Henry L. Roediger III & Jeffrey D. Karpicke)
- How to Use Retrieval Practice to Improve Learning (Agarwal, Roediger, McDaniel & McDermott)
- Retrieval Practice Consistently Benefits Student Learning: A Systematic Review of Applied Research in Schools and Classrooms (Agarwal, Nunes & Blunt)
More in How learning works
Is cramming the night before a test really that bad?
Cramming can work for a test the next morning, but much of it is forgotten soon after. Spreading the same study time over several days leads to far better long-term memory, and the gap between sessions should grow with how long the material needs to last.
- Distributed Practice in Verbal Recall Tasks: A Review and Quantitative Synthesis (Cepeda, Pashler, Vul, Wixted & Rohrer)
- How to Use Spaced Retrieval Practice to Boost Learning (Shana K. Carpenter & Pooja K. Agarwal)
- Benefits of Spaced Practice: Simple Recommendations for Parents (Megan Sumeracki & Yana Weinstein, The Learning Scientists)
More in How learning works
What age is OK for a child to start using AI chatbots?
No study gives one safe age. Most general chatbots require users to be 13, with weak age checks, and researchers such as Ying Xu say the answer depends on the product, the child, and whether an adult is using it with them. Shared, supervised use is the common advice for younger kids.
- Parents' Ultimate Guide to Generative AI (Common Sense Media)
- AI's Impact on Children's Social and Cognitive Development | Ying Xu, PhD (Children and Screens (Screen Deep podcast))
- How AI Chatbots Affect Kids: Benefits, Risks & What Parents Need to Know (Joanna Parga-Belinkie, MD, American Academy of Pediatrics)
- Guide to ChatGPT for Parents and Caregivers (Common Sense Media)
More in Kids and AI at home
Do young children think Alexa or a chatbot is alive or a person?
Mostly not, but they put it in an in-between category. Studies find even preschoolers know they are talking to a machine, yet many credit talking devices with some thinking or feelings and say it is wrong to be mean to them. These ideas change with age and with how parents talk about the device.
- The minds of machines: Children's beliefs about the experiences, thoughts, and morals of familiar interactive technologies (Flanagan, Wong & Kushnir, Cornell)
- "Alexa doesn't have that many feelings": Children's understanding of AI through interactions with smart speakers in their homes (Andries & Robertson, University of Edinburgh)
- Behaving as or behaving as if? Children's conceptions of personified robots and the emergence of a new ontological category (Severson & Carlson)
- Family as a Third Space for AI Literacy (seminar slides) (Stefania Druga, Raspberry Pi Foundation seminar)
More in Kids and AI at home
What is the 'science of reading' and is it just phonics?
It is a large body of research on how reading develops, not a single program. Most researchers agree children need explicit, systematic phonics early on. They also need vocabulary, background knowledge and plenty of reading practice to understand what they read.
- Ending the Reading Wars: Reading Acquisition From Novice to Expert (Castles, Rastle & Nation)
- Science of Reading: Defining Guide (The Reading League)
- Scarborough's Reading Rope (video) (Reading Rockets)
- The Science of Reading Progresses: Communicating Advances Beyond the Simple View of Reading (Duke & Cartwright)
More in Reading and writing
Should my child be told to look at the picture or guess a word from context?
Research does not support guessing as a main strategy for beginning readers. Sounding words out builds the letter-sound links that make later reading automatic. Context and pictures still help with meaning once a word is decoded.
- Sold a Story: How Teaching Kids to Read Went So Wrong (Emily Hanford, APM Reports)
- At a Loss for Words: How a flawed idea is teaching millions of kids to be poor readers (Emily Hanford, APM Reports)
- Some context on context (Mark Seidenberg)
- Is This the End of 'Three Cueing'? (Education Week)
More in Reading and writing
Does early math really matter that much before kindergarten?
Large long-term studies find that math skills at school entry are among the strongest predictors of later math and even reading achievement. These are associations, not proof that drilling preschoolers helps, but playful counting, comparing and shape talk are a low-cost bet.
- School Readiness and Later Achievement (Duncan et al., Developmental Psychology)
- What's Past Is Prologue: Relations Between Early Mathematics Knowledge and High School Achievement (Watts, Duncan, Siegler & Davis-Kean)
- Early Math Matters: Kindergarten Number Competence and Later Mathematics Outcomes (Jordan, Kaplan, Ramineni & Locuniak)
- Which Preschool Mathematics Competencies Are Most Predictive of Fifth Grade Achievement? (Nguyen, Watts, Duncan, Clements et al.)
More in Math
What are the best things to do at home with a toddler or preschooler?
Talk about numbers in daily life (count real objects, ask "how many?", compare sizes), play simple numbered board games, and read math-rich picture books. Research on number talk and board games supports these, though the studies are mostly small.
- What counts in the development of young children's number knowledge? (Levine et al., Developmental Psychology)
- Playing linear numerical board games promotes low-income children's numerical development (Siegler & Ramani, Developmental Science)
- DREME Family Math (DREME Network, Stanford)
- Making the Most of Talk About Numbers (DREME Network, Stanford)
- Talking Math With Your Kids (Christopher Danielson)
More in Math
How much screen time is OK for my toddler or preschooler?
The WHO advises no sedentary screen time before age 2 and at most an hour a day for ages 2 to 4. The AAP now puts less weight on a fixed number and asks parents to look at content, what screens crowd out, and whether they watch together. Video chat with family is treated as an exception.
- Guidelines on Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour and Sleep for Children Under 5 Years of Age (World Health Organization)
- Kids and Screen Time: How to Use the 5 Cs of Media Guidance (AAP Center of Excellence on Social Media and Youth Mental Health)
- Media and Young Minds (AAP policy statement) (AAP Council on Communications and Media)
More in Screens, video and YouTube
Can babies and toddlers actually learn from videos?
Under about age 3, children learn much less from a screen than from a live person (the video deficit), and baby vocabulary DVDs taught no extra words in a controlled test. Repetition, a parent talking about what is on screen, and live video chat all narrow the gap.
- Transfer of Learning Between 2D and 3D Sources During Infancy: Informing Theory and Practice (Rachel Barr, Georgetown University)
- Do Babies Learn From Baby Media? (DeLoache et al., University of Virginia)
- What Matters for Young Children's Healthy Digital Media Use and Learning? (Screen Deep, Rachel Barr) (Children and Screens (host Kris Perry))
- Baby FaceTime: Can Toddlers Learn From Online Video Chat? (Myers, LeWitt, Gallo & Maselli)
More in Screens, video and YouTube
Will my kid eat more vegetables if they help cook?
Probably a little. Surveys and small lab studies link cooking with parents to liking and eating more vegetables, but reviews of randomized cooking programs find they reliably build skills and confidence while changes in actual diet are less consistent.
- Outcomes of children's cooking programs: a systematic review of intervention studies (van der Horst et al., Proceedings of the Nutrition Society)
- The Association Between Child Cooking Involvement in Food Preparation and Fruit and Vegetable Intake in a Hispanic Youth Population (Asigbee et al., University of Texas)
- Children who cook eat more greens (Nestlรฉ Research Center (van der Horst et al., Appetite))
- Kids who cook are hungrier for healthy food choices (University of Alberta (Chu et al.), via ScienceDaily)
More in Cooking, making and the outdoors
How many times do I have to offer a new food before my child accepts it?
Studies of babies, preschoolers and grade-schoolers point to roughly 8 to 10 small, no-pressure tastes for a new or disliked vegetable, with more tastes bringing bigger gains. It does not work for every child, and some need fewer or more tries.
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of strategies to increase vegetable consumption in preschool children aged 2-5 years (Nekitsing, Hetherington et al., University of Leeds)
- Repeated exposure to food and food acceptability in infants and toddlers: a systematic review (Spill et al., USDA Nutrition Evidence Systematic Review)
- Repeated taste exposure increases liking for vegetables by low-income elementary school children (Lakkakula et al., Louisiana State University)
More in Cooking, making and the outdoors
Does talking to my baby really matter if they can't talk back yet?
Yes, as far as the evidence goes. Back-and-forth exchanges (a baby's babble or point, your response) are linked to language-area brain activity and to later vocabulary and IQ, though most studies are correlational and small. Responding to your child seems to matter more than the raw number of words they hear.
- Serve and Return: Back-and-forth exchanges (Center on the Developing Child, Harvard)
- Beyond the 30-Million-Word Gap: Children's Conversational Exposure Is Associated With Language-Related Brain Function (Romeo et al., MIT and Harvard)
- Language Experience in the Second Year of Life Predicts Language Outcomes in Late Childhood (Gilkerson et al., Pediatrics)
- How-to: 5 Steps for Brain-Building Serve and Return (Center on the Developing Child, Harvard)
Is the '30 million word gap' real?
It is contested. Hart and Risley's small 1990s study found big income differences in words heard; a 2018 replication that counted talk from all caregivers did not, while other researchers argue that talk aimed directly at the child still differs by income. Both sides agree that conversation with a child is what helps.
- The Early Catastrophe: The 30 Million Word Gap by Age 3 (Betty Hart and Todd Risley)
- Reexamining the Verbal Environments of Children From Different Socioeconomic Backgrounds (Sperry, Sperry and Miller, Child Development)
- Language Matters: Denying the Existence of the 30-Million-Word Gap Has Serious Consequences (Golinkoff, Hoff, Rowe, Tamis-LeMonda and Hirsh-Pasek)
- Are Poor Kids Really Behind by 30 Million Words? A Debate Rages as New Research Questions One of Early Childhood's Premier Studies (The 74)
What are the early signs of dyslexia, and when can it be spotted?
Signs often show up before reading starts: trouble rhyming, hearing single sounds in words, or quickly naming familiar things, plus a family history of reading trouble. Screeners can flag risk in kindergarten, and a full evaluation by a qualified professional is what confirms it.
- Is Your Child Having Trouble Reading? Warning Signs and a Checklist (National Center on Improving Literacy)
- What is Dyslexia? (Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity)
- UCSF Multitudes (UCSF Dyslexia Center)
- What is dyslexia? (Julie Rawe, Understood)
More in Learning differences
What kind of reading teaching works best for a child with dyslexia?
The strongest evidence supports explicit, systematic teaching of sounds and letter patterns with lots of practice (often called structured literacy). Branded programs such as Orton-Gillingham follow this idea, but a 2021 meta-analysis did not find they beat other well-structured reading help, so ask what is taught and how progress is measured rather than relying on the brand.
- How to Teach Kids With Dyslexia to Read (Caroline Miller, Child Mind Institute)
- Current State of the Evidence: Examining the Effects of Orton-Gillingham Reading Interventions for Students With or at Risk for Word-Level Reading Disabilities (Stevens et al., Exceptional Children)
- What is Orton-Gillingham? (Peg Rosen, Understood)
- A dyslexia primer (Joanne Meier, Reading Rockets)
More in Learning differences
How many teens actually use AI for homework?
A lot, and the number is rising fast. Pew found teen ChatGPT use for schoolwork doubled from 13% (2023) to 26% (2024), and by fall 2025 just over half of teens had used a chatbot for schoolwork; RAND found 62% of students using AI for homework in late 2025.
- How Teens Use and View AI (Pew Research Center (McClain, Anderson, Sidoti & Bishop))
- About a quarter of U.S. teens have used ChatGPT for schoolwork โ double the share in 2023 (Pew Research Center)
- RAND report on student AI use for homework (December 2025 survey) (RAND Corporation)
- The Dawn of the AI Era: Teens, Parents, and the Adoption of Generative AI at Home and School (Common Sense Media)
More in AI at school and for homework
Is using ChatGPT for homework cheating?
It depends on the assignment's rules and on whether AI does the thinking the task was meant to build. Teens themselves tend to see research help as fine and AI-written essays as not; the clearest fix is a teacher saying exactly how much AI help each assignment allows.
- About a quarter of U.S. teens have used ChatGPT for schoolwork โ double the share in 2023 (Pew Research Center)
- The AI Assessment Scale (Perkins, Roe, Furze and MacVaugh)
- Common Sense Rules for the AI Era (Common Sense Education)
- Catch them Learning: A Pathway to Academic Integrity in the Age of AI (Tony Frontier, Cult of Pedagogy)
More in AI at school and for homework
Which AI tutor should I try first for my elementary schooler?
For math, Khanmigo (about $4 a month, built on free Khan Academy) and Synthesis Tutor (pricier, made for ages 5 to 11) are the best-known family options; for reading, Ello and Google's free Read Along listen as a child reads aloud. None has strong independent proof yet, so try a free tier and watch whether your child actually sticks with it.
- Khanmigo for families (Khan Academy)
- Synthesis Tutor (Synthesis)
- Ello (Ello)
- Read Along by Google (Google)
- Khanmigo vs Synthesis Tutor (side-by-side comparison) (HomeschoolFox)
Do AI tutors like Khanmigo actually help kids learn?
Early independent evidence is mixed. A randomized trial in Tennessee middle schools found struggling students mostly stopped using Khanmigo once it refused to hand over answers, and gains matched plain Khan Academy; a WhatsApp math tutor in Ghana showed larger gains in a study by researchers tied to its makers. Neither result is final, and both papers were not yet peer reviewed.
- Students didn't get answers from Khanmigo. They didn't want its questions, either (Jill Barshay, The Hechinger Report)
- Effective and Scalable Math Support: Evidence on the Impact of an AI-Tutor on Math Achievement in Ghana (Henkel et al., Rising Academies)
- Study: Edtech Is Rushing AI Integration Before Proving It Works (Ira Apfel, EdSurge)
What are the best free learning apps for preschoolers?
Several strong options cost nothing and show no ads: Khan Academy Kids, PBS KIDS Games, the Sesame Street app and Duck Duck Moose. They differ in style more than quality, so let your child try two or three and keep the one that holds their attention.
- Khan Academy Kids (Khan Academy (nonprofit))
- Sesame Street app (Sesame Workshop (nonprofit))
- Duck Duck Moose (Duck Duck Moose (Khan Academy))
More in Learning apps, sites and games
How can I tell if an "educational" app actually teaches anything?
Researchers suggest checking four things: is your child actively thinking (not just tapping), focused rather than distracted by rewards and ads, learning something meaningful, and talking about it with someone. App store "education" labels are not reviewed for learning value, so independent reviews help.
- Putting education in "educational" apps: lessons from the science of learning (Hirsh-Pasek, Zosh, Golinkoff, Gray, Robb and Kaufman)
- Common Sense Media app ratings: how we rate (Common Sense Media (nonprofit))
- Design tricks commonly used to monetize young children's app use (Michigan Medicine (University of Michigan))
- Educational App Store (Educational App Store)
More in Learning apps, sites and games
What is the 'Young Lady's Illustrated Primer,' and why do AI tutor builders keep mentioning it?
It is the interactive, adaptive book in Neal Stephenson's 1995 novel The Diamond Age that teaches a girl through stories tailored to her, and it has become shorthand for the dream of a personal AI tutor. In the novel, a human performer is part of what makes it work, and Stephenson himself has since warned that students who hand everything to AI learn little.
- The Diamond Age (Neal Stephenson)
- Remarks on AI from NZ (Neal Stephenson)
- How AI could save (not destroy) education (Sal Khan, TED2023)
More in Big ideas and pop culture
Does Montessori actually lead to better outcomes?
The best evidence is encouraging but modest: a 2023 systematic review found small-to-moderate advantages in academics and executive function, and a 2025 national lottery study found public Montessori preschool children ahead at the end of kindergarten. Programs vary a lot in how closely they follow the method, so results may not carry to every school with the name.
- Montessori education's impact on academic and nonacademic outcomes: A systematic review (Randolph et al., Campbell Systematic Reviews)
- Nationwide UVA-Led Study Finds Montessori Preschool Boosts Learning at a Lower Cost (University of Virginia (Lillard et al., PNAS))
- Montessori Preschool Elevates and Equalizes Child Outcomes: A Longitudinal Study (Lillard et al., Frontiers in Psychology)
- Montessori education: a review of the evidence base (Chloรซ Marshall, npj Science of Learning)
More in Big ideas and pop culture
Where can I find trustworthy research on AI in my child's school without reading academic papers?
Stanford's SCALE AI Hub collects AI-in-K-12 studies with short takeaways, and Harvard's Usable Knowledge and Jill Barshay's Proof Points column explain single studies in plain English. Expect a small evidence base: the field is moving faster than research can keep up.
- AI Hub for Education (SCALE Initiative, Stanford GSE)
- Usable Knowledge (Harvard Graduate School of Education)
- Proof Points by Jill Barshay (Jill Barshay, The Hechinger Report)
- AI Compass in Schools Newsletter (SCALE Initiative, Stanford GSE)
More in Where to keep up
Is there solid evidence that AI tools help kids learn?
Not much yet. Stanford's 2026 review found only about 20 strong causal studies among 800+ papers, with gains while kids use AI that often fade without it; tools that guide thinking rather than hand out answers look more promising. Brookings' 2026 task force judged that, for now, risks outweigh benefits.
- The Evidence Base on AI in K-12: A 2026 Review (Fesler, Martinez, Agnew & Loeb, Stanford SCALE)
- A new direction for students in an AI world: Prosper, prepare, protect (Burns, Winthrop et al., Brookings)
- AI Hub for Education Research Repository (Stanford SCALE Initiative)
More in Where to keep up
Does ChatGPT have parental controls, and what can I actually see?
Yes. Since September 2025 parents can link accounts with a teen, set quiet hours, turn off memory, voice and image tools, opt out of training, and get alerts about possible self-harm. You cannot read your teen's chats, and independent testers found the alerts and age detection unreliable, so the controls are a backstop, not a substitute for talking.
- Introducing parental controls (OpenAI)
- Parents' Ultimate Guide to ChatGPT Parental Controls (Common Sense Media)
- ChatGPT claims to have a safety net for teens. We watched it fail. (Common Sense Media)
More in Safety, privacy and the rules
Can my child under 13 use Google Gemini?
In many countries, yes, if a parent allows it through a supervised Google account in Family Link, where you can switch it on or off. Kids get extra filters, but Google says they are not perfect, and the option is not offered to supervised kids in the UK or EU.
- Guiding your child's Gemini Apps experience (Google)
- Family Link (Google)
More in Safety, privacy and the rules
The topics
AI as a tutor103
Can a chatbot teach? The trials, the tutoring systems that came before, and where AI help turns into a crutch.
- AI tutoring outperforms in-class active learning: an RCT introducing a novel research-based design in an authentic educational setting
- Generative AI without guardrails can harm learning: Evidence from high school mathematics
- From chalkboards to chatbots: Transforming learning in Nigeria, one prompt at a time
- One Click Away: AI Tutoring with Khanmigo in a Two-Year School Experiment
How learning works112
Retrieval, spacing, mastery and feedback: the techniques with the best evidence, and the myths to drop.
- Improving Students' Learning With Effective Learning Techniques: Promising Directions From Cognitive and Educational Psychology
- Six Strategies for Effective Learning (posters, slides and bookmarks)
- The Science of Learning (2nd edition)
- Organizing Instruction and Study to Improve Student Learning (IES Practice Guide)
Kids and AI at home102
How children see AI, how much and at what age, AI friends, and how to talk about it at the kitchen table.
- Growing Up with Artificial Intelligence: Implications for Child Development
- Different but complementary: Navigating AI's role in children's learning and development
- Talk, Trust, and Trade-Offs: How and Why Teens Use AI Companions
- Artificial Intelligence and Adolescent Well-being: An APA Health Advisory
Reading and writing109
The science of reading, reading aloud, phonics, comprehension, free books and the love of a good story.
Math109
Number sense, facts, math anxiety, games and puzzles, and how to help with homework without tears.
Screens, video and YouTube107
What the research says about screen time, learning from video, good channels and the big phone debate.
Cooking, making and the outdoors100
Teaching kids to cook, build, garden and roam: the life skills that no app can replace.
Growing minds: motivation and play103
Play, talk, sleep, praise, rewards and mindset: what helps children want to learn.
- Serve and Return: Back-and-forth exchanges
- Beyond the 30-Million-Word Gap: Children's Conversational Exposure Is Associated With Language-Related Brain Function
- Can guidance during play enhance children's learning and development in educational contexts? A systematic review and meta-analysis
- A Meta-Analytic Review of Experiments Examining the Effects of Extrinsic Rewards on Intrinsic Motivation
Learning differences100
Dyslexia, ADHD, autism, giftedness and the assistive tech, AI included, that opens doors.
AI at school and for homework73
Older kids, essays and ChatGPT: thinking for yourself, detectors, media literacy and the future of work.
AI learning tools: the whole market221
AI tutors, reading coaches, story makers and companions for kids, Peabody's neighbors and rivals alike.
Learning apps, sites and games98
The established places kids learn online, from PBS Kids to Scratch, and the sites that review them.
Big ideas and pop culture101
Books, talks, films, podcasts and new kinds of school that shape how we think about learning and AI.
Where to keep up86
Research groups, evidence clearinghouses, journals, newsletters and data to follow the field.
Safety, privacy and the rules50
The short version: parental controls on AI tools, privacy ratings, and the laws that protect kids online.
The lists
112 โtop Nโ lists: AI gifts by price, robots by age, AI tutors compared, free game sites, how to set up an AI for a child, things to do together, and 2026 in review. See them all.
Top 10 activities to get your child comfortable with AI
For parents who want their child to meet AI on good terms: curious, not scared, and not starry-eyed either.
Top 10 setups for a child who wants an AI to answer their questions
Your child keeps asking why the sky is blue, how volcanoes work and whether sharks sleep, and someone said "just ask the AI." This list runs from the simplest setup (your phone, your lap, together) to a kid account, a smart speaker, a kid-only chatbot and a robot.
Top 20 AI sites for learning for kids (2026)
This is our short list for parents who want AI to help a child learn, not to do the work for them.
15 AI gifts for kids under $50 (Christmas 2026)
Real AI toys rarely cost under $50, and the cheap "AI plush" flooding online marketplaces is the part of the aisle we trust least.
Top 50 free game sites for kids (2026)
A list for the parent who needs a browser game in the next five minutes and wants to know what comes with it.
22 kinds of learning games, explained
"Learning game" covers everything from a math quiz with a spaceship painted on it to a rocket simulator that quietly teaches orbital physics.
Top 50 free learning sites for kids (2026)
These are the free websites and apps we would hand to a new parent: places where kids actually learn, not just tap.
The 12 biggest stories in kids and AI in 2026
2026 was the year AI stopped being a homework rumor and became a family question.
Who's who
The people, companies, nonprofits, funders and grants in the field, each with a short and fair description.
The must-reads
If you only open a few, open these. The โ entries on every topic page.
๐งโ๐ซ AI tutorsStudyFree
AI tutoring outperforms in-class active learning: an RCT introducing a novel research-based design in an authentic educational setting
Kestin, Miller et al., Harvard, 2025
194 Harvard physics students each tried a custom AI tutor at home and an active-learning class. They learned about twice as much in less time with the tutor, which gave one step at a time and never the full answer. College students, two topics.
nature.com
๐งโ๐ซ AI tutorsStudyFree
Generative AI without guardrails can harm learning: Evidence from high school mathematics
Bastani, Bastani, Sungu et al., Penn/Wharton, 2025
Field experiment with nearly 1,000 Turkish high schoolers. Plain ChatGPT boosted practice scores but students then did 17% worse on an exam without it. A hint-giving tutor version avoided most of that harm. The key study on AI as a crutch.
pnas.org
๐งโ๐ซ AI tutorsBlogFree
From chalkboards to chatbots: Transforming learning in Nigeria, one prompt at a time
De Simone et al., World Bank, 2025
A six-week after-school program in Nigeria where teachers guided students using a GPT-4-based tutor for English. Gains were about 0.3 standard deviations, beating most education programs in poor countries. Girls gained more. Teachers were in the room.
blogs.worldbank.org
๐งโ๐ซ AI tutorsStudyFree
One Click Away: AI Tutoring with Khanmigo in a Two-Year School Experiment
Oreopoulos & Low, University of Toronto, 2026
Independent two-year randomized trial in 18 Tennessee middle schools. Khanmigo gave small gains, about the same as plain Khan Academy practice. Most students tried it but rarely used it for real math talk. Working paper, not yet peer reviewed.
nber.org
๐ง Learning scienceReviewFree
Improving Students' Learning With Effective Learning Techniques: Promising Directions From Cognitive and Educational Psychology
Dunlosky, Rawson, Marsh, Nathan & Willingham, 2013
The landmark review of ten study habits. Self-testing and spreading study out rated best; rereading, highlighting and summarizing rated low, even though kids use them most. The APS page may ask for a login; free copies are widely posted.
psychologicalscience.org
๐ง Learning scienceGuideFree
Six Strategies for Effective Learning (posters, slides and bookmarks)
The Learning Scientists
Free posters and slides on six research-backed strategies: spaced practice, retrieval practice, elaboration, interleaving, concrete examples and dual coding. Clear enough to stick on a fridge; free for non-commercial use with credit.
learningscientists.org
๐ง Learning scienceGuideFree
The Science of Learning (2nd edition)
Deans for Impact, 2026
A short, free summary of what cognitive science says about how students understand, remember and transfer ideas, with classroom implications. The 2026 second edition adds common pitfalls and a section on helping students direct their own learning.
deansforimpact.org
๐ง Learning scienceGuideFree
Organizing Instruction and Study to Improve Student Learning (IES Practice Guide)
Pashler et al., US Institute of Education Sciences, 2007
A US government guide with seven recommendations, each graded by strength of evidence: space learning out, mix worked examples with problems, pair pictures with words, quiz often, and ask deep 'why' questions.
ies.ed.gov
๐ Kids and AIReviewFree
Growing Up with Artificial Intelligence: Implications for Child Development
Xu, Prado, Severson, Lovato & Cassell, 2024
A review chapter in the open-access Handbook of Children and Screens. Leading researchers sum up what is known about kids and conversational AI: how they see it, what they learn from it, and the open questions about social growth.
doi.org
๐ Kids and AIArticleFree
Different but complementary: Navigating AI's role in children's learning and development
Ying Xu, Joan Ganz Cooney Center, 2024
Xu's plain-language summary of her studies. AI reading partners that ask questions can boost comprehension, sometimes as much as a person, but kids talk less and lead less with AI. Her advice: be honest that it is a program, and keep parents involved.
joanganzcooneycenter.org
๐ Kids and AIReportFree
Talk, Trust, and Trade-Offs: How and Why Teens Use AI Companions
Common Sense Media, 2025
National survey of 1,060 US teens. About 72% had tried AI companions and about half used them regularly. A third had chosen a bot over a person for a serious talk. Some researchers think teens may have counted general chatbots too.
commonsensemedia.org
๐ Kids and AIGuideFree
Artificial Intelligence and Adolescent Well-being: An APA Health Advisory
American Psychological Association (expert panel), 2025
The APA's expert panel advisory. It warns that teens are less likely to question chatbots that imitate friendship, and asks makers and parents to protect real relationships, privacy and accurate information.
apa.org
๐ ReadingVideoFree
Scarborough's Reading Rope (video)
Reading Rockets
Short explainer of Hollis Scarborough's rope picture of skilled reading: word-recognition strands (sounds, decoding, sight words) twist together with language strands (vocabulary, background knowledge, sentence structure). Scarborough herself says it describes reading, not a teaching sequence.
readingrockets.org
๐ ReadingReviewFree
Ending the Reading Wars: Reading Acquisition From Novice to Expert
Castles, Rastle & Nation, 2018
The best single scientific review of how children learn to read, from the alphabetic principle to fluent comprehension. Argues phonics is essential early but is not the whole story; knowledge and practice carry readers the rest of the way.
doi.org
๐ ReadingOrganizationFree
Reading Rockets: About Reading
Reading Rockets (WETA)
Public media project with thousands of free articles, videos and tip sheets on how kids learn to read and how to help a child who struggles. Probably the most useful single reading site for parents.
readingrockets.org
๐ ReadingPodcastFree
Sold a Story: How Teaching Kids to Read Went So Wrong
Emily Hanford, APM Reports, 2022
Award-winning investigative podcast on how popular reading programs taught children to guess words from pictures and first letters instead of sounding them out. It helped push many states to change reading laws. Start here.
features.apmreports.org
โ MathStudyFree
School Readiness and Later Achievement
Duncan et al., Developmental Psychology, 2007
Pooled six big long-term studies of children. Math skills at school entry predicted later math and reading better than reading or attention skills did. It shows links, not cause, but it is why early math gets so much attention.
sites.uci.edu
โ MathStudyFree
Playing linear numerical board games promotes low-income children's numerical development
Siegler & Ramani, Developmental Science, 2008
Preschoolers who played a simple numbered board game, like Chutes and Ladders with numbers 1-10, for four short sessions caught up with richer peers on number line estimates. A color-only version did not help. Cheap and easy to copy at home.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
โ MathGuideFree
Teaching Math to Young Children (WWC Practice Guide)
What Works Clearinghouse, IES, 2013
US Education Department guide with five research-rated recommendations for ages 3-6: teach number and operations step by step, add geometry, patterns and measurement, use math talk, and watch progress. Written for teachers but clear enough for parents.
ies.ed.gov
โ MathToolFree
DREME Family Math
DREME Network, Stanford
Free research-based activities, picture books guides and short videos for families with children up to about age 8, in English and Spanish. Everyday routines like cooking and walks become math moments.
familymath.stanford.edu
๐บ Screens and videoOrganizationFree
Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development
Children and Screens, 2013
Independent nonprofit that funds and translates research on kids and screens, and says it takes no tech industry money. Free expert webinars, tip sheets, research summaries and an open-access handbook.
childrenandscreens.org
๐บ Screens and videoToolFree
AAP Family Media Plan
American Academy of Pediatrics, 2016
A free online builder that walks a family through screen-free zones and times, device curfews, content choices and sleep. You pick what fits your kids and print a one-page plan. The AAP's main family tool, updated since its 2016 launch.
healthychildren.org
๐บ Screens and videoGuideFree
Kids and Screen Time: How to Use the 5 Cs of Media Guidance
AAP Center of Excellence on Social Media and Youth Mental Health, 2024
The AAP's newer approach: instead of counting hours, think about your Child, the Content, whether screens are used to Calm, what they Crowd out (sleep, play, family time), and Communication. Short, practical and age-aware.
healthychildren.org
๐บ Screens and videoGuideFree
Guidelines on Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour and Sleep for Children Under 5 Years of Age
World Health Organization, 2019
WHO's 24-hour guidance: no sedentary screen time for babies and 1-year-olds, and no more than one hour a day for ages 2-4, with less being better. It frames screens as one piece of a day that also needs active play and enough sleep.
who.int
๐ณ Hands-onReviewFree
Outcomes of children's cooking programs: a systematic review of intervention studies
van der Horst et al., Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 2024
A review of randomized trials of kids' cooking programs. Hands-on classes reliably raised cooking skills, confidence and kids' involvement in the kitchen, but changes in what children actually ate were rare. A conference abstract of the full review.
resolve.cambridge.org
๐ณ Hands-onMeta-analysisSome free
Systematic review and meta-analysis of strategies to increase vegetable consumption in preschool children aged 2-5 years
Nekitsing, Hetherington et al., University of Leeds, 2018
Pooled 30 studies of ways to get preschoolers eating vegetables. Repeated tasting worked best, and the more tastes, the bigger the gain, especially for disliked or new vegetables. The authors suggest at least 8 to 10 tries.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
๐ณ Hands-onGuideFree
How To Feed Your Child: Birth Through Adolescence
Ellyn Satter Institute
The source page for Ellyn Satter's Division of Responsibility: parents choose what, when and where food is served; kids decide whether and how much to eat. Widely used by dietitians to end mealtime battles. Expert framework, not a trial.
ellynsatterinstitute.org
๐ณ Hands-onOrganizationFree
KidsGardening
KidsGardening (nonprofit)
The main U.S. nonprofit for gardening with kids: free activities, lesson plans, growing guides, Spanish materials and a newsletter, plus grants for school and community gardens.
kidsgardening.org
๐ฑ Motivation and playGuideFree
Serve and Return: Back-and-forth exchanges
Center on the Developing Child, Harvard
The plain-English explainer behind the phrase parents hear everywhere: a baby babbles or points, an adult responds, and that loop helps wire the brain. Also covers why stressed caregivers find it harder and what helps.
developingchild.harvard.edu
๐ฑ Motivation and playStudyFree
Beyond the 30-Million-Word Gap: Children's Conversational Exposure Is Associated With Language-Related Brain Function
Romeo et al., MIT and Harvard, 2018
The MIT study that shifted the focus from word counts to conversation. In 36 kids aged 4 to 6, back-and-forth turns with adults, not raw words heard, tracked with language-area brain activity and verbal scores. Small and correlational.
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
๐ฑ Motivation and playMeta-analysisFree
Can guidance during play enhance children's learning and development in educational contexts? A systematic review and meta-analysis
Skene et al., Child Development, 2022
Pooled studies of about 3,900 children aged 1 to 8. Guided play beat direct instruction on early math, shapes and task switching, and beat free play on spatial words. Evidence was thin for literacy. LEGO Foundation funded.
repository.cam.ac.uk
๐ฑ Motivation and playMeta-analysisFree
A Meta-Analytic Review of Experiments Examining the Effects of Extrinsic Rewards on Intrinsic Motivation
Deci, Koestner and Ryan, 1999
Pooled 128 experiments. Expected, tangible rewards for doing a task tended to lower later free-choice interest, more so in children than in college students. Surprise rewards and informative praise did not. Still debated, but the key paper on sticker charts.
depts.washington.edu
๐งฉ Learning differencesBookPaid
Overcoming Dyslexia (Second Edition, Completely Revised and Updated)
Sally Shaywitz & Jonathan Shaywitz, 2020
The standard parent book on dyslexia from Yale researchers. The 2020 update adds chapters on science-based diagnosis, universal screening, anxiety and ADHD alongside dyslexia, plus practical help on school choice, accommodations and college.
dyslexia.yale.edu
๐งฉ Learning differencesOrganizationFree
Made By Dyslexia
Made By Dyslexia (charity, founded by Kate Griggs)
A global charity focused on the strengths side of dyslexia, which it calls Dyslexic Thinking. Offers free parent and teacher pages, a short film, free courses with Microsoft and the Open University, and an annual workplace report.
madebydyslexia.org
๐งฉ Learning differencesGuideFree
How to Teach Kids With Dyslexia to Read
Caroline Miller, Child Mind Institute
Explains why children with dyslexia do best with explicit, step-by-step teaching of letter-sound patterns and lots of practice, and why methods that teach guessing from pictures or context tend to backfire.
childmind.org
๐งฉ Learning differencesGuideFree
Parenting a Child with ADHD
CHADD
From the main US ADHD nonprofit: ADHD is largely inherited, not caused by parenting. Covers early help, parent behavior training, school advocacy and building a child's confidence. CHADD also runs local support groups.
chadd.org
โ๏ธ AI at schoolArticleFree
Kids who use ChatGPT as a study assistant do worse on tests
Jill Barshay, The Hechinger Report, 2024
Explains a Penn experiment with nearly 1,000 high schoolers in Turkey. Plain ChatGPT boosted practice scores but students then did worse on the test; a hint-only AI tutor avoided that drop. One study, then a working paper.
hechingerreport.org
โ๏ธ AI at schoolStudyFree
Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt when Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing Task
Kosmyna et al., MIT Media Lab, 2025
Much-discussed preprint: 54 students wrote essays with ChatGPT, search, or nothing while wearing EEG caps. The ChatGPT group showed the least brain engagement and could barely quote their own essays. Small, college-age and debated.
arxiv.org
โ๏ธ AI at schoolCourseFree
AI Literacy Lessons for Grades Kโ12
Common Sense Education
Free short lessons on AI bias, chatbots and friendship, deepfakes and consent, creativity and ownership, and checking AI answers with the SIFT method. Easy to use at the kitchen table as conversation starters too.
commonsense.org
โ๏ธ AI at schoolReportFree
RAND report on student AI use for homework (December 2025 survey)
RAND Corporation, 2026
Survey of about 1,200 students from middle school through college. 62% used AI for homework, and two-thirds agreed it hurts critical thinking, yet kept using it. Recommends schools separate AI that does the thinking from AI that stretches it.
rand.org
๐ค AI toolsArticleFree
Students didn't get answers from Khanmigo. They didn't want its questions, either
Jill Barshay, The Hechinger Report, 2026
Reports a University of Toronto randomized trial in 18 Tennessee middle schools: struggling students tried Khanmigo, found it would not give answers, and mostly stopped using it. Gains matched Khan Academy without AI. Based on a draft NBER paper, not yet peer reviewed.
hechingerreport.org
๐ค AI toolsArticleFree
Guided Learning in Gemini: From answers to understanding
Google, 2025
Google's August 2025 announcement of Guided Learning, a Gemini mode that breaks problems into steps, asks open questions and adds diagrams, videos and quizzes. It runs on LearnLM, Google's models tuned with learning research. Teachers can share it through Google Classroom.
blog.google
๐ค AI toolsReportFree
AI Toys Risk Assessment
Common Sense Media, 2026
Common Sense tested Grem, Bondu and Miko 3 in January 2026 and rated AI toys an unacceptable risk: 27% of responses were inappropriate for kids. It advises against AI toys for ages 5 and under and urges caution from 6 to 12.
institute.commonsensemedia.org
๐ค AI toolsToolFree
Machine Learning for Kids
Dale Lane (IBM), 2017
A free site where kids train their own simple AI models with examples of text, pictures or sounds, then use them in Scratch projects. A hands-on way to see that AI learns from data, and that bad examples make bad guesses. Many free classroom worksheets.
machinelearningforkids.co.uk
๐ฎ Apps and sitesAppFree
PBS KIDS Games app
PBS KIDS, 2016
The same PBS games bundled in one phone and tablet app, with games you can download for offline play. Free, with no ads and no in-app purchases, in English and Spanish.
pbskids.org
๐ฎ Apps and sitesAppFree
Khan Academy Kids
Khan Academy (nonprofit), 2018
A free, ad-free app for ages 2 to 8 with thousands of reading, math and social-emotional activities led by Kodi the bear. Curriculum built with Stanford experts; schools can buy a classroom version. No subscriptions for families.
khanacademy.org
๐ฎ Apps and sitesGameFree + paid
Starfall
Starfall Education Foundation (nonprofit), 2002
A long-running nonprofit site that teaches reading through phonics songs and animations, pre-K to grade 5. The four-step learn-to-read path is free; a low-cost membership adds math and more grades. No ads and no data collection from children.
starfall.com
๐ฎ Apps and sitesGameFree + paid
Teach Your Monster to Read
Teach Your Monster (Usborne Foundation charity), 2012
Kids design a monster and teach it letters and sounds through three games that follow a systematic phonics order. Free on computers from a charity started by the Usborne publisher; the tablet apps may cost a few dollars. Sister games cover numbers and food.
teachyourmonster.org
๐ฌ Ideas and cultureVideoFree
How AI could save (not destroy) education
Sal Khan, TED2023, 2023
Khan's widely shared talk proposing an AI tutor for every student and an AI assistant for every teacher, with demos of Khanmigo. Keep in mind he is describing his own product; independent evidence on such tutors is still emerging.
ted.com
๐ฌ Ideas and cultureNewsletterFree
One Useful Thing
Ethan Mollick, Wharton
The most widely read newsletter on what AI means for work and education, by a Wharton professor who tests new tools hands-on. Clear, practical and neither doom nor hype. Free.
oneusefulthing.org
๐ฌ Ideas and cultureBookFree
Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas
Seymour Papert, MIT Media Lab, 1980
The founding book on kids learning by building with computers. Papert, co-creator of the Logo language, argues children should program the machine, not be drilled by it. The MIT Media Lab hosts the full text free with his family's permission.
media.mit.edu
๐ฌ Ideas and cultureBookPaid
Lifelong Kindergarten: Cultivating Creativity through Projects, Passion, Peers, and Play
Mitchel Resnick, MIT Press, 2017
The creator of Scratch argues that school, and much of life, should look more like kindergarten: making things, sharing them and playing with ideas. Built on 30 years at MIT, with practical tips for parents. Foreword by Ken Robinson.
mitpressbookstore.mit.edu
๐ญ Keep upOrganizationFree
AI Hub for Education
SCALE Initiative, Stanford GSE, 2025
Stanford's one-stop page for research on generative AI in K-12 schools. It gathers studies, short takeaways, policy briefs and tools, so you can see what is actually known about AI in classrooms before trusting a sales pitch.
scale.stanford.edu
๐ญ Keep upOrganizationFree
Joan Ganz Cooney Center
Sesame Workshop, 2007
Sesame Workshop's independent research lab on kids and digital media. It publishes free reports and toolkits on family tech use, games, reading apps and designing with children, written for parents and designers alike.
joanganzcooneycenter.org
๐ญ Keep upBlogFree
Usable Knowledge
Harvard Graduate School of Education
Short, plain-English articles that turn Harvard education research into practical advice, on topics like reading, math talk, tutoring and kids' development. One of the easiest places for a parent to read real research without jargon.
gse.harvard.edu
๐ญ Keep upOrganizationFree
Education Endowment Foundation
Education Endowment Foundation (UK), 2011
England's education evidence charity. Its free Teaching and Learning Toolkit compares approaches like feedback, homework and tutoring by cost, months of progress gained and strength of evidence. The site blocks automated readers.
educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk
๐ก๏ธ Safety and rulesAppFree
Family Link
Google
Google's free parental control app for Android phones, Chromebooks and Google accounts: screen time limits, app approvals, content filters for YouTube, Chrome and Search, and location sharing. Also where you manage a child's access to Gemini.
families.google
๐ก๏ธ Safety and rulesToolFree
Common Sense Privacy Program
Common Sense Media
Free privacy ratings of thousands of kids' apps and school tools, based on reading each company's privacy policy. Check an app before your child signs up, or ask your school whether its tools passed. Ratings judge policies, not actual data practices.
privacy.commonsense.org
๐ก๏ธ Safety and rulesGuideFree
Protecting Your Child's Privacy Online
Federal Trade Commission
The FTC's parent-facing page on COPPA, the US law that makes apps and sites get a parent's consent before collecting data from kids under 13. Explains what consent requests look like and what you can ask a company to delete.
consumer.ftc.gov
๐ก๏ธ Safety and rulesArticleFree
Understanding the New Wave of Chatbot Legislation: California SB 243 and Beyond
Justine Gluck, Future of Privacy Forum, 2025
Clear rundown of the first US laws on AI companion chatbots: California SB 243, New York's companion law, plus Maine and Utah disclosure rules and bills on therapy bots. Good map of what protections now exist where you live. FPF has industry supporters.
fpf.org