Learn how AI works

Researched by Peabody

Facts from each maker's own pages (terms, pricing, privacy), with our one-line take. A to Z; we rank nothing until we have tried it.

• Desk researchFreeNo ads

  AI Duet

  Yotam Mann with Google Magenta and Creative Lab · ages about 5 and up

  Worth a few minutes in a music or AI lesson; not a tool for learning piano.

• Desk researchFreeNo ads

  AI Literacy Lessons for Grades K-12

  Common Sense Education · ages grades K-12 (AI-specific lessons start in grade 6)

  A good free starting point for teachers and parents who want to talk about AI with middle and high schoolers; anyone wanting hands-on AI building should pair it with a project-based course.

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  AI Unplugged

  Stefan Seegerer and Annabel Lindner (FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg) · ages about 10-18 (designed for lower and upper secondary; some activities adapt for primary)

  A strong free choice for teachers or homeschool parents who want kids to understand how AI learns without using AI tools; families wanting a ready-to-run app should look elsewhere.

• Desk researchPaidNo ads

  Arduino UNO Q

  Arduino · ages about 13 and up with some coding experience

  A good next step for teens who already know Arduino and want to add AI vision; true beginners should start with a classic UNO or a starter kit.

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  AutoDraw

  Google Creative Lab · ages about 5 and up

  Handy for quick posters and class projects; skip it when the point is for kids to practice their own drawing.

• Desk researchPaidNo ads

  BBC micro:bit

  Micro:bit Educational Foundation · ages about 8-14

  One of the best-value ways for 8- to 14-year-olds to learn coding and simple machine learning, with privacy-first tools; very young children will need help.

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  Be Internet Awesome: Interland

  Google · ages about 7-12

  A good free starting point for online safety with kids 7-12, best paired with family talks since the game alone did not change behavior in testing.

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  CodeAI (formerly Code.org), incl. Hour of AI

  CodeAI (nonprofit, formerly Code.org) · ages grades K-12

  A dependable free starting point for classrooms and families; check the outside organization's rules before using any Hour of AI activity not made by CodeAI.

• Desk researchFree, with paid extrasNo ads

  CodeCombat

  CodeCombat Inc. · ages about 6-18 (K-5 Junior, then grades 6-12)

  A good fit for game-loving kids about 9 and up who are ready to type code; parents should decide whether they want generative AI included before buying Premium.

• Desk researchPaid

  CodeMonkey

  CodeMonkey Studios Inc. · ages about 5-14 (grades K-8)

  A good paid option for kids 7-12 ready to type simple code; families on a budget can try free tools first.

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  Coursera

  Coursera, Inc. · ages about 13+ (built for adults)

  Worth it for a self-driven older teen chasing one specific skill or certificate; younger kids and casual learners should look elsewhere.

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  CS50's Introduction to AI with Python

  Harvard University (CS50) · ages strong teens (about 15+) and adults

  A serious, free course for motivated teens who already code in Python; not for beginners or younger kids.

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  Day of AI

  Day of AI (nonprofit, founded through MIT RAISE) · ages grades pre-K-12

  A solid free choice for teachers who want structured AI lessons at every grade; parents looking for an app a child can use alone should look elsewhere.

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  DeepLearning.AI

  DeepLearning.AI · ages about 13+ (built for adults)

  Great for a teen coder who wants to build with AI; non-coders and younger kids should start elsewhere.

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  Elements of AI

  MinnaLearn and the University of Helsinki · ages older teens and adults (about 15+)

  Good for strong-reading teens and parents who want to understand AI together; too text-heavy for younger kids.

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  Experience AI

  Raspberry Pi Foundation with Google DeepMind · ages about 8-16, mainly 11-14

  A good free pick for teachers and club leaders of 11-14-year-olds; families wanting a self-guided app for kids should look elsewhere.

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  fast.ai Practical Deep Learning

  fast.ai (Jeremy Howard) · ages about 16+ (needs a year of coding)

  One of the best free routes into real AI for a strong teen coder; not for beginners.

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  Finch Robot 2.0

  BirdBrain Technologies (part of CreXo) · ages grades K-12

  A privacy-friendly, long-lasting choice for schools teaching coding across grades; home buyers may find it pricey for one child.

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  Girls Who Code

  Girls Who Code Inc. (nonprofit) · ages about 8-18 (grades 3-12)

  A great free option for girls who would enjoy learning to code with peers; kids without a nearby club may need an at-home tool instead.

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  Google AI Edge Gallery

  Google · ages about 13+

  A neat demo of on-device AI for a curious teen; not a homework helper or a filtered kids' chatbot.

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  Google AI Essentials

  Google (on Coursera) · ages about 13+ (built for adults)

  A fine quick primer for a teen 16 or older who wants to use AI tools well; free AI-literacy courses cover similar ground for younger kids.

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  Google Machine Learning Crash Course

  Google · ages about 15+ (needs algebra and some Python)

  A strong free next step for a teen who has done some coding and math; too hard as a first look at AI.

• Desk researchPaidNo ads

  HUSKYLENS 2

  DFRobot · ages teens and adults (not stated by the maker)

  A capable, low-cost AI vision tool for teen robotics clubs; younger children need close adult help, and face recognition projects deserve a privacy talk.

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  Kaggle Learn

  Kaggle (Google) · ages about 16 and up

  A useful free next step for older teens who already code; younger kids are not allowed.

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  KAI: The Artificial Intelligence Robot

  Thames & Kosmos · ages 10+ with help, 12+ alone

  A good, privacy-friendly introduction to machine learning for ages 10-14; younger kids will need an adult for the build.

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  LEGO Education Computer Science & AI

  LEGO Education · ages grades K-8 (three kits: K-2, 3-5, 6-8)

  A strong option for K-8 schools wanting hands-on AI literacy with careful data design; families should note it is sold in classroom kits.

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  Machine Learning for Kids

  Dale Lane (independent, built with IBM Watson APIs) · ages about 8-16 (schools and code clubs)

  Good for a teacher, club leader or hands-on parent who wants kids to build real AI projects in Scratch; less suited to a child working alone at home.

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  Makeblock CyberPi

  Makeblock · ages about 10+ (maker lists CyberPi under 12+; Go Kit aimed at beginners)

  A cheap, capable first coding gadget for tweens; younger kids will need an adult or a simpler robot.

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  Makeblock mBot2 (with AI Camera 2.0)

  Makeblock · ages about 8+ (maker lists mBot2 under 6+ and the AI Camera under 8+)

  A solid pick for upper-elementary and middle-school students learning robotics and how vision AI is trained; families wanting a no-account, no-camera toy should look elsewhere.

• Desk researchPaid

  MatataStudio Nous AI Set

  MatataStudio (Matatalab) · ages 12+

  Promising for teens learning how machine learning works, but schools and parents should ask the maker for an app privacy policy before students use its chat features.

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  micro:bit CreateAI

  Micro:bit Educational Foundation · ages about 7-14

  A safe, hands-on way for kids 7-14 to learn how AI uses data, if you have or will buy a micro:bit; skip if you want screen-only learning.

• Desk researchFree, with paid extrasNo ads

  Microsoft Learn

  Microsoft · ages about 13+

  Useful for a tech-minded teen aiming at a first certificate; younger kids will find it dry.

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  NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano Super Developer Kit

  NVIDIA · ages about 14 and up, with Linux experience

  A strong pick for a motivated teen ready to tinker with Linux and local AI; younger kids or beginners should start with a micro:bit or Raspberry Pi.

• Desk researchFree

  PictoBlox

  STEMpedia (Agilo Research Pvt. Ltd., India) · ages about 4-7 (Junior Blocks) and 8-16

  Worth a look for teens and clubs doing AI with robots; parents of younger kids should note the unclear under-13 privacy wording and supervise camera use.

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  Quick, Draw!

  Google Creative Lab · ages about 6 and up

  A strong classroom or kitchen-table intro to how AI guesses; just tell kids their drawings become public data.

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  RAISE Playground

  MIT RAISE Initiative and the MIT Media Lab Personal Robots Group · ages middle school (about 11-14), usable by older students

  An excellent free way for middle schoolers and teachers to learn how AI works by building it; younger children will need a lot of adult help.

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  Raspberry Pi AI Camera / AI Kit

  Raspberry Pi · ages teens and adults (not stated by the maker)

  Great for teens who want to build real AI vision or local chatbot projects; too technical for younger children without an adult.

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  RumorGuard

  News Literacy Project (nonprofit) · ages teens and adults (about 13+)

  A useful free habit-builder for teens and parents learning to spot fakes together; younger children should use it with an adult.

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  Say What You See

  Google Arts & Culture (with artist Jack Wild) · ages about 9 and up (needs reading and typing)

  A good AI-literacy activity for upper-elementary and middle-school kids, best with an adult nearby; too text-heavy for early readers.

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  Stickerbox

  Hapiko Inc. · ages about 5-12

  A fun creative gift for kids 5-10 who love drawing and stickers; skip it if you want a device that works offline or no recurring paper costs.

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  Teachable Machine

  Google · ages about 8 and up with an adult; teens on their own

  A strong first hands-on look at machine learning for kids about 8 and up with an adult nearby; families wary of webcam use should keep it on-device or skip it.

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  Thymio

  Mobsya (Swiss nonprofit association), designed with EPFL and ECAL · ages about 6-18 and adults

  A sturdy, privacy-friendly robot for schools and coding clubs; families in the US may find it harder to buy than local brands.

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  Which Face Is Real?

  Jevin West and Carl Bergstrom, University of Washington (Calling Bullshit project) · ages about 10 and up

  A quick, free AI-literacy warm-up for kids 10 and up, best paired with a talk about how much better fakes have become since 2019.