From self-driving cars to delivery robots to Siri on their phones, kids see the results of AI around them daily. Artificial Intelligence is shaping the future and presenting new ways for kids to interact with technology. Educational AI activities for kids familiarize them with artificial intelligence, machine learning, and coding as well as build computational thinking and problem-solving skills so they are future-ready.
Help your child learn about artificial intelligence with these seven educational AI activities for kids. I’ll focus on hands-on experiences that are easy to understand, enjoyable, and impactful.
Artificial Intelligence Activities for Kids
- Join an AI Camp For Kids
- Make a Robot
- Create AI Images & Art
- AI Music Production
- Code AI In Scratch
- Play AI Games
- Train an AI Model
1. Join an AI Camp For Kids
Summer is an excellent time for kids to build valuable skills that aren’t prioritized during school, like problem-solving and analytical thinking. AI camps do this through specialized programs that introduce kids and teens to artificial intelligence and the technologies related to it like coding, robotics, machine learning, and more. During the summer, there’s more time to absorb new concepts and ideas. Once the fundamental concepts are solidified, kids can keep up their learning throughout the year.
Just like camps on any other topic, there are a wide variety from in-person to virtual and self-paced to teacher-led. Ideally, you want to find an AI camp that is fun, interactive, and provides hands-on learning for your child. Think about what really interests them and how they learn best.
CodeWizardsHQ’s top-rated AI coding camps teach kids how AI works and how to code their own AI application. They’ll learn to build AI models that solve real-world issues using Google’s Teachable Machine. Kids collect pictures to help their AI model learn. Then they use the CodeWizardsHQ platform to integrate their AI model into a web app that can recognize what it sees in pictures! Through the AI camp, they learn AI fundamentals, coding, computational thinking, and problem-solving. Enroll today to get started.
2. Make a Robot
Robotics kits bring artificial intelligence to life by combining engineering, coding, and AI. Kids get the hands-on experience of building a robot and then using code and AI technology to control them. Robotics is a very tangible, real-world application for kids and teens of how AI works. They get to see abstract concepts like pattern recognition, decision-making, and reasoning in action.
Robotics kits are available for all ages and experience levels. Some kits are more focused on the programming or engineering aspect of robotics. Not all kits utilize AI, but many do so look for those. Most companies also provide educational tutorials and games that kids can use to learn with their robot.
Makeblock’s Mbot 2 is a good choice for beginners ages 6 and up. This educational toy combines engineering, coding, and AI in a robotics kit. It’s easy to assemble and comes with graphical programming software that teaches basic coding concepts. Mbot 2 requires kids to assemble the robot and then use block coding or Python to guide the robot through different tasks. The robot has AI features including built-in sensors, voice control, and much more that kids can program around. This teaches kids how AI works and how to control it.
3. Create AI Images & Art
Artificial intelligence can be used as a creative tool for students with (or without!) artistic flair. Creating AI art is using artificial intelligence algorithms to generate or assist in creating artwork. Generative AI platforms can fully great AI images for you. One part of the AI generates images while another part evaluates them against real artwork. Other AI platforms assist artists by suggesting edits, modifications, or alternative versions of their work.
There are many AI image generation tools, but many were not created for kids so check for safety features like censoring graphic images. When creating their AI artwork, kids learn how to prompt AI and how the AI reacts and responds to different inputs. Kids can use the artwork they create personally or within websites and games that they’re coding.
AI tools like Adobe Firefly, a generative AI application, fully creates unique images and artwork. Firefly is safe for kids and has gained popularity among schools and students because of its user-friendly interface and helpful editing tools. Adobe has even partnered with a number of states to give students and educators free access to Firefly.
4. AI Music Production
AI art doesn’t stop at images and drawings. Kids can easily create their own custom tracks with AI music assistance, a collaboration between humans and AI. There are AI music apps that produce entire songs from lyrics, give suggestions on your original music, or provide inspiration for something new. Artificial intelligence learns from a vast dataset of different songs and then generates new music.
Producing music with AI teaches kids about generative AI, pattern recognition, algorithms, and much more. Some platforms may also use block or text-based coding to edit and modify the music. Kids will also learn how to use AI to enhance and express their creativity. As they use AI tools to compose music, kids gain a deeper understanding of how coding and AI technologies can be applied in creative and practical ways.
Suno AI is a popular music generator that kids can use to produce songs for free. This platform can create everything, from song lyrics to vocals and instrumentation, from a simple text prompt. Any song created by the user can be downloaded, either as an audio or video version. Although Suno has mechanisms in place to prevent music creation with explicit or offensive material, parents should monitor the content because this could still result in content that is not suitable for younger audiences.
5. Code AI in Scratch
Scratch is a free block coding language and online community that allows kids to create programs and games using drag-and-drop. It works by taking snippets of code and grouping them into colorful blocks to create programs. Scratch is used to build interactive stories, games, apps, and animations. While the application doesn’t have built-in AI capabilities, it has multiple extensions utilizing artificial intelligence.
Even if they’re beginners, kids will find coding in Scratch fun and simple. As they build their games and applications students learn AI fundamentals like how to train a model, algorithms, and pattern recognition. They’ll also practice coding fundamentals like variables, loops, and functions.
RAISE AI playground is a programming platform based on Scratch language with AI extensions. There are activities where kids engage with machine learning, computer vision, voice recognition, and AI ethics. For example, a child might train an AI to differentiate between different shapes or animals. This allows kids to explore real-world applications of AI in an interactive, hands-on way.
6. Play AI Games
Games are always a great way for kids to learn while they play. AI games use artificial intelligence to enhance gameplay or to teach AI concepts. Educational AI games can have adaptive learning systems that will adjust a learning experience to meet your child’s needs.
Playing educational AI games is an inviting way for kids to discover machine learning and coding. They can experiment with different datasets to understand how AI can learn and apply what it learns to solve real problems, like recognizing objects in a game. AI covers some difficult concepts that kids will be much more likely to stick through if they’re having fun.
AI for Oceans is an educational game from Code.org that lets kids help an underwater AI clean the ocean. The AI needs to be trained to differentiate between fish and trash. Kids give input to help the AI get better at sorting through the data. The story is relatable and the lesson is simple even for younger kids.
7. Train an AI Model
Training an AI model refers to the process of teaching an artificial intelligence system to perform a specific task by feeding it data, allowing it to learn patterns, make decisions, and improve its performance over time. This is a key concept in AI, but may be a little confusing to kids conceptually. So, let them do it for themselves by training their own AI model.
Through this activity, kids and teens experience foundational AI skills like data labeling, pattern recognition, supervised learning, algorithms, and much more. They’ll learn technical skills but also equip themselves with critical thinking, problem-solving, and computational thinking skills.
Google’s Teachable Machine is a web-based tool that makes creating machine learning models fast, easy, and accessible to everyone. With Teachable Machine, kids teach the AI to recognize images, sounds, or poses to see how AI “learns.” It takes only 3 easy steps: gather data, train the model, and export the model. They can then use their learning models in other projects, sites, apps, and more. It’s the tool of choice for our AI classes where students create a game using Teachable Machine that recognizes and responds to the player’s hand gestures. For example, the game character jumps when you make a fist. Kids love seeing the connection between the physical and digital world.
Benefits of Artificial Intelligence Activities for Kids
AI is expected to see an annual growth rate of 37.3% from 2023 to 2030, according to Forbes. Companies like Amazon, Google, and Facebook all use AI to enhance our experience. AI is no longer a future concept, it’s pervasive in the daily lives of our families and our children.
As it continues to evolve and grow, we need to prepare the next generation to use artificial intelligence responsibly. It is a tool they need to thrive in a technology-driven world. So, understanding how AI works and, beyond that, being able to work with AI is a necessary skill for kids and teens.
A few reasons to teach AI to kids:
1. Develop computational thinking skills
Computational thinking is a fundamental skill in computer science that focuses on decomposition, pattern recognition, pattern abstraction, and algorithmic design. AI projects require students to break down large tasks into smaller, manageable parts and use these same skills. Kids learn that AI follows specific rules or steps to process information and make decisions.
2. Enhance problem-solving and critical thinking skills
Debugging, finding, and fixing errors when the AI model doesn’t work as expected, is part of the process. This builds problem-solving and critical thinking skills as well as resilience and perseverance. Kids learn how to dissect problems and apply a process to finding the right solution.
3. Prepare them for future career opportunities
Artificial intelligence is expected to be one of the fastest-growing fields in the future job market. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that careers in AI will grow 21% from 2021 to 2031. Familiarity with AI tools and concepts will give kids a head start in developing skills relevant for tomorrow’s workforce.
4. Make them safer when interacting with technology
As kids interact with AI, they begin to understand that AI can impact people’s lives and that using it responsibly is important. This introduces the idea that AI decisions should be fair, unbiased, and transparent. It also teaches them about safety and privacy and that they should not trust everything they read online or receive in messages on social media.
Tips for Parents Introducing AI & ML Concepts to Kids
Even some adults don’t fully understand artificial intelligence and machine learning. While they are complicated subjects, there are ways to make it more accessible for children:
- Start with Simple Concepts: Begin with basic ideas like “What is AI?” or “How do machines learn?” using real-life examples.
- Relate it to Everyday Life: Show them how AI is used in devices they interact with daily (e.g., voice assistants, recommendation systems).
- Make it Fun: Use games and other AI activities to incorporate AI learning.
- Use Visual Aids: Visual tools, like images and diagrams, help kids understand how AI processes data.
- Encourage Curiosity: Let kids ask questions and explore AI on their own through experiments and play.
As parents, we can introduce them early so the concepts are approachable and fun. Kids will feel less intimidated and have the confidence to continue learning and exploring.
More AI Activities with CodeWizardsHQ
If your child is curious about AI and has more questions than you can answer, check out the top-rated AI camps at CodeWizardsHQ. Students will dive into the world of Artificial Intelligence, learning to use Machine Learning to solve fun, real-world issues.
The AI camps are developed for kids and teens ages 8-18. Using a project-based curriculum, kids learn about artificial intelligence and machine learning with hands-on activities. They build their own AI game while studying basic AI concepts and practicing their computational thinking, problem-solving, and logical reasoning skills. The camp is fun and engaging and will spark your child’s interest in coding and artificial intelligence.
Join our top-rated AI camps for more fun AI activities!
