🧠 Learn how AI works · 💻 Coding · 📱 Kids' phones, watches, tablets and speakers
micro:bit CreateAI
By Micro:bit Educational Foundation. Visit micro:bit CreateAI
Desk research from the maker's own pages. Not yet tried by us. Checked 2026-10-24.
A free tool that pairs with a BBC micro:bit board. Kids wear or hold the micro:bit, record movements like clapping, waving or jumping, watch the motion data appear as graphs, train a model, and then code the board in Microsoft MakeCode to react to each movement, for example an exercise timer or a light switch. It teaches that AI is only as good as the data people collect. Free lessons included.
Our take: 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.
Checked in a browser
A browser check on 2026-10-25: what loads, the ads and trackers we saw, and what a child meets first. Not a hands-on test.
| Child safety: 5 out of 5 | No ads, chat or links off to unrelated sites; the cookie box itself says the site uses no third-party ads. |
|---|---|
| Data: 4 out of 5 | Only Google Analytics and Tag Manager loaded, though they loaded before the cookie box was answered. |
| Ease: 3 out of 5 | A cookie box covers the middle of the screen first; behind it, New project and project ideas are clear, but the tool needs a micro:bit for most activities. |
| Cost honesty: 5 out of 5 | Free, with no upgrade prompt. |
What we found
- Contacted 7 outside sites; the only known analytics were Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager.
- Set 2 cookies before the cookie box was answered.
- The cookie box states 'We do not use third-party ads on microbit.org.'
- Projects are saved in the browser on the device, not in an account.
From the test: A clean, free, ad-free AI-making tool for children with a micro:bit, with only Google Analytics in the background.
| Ages it suits | about 7-14 |
|---|---|
| What its terms say about age | No login or account. The Foundation's policy asks children under 13 to get consent from a parent when using its services. (terms) |
| Price | Free. Software free (Oct 2026). Needs a BBC micro:bit V2 board, sold separately (price not listed on the CreateAI pages); a second micro:bit is needed if the computer lacks Bluetooth. |
| Works on | Web, Chromebook, iPhone and iPad, Android, A device |
| Account | No account needed |
| Ads | None |
| In-app purchases | None |
| The AI in it | Trains a small movement classifier from the child's own accelerometer data; nothing generative. |
What's good
- No accounts, no personal data stored
- Non-generative, so no surprise content
- Physical and active: kids move to make data
- Free lessons for non-specialist teachers
Watch for
- Needs a micro:bit V2 to run models on the board
- Clearing browser data deletes projects
- Best with an adult to set up pairing
- Coding step uses MakeCode, a separate Microsoft service
Data and privacy
Movement samples are stored only in the browser on your device and are not sent to the Foundation. The website uses Google Analytics; the apps use it only if you opt in. Read the privacy policy.
Does it work?
The maker's own claims only: it says the tool suits children as young as 7 and is aligned to UNESCO and OECD AI literacy frameworks. No independent study found.
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Where these facts come from
- https://createai.microbit.org/
- https://microbit.org/createai/
- https://microbit.org/get-started/user-guide/microbit-createai/
- https://microbit.org/privacy/
- https://microbit.org/terms-of-use/
- https://apps.apple.com/app/micro-bit-createai/id6757603093
Prices, terms and features change. Nobody paid to be listed, nothing here is an affiliate link, and Peabody never rates itself. Where we and the maker disagree, the maker's own pages are the ones to trust.