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Session 1 of 8

Session 1 of 8 ⏱ 25 minutes · 👨‍👩‍👧 Parent present

🤖 What is AI?

See it. Try it. Understand it.

🎯 Today's goal: By the end of this session, your child will have talked to an AI for the first time — and will be able to explain in their own words what AI is.

🔥 Warm Up — 2 minutes

Warm Up

Ask your child: "What do you think AI is? Have you heard the word before?" Let them answer freely — no right or wrong here. Just listen.

Now say: "Let's go ask the AI the same question and see what it says."

🤖 The Activity — 15 minutes

Main Activity

Open ChatGPT (chatgpt.com) or Claude (claude.ai) on your device. You type — your child watches.

📋 Type this exactly
Hello! My child wants to know: what are you, and what can you do? Please explain in simple words a 9-year-old would understand.

Read the answer together. Ask your child: "Does that make sense? Did it say anything surprising?"

📋 Type this exactly
What is the biggest animal that ever lived on Earth? Tell me 3 interesting facts about it.

Read together. Ask: "Do you already know any of these facts? Are any of them surprising?"

📋 Type this exactly
Now let your child pick any topic they love — a sport, an animal, a game, anything. Type: [child's chosen topic] — tell me 3 amazing facts about this, in simple language.

This one is theirs. They see that they can ask about anything they want.

🧩 The Twist — 5 minutes

Find the Flaw

Ask this:

📋 Type this exactly
What is 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1?

If AI gets it right (it should be 20), try a harder one: ask it to count all the letters in a long sentence. AI often miscounts. Show your child that even a very clever tool can make simple mistakes. This is the most important thing they will learn today.

🛡️ Safety Moment
"Never share your real name with AI"

AI conversations are stored by the companies that make them. Your child's real name, school, or any personal detail should never go into a chat. If the AI asks 'what is your name?' — use a made-up name. Always.

👨‍👩‍👧 Parent: read this rule aloud. Ask your child to repeat it back.
🤖

First Contact Badge 🤖

Talked to an AI for the very first time

✓ Ask your parent to mark this session complete on your tracker
👨‍👩‍👧

Parent Notes — tap to expand

▼
What they learned today

Today was about first contact — seeing what AI is by using it, not reading about it. The most important moment is the 'find a mistake' activity: it plants the seed that AI is not infallible.

Questions to ask after the session
  • What was the most surprising thing the AI said?
  • Did the AI get anything wrong today?
  • If AI is a tool — what kind of tool is it most like? (A calculator? A book? A search engine?)
What to watch for

Watch for signs of over-excitement ('it knows EVERYTHING!') — gently redirect toward the mistake activity. Also watch for the opposite — dismissiveness. Both are normal at this age.

Today's safety rule — in context

At this first session, introduce the privacy rule clearly and early. Before you start, tell your child: 'We never put our real name into this. If it asks, we say a made-up name.' Make it a game, not a warning.

Session 2 →