Play has always been the basis of learning for children. Today, AI applied to education allows this game to be more interactive, through tools that awaken the genius of the little ones.
For example, Google has just announced that, through Family Link (parental control), children will be able to interact with its advanced Gemini chatbot under the supervision of their parents.
For its part, Microsoft reserves tools such as Copilot Chat exclusively for teachers and students of legal age, although it does authorize the use of GitHub Copilot for verified students aged 13 and over.
In addition to chatbots, there are DIY kits, personalized virtual tutors and playful curricula that incorporate AI projects from an early age. As these solutions spread in schools and homes, the interest of educators and families in understanding how to take advantage of them safely and effectively also grows.
AI programs and products for early childhood education
Google–Gemini and educational kits
Google is opening access to its Gemini chatbot for children under 13 years of age through Family Link, allowing children to ask questions, resolve homework doubts or make up stories, always with notification and parental control upon first use.
In addition, Google offers AIY kits (a concept that mixes AI + DIY, that is, Artificial Intelligence + Bricolage) for building smart devices:
- Voice Kit: Create a natural language processor speaker connected to Google Assistant or Cloud Speech-to-Text.
- Vision Kit: assemble your own smart camera capable of recognizing objects with machine learning models.
To introduce machine learning concepts, Google has also created Teachable Machine. This software package allows children to generate and use AI models without programming, using the computer’s camera or microphone.
Microsoft–Copilot and Minecraft Education
Microsoft promotes AI in education mainly through its Office 365 Education tools and the Minecraft Education educational gaming platform.
The Microsoft 365 Copilot AI assistant for educational environments (which works in Word, PowerPoint, Teams, etc.) helps teachers automate tasks such as creating lesson plans or generating quizzes.
However, Microsoft has restricted Copilot Chat to users 18 years of age or older, citing privacy and legal compliance reasons.
In contrast, GitHub Copilot (code autocompletion) is available free to verified educators and students ages 13 and up, encouraging the teaching of AI programming.
Additionally, Minecraft Education includes the AI Foundations program, an AI literacy curriculum for high school students.
This Microsoft/Mojang program offers animated videos and immersive worlds where students learn the fundamentals of AI, explore real-world scenarios in immersive Minecraft worlds, and experiment with AI applications in an educational way
In addition, Microsoft collaborates with government programs: in Argentina, the “Aprende Programming” program (focused on primary and secondary school students) included AI training for mentors, integrating technology into classes from an early age.
Other featured programs
- Khanmigo from Khan Academy, is a personalized AI tutor with parental controls.
- Experience AI, from Raspberry Pi and Google DeepMind, offers free AI resources for students ages 11-14 and teaching support to inspire technological curiosity.
Educational approaches and skills developed
AI platforms in education seek to develop various skills:
Computational thinking and programming
GitHub Copilot helps teach AI-assisted coding. Google AIY kits are practical AI projects for makers. Programming and robotics courses (such as Microsoft’s “Learn Programming” program) incorporate AI concepts.
AI Literacy and Understanding
Programs like AI Foundations in Minecraft and DeepMind’s Experience AI teach what AI is and how it works (computer vision, machine learning, recommendations, etc.).
On the other hand, students’ understanding of AI is useful so that they know how to distinguish that chatbots are not human, developing a critical mindset towards AI and its responses.
Problem solving and collaborative work
Environments like Minecraft allow students to solve challenges with AI (identify patterns, make decisions) in a playful context. Drone flight simulators or other activities in AI-linked school programs foster STEM skills.
Digital Literacy and Online Safety
The inclusion of AI in the classroom also promotes the teaching of digital privacy. For example, parents and educators instruct children not to share sensitive information with AI assistants and to verify the veracity of answers.
In summary, these tools pursue both technical skills (programming, understanding of algorithms) and transversal skills: logical thinking, creativity and ethical judgment about technology.
Many resources (videos, discussion guides, and interactive activities) are designed for teachers to incorporate AI into the curriculum in a gradual and supervised manner.
Adoption in schools and real cases
Educational AI solutions are already being tested in schools and districts. For example:
- In public schools in Chicago, USA, teaching staff use Google Gemini (Gems) to review curricula and internal policies, and NotebookLM to understand complex regulations.
- In Miami-Dade and Albuquerque (USA), teachers use Gemini to create personalized quizzes and lesson plans, while students use it for individual study.
- The Catholic district of Ottawa (Canada) experiments with Gemini to adapt learning to special needs (depending on abilities or language), which demonstrates its potential for personalization.
- In Argentina, the government program Aprendé Programando incorporated the first AI training for primary and secondary school mentors, reaching more than 13,000 graduates.
These experiences show a growing interest on the part of educational systems to incorporate AI into the curriculum, always with prior training for teachers and under institutional supervision.
The integration of AI in early childhood education represents an unprecedented opportunity to personalize learning from an early age.
With strict privacy protocols and increasingly successful pilot experiences, AI in early childhood education is emerging as a safe and enriching complement to the irreplaceable role of teachers and families.
This post is also available in: