🧠 Learn how AI works · 💻 Coding · 🏫 Classroom tools
Machine Learning for Kids
By Dale Lane (independent, built with IBM Watson APIs). Visit Machine Learning for Kids
Desk research from the maker's own pages. Not yet tried by us. Checked 2026-10-24.
A free website where children collect examples of text, numbers, images or sounds, train a machine learning model on them, and then use that model inside Scratch or Python projects, such as a chatbot that sorts compliments from insults or a game that reacts to pictures. It comes with dozens of printable worksheets. It is run by one person in the UK and built mainly for teachers and code clubs.
Our take: 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.
| Ages it suits | about 8-16 (schools and code clubs) |
|---|---|
| What its terms say about age | No minimum age. Students cannot make their own accounts: teachers create them and are responsible for getting parental consent where the law requires. A 'Try it now' mode needs no login and deletes everything after four hours. (terms) |
| Price | Free. Free (Oct 2026). Teachers with 'unmanaged' class accounts must supply their own IBM Cloud API keys. |
| Works on | Web, Chromebook |
| Account | A school account |
| Ads | None |
| In-app purchases | None |
| The AI in it | Children train their own classifiers and small text generators; text projects are trained with IBM Watson. |
What's good
- Free and plugs into Scratch, which many kids know
- Very little student data collected
- Large worksheet library for teachers
- Try-it-now mode with automatic deletion
Watch for
- Run by one volunteer, so long-term support is not guaranteed
- Text projects send examples to IBM's cloud
- Shared IBM keys can run out at busy times
- Built for classrooms more than home use
Data and privacy
Student accounts hold only a username, no email or real name. Text training examples are sent to IBM Watson, and the site says it asks IBM not to use student data to improve its services; no tracking or advertising cookies. Read the privacy policy.
Does it work?
No study of this tool alone found; a 2023 review of K-12 language-AI learning tools includes it among the environments it describes. The maker's claims are about reach (thousands of schools and clubs).
In the Big Index
- On the list 12 weekend AI projects for families
- On the list 12 creative projects with AI that keep your child the author
- On the list 12 science experiments that show how AI learns
- On the list Top 20 AI sites for learning for kids (2026)
- On the list 16 AI coding tools and AI-assisted coding for kids and teens
- On the list 17 free AI tools a family can try this weekend
- On the list 15 AI gifts for kids under $50 (Christmas 2026)
- On the list 15 STEM and AI kits that teach how machine learning works
- On the list Top 50 free learning sites for kids (2026)
- On the list 23 best free sites for kids to learn coding
- Machine Learning for Kids
Alternatives to Machine Learning for Kids
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.
Desk researchFreeNo ads
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.
Desk researchFreeNo ads
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.
Where these facts come from
- https://machinelearningforkids.co.uk/
- https://machinelearningforkids.co.uk/#!/about
- https://machinelearningforkids.co.uk/#!/help
- https://arxiv.org/abs/2310.01603
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.