Are you introducing students to Artificial Intelligence this year? Although your students may not all use chatbots or interact with AI tools, the concept of artificial intelligence is one they will encounter both inside and outside of school. As a classroom teacher, I loved using read-alouds to introduce students to new concepts. There are read-aloud books about AI for kids that you can share with your class this year.
The idea for this blog post started with an email. The publisher of the first two on today’s list reached out to me to gauge my interest. They offered to send along copies of these two books, and as a fan of the Baby University series it was easy to say yes. I have gifted a bunch of their other books to family and friends, including Blockchain for Babies and ABCs of Economics. Then, I ordered a handful of more books about AI and added several to the list below.
Teaching Kids About AI
I’ve had lots of conversations with educators this year about the role AI will play in teaching and learning. In my workshops, webinars, and keynotes, questions often come up about how to best prepare students for the world of AI. You might decide to introduce a lesson or activity you’ve found online. Here are a few options:
- I featured The Achievery on the blog this year, and they have lots of free AI-themed resources. This post includes a handful of lessons to explore.
- The team at Adobe Education has resources for teaching kids about AI, too. I’ve done some work with their team to share Adobe Express, and I love pointing out this collection of lessons about AI.
6 Kids Books About AI
In addition to these digital resources, I have six read-aloud books about AI designed with kids in mind. Let’s take a look at the list together!
Artificial Intelligence for Babies
This quick primer on what AI is (and isn’t) would really be a good fit for any age. This board book is clearly designed with a “baby” in mind as you can see from the simple visuals on the pages. You might read Artificial Intelligence for Babies aloud to a preschooler one day. And then use it to kick off a lesson on AI with middle schoolers the next day. If you choose the latter, it would certainly bring some levity to the conversation.
ABCs of Artificial Intelligence (board book)
I really love an ABC book, where vocabulary around one topic is organized so that each letter of the alphabet connects to one vocabulary word. This board board, ABCs of Artificial Intelligence, is full of clear definitions and context for each word. If you’re a member of my AI in Education Membership, you know that I love highlighting new words each month. This book is perfect for finding vocabulary words to introduce to students, too. For example, if you are doing a “month of AI,” you might spotlight one letter (or two) each day along with the corresponding vocabulary word.
Artificial Intelligence for Kids
This quick picture book gives a nice, simple overview of AI. Artificial Intelligence for Kids is part of the Tinker Toddlers series, but I have a feeling you could use it to spark a conversation about AI with kids of any age. This paperback book includes a glossary with fifteen vocabulary words at the very back, too.
STEM Starters for Kids Artificial Intelligence Activity Book
With activities about computers and AI, this workbook is for students to use independently or with support. STEM Starters for Kids Artificial Intelligence Activity Book is not a read-aloud book. However, I wanted to include it in this because it provides some short passages and activities for students to explore. There is an answer key in the back and you might use it to gather ideas for a whole class or small group lesson.
Artificial Intelligence: Thinking Machines and Smart Robots with Science Activities for Kids
This book was released several years ago, but I still think it’s worth including on the list. Artificial Intelligence: Thinking Machines and Smart Robots with Science Activities for Kids includes lots of information to give you and your students a primer on this topic. There are activities you can try out, and even comic strips to help unpack ideas.
ABC’s of Artificial Intelligence (paperback)
This paperback book follows a traditional ABC book format and would be a great way for you and your students to explore vocabulary related to AI. ABC’s of Artificial Intelligence might also serve as a model for a student or class project if they will create an ABC book in the future. I wish this book had citations or a bit more information on the images and whether or not they were generated by AI.
Today’s list of books about AI is full of different options to choose from. I included links to Amazon above and you can find more of my favorite books and recommendations on my storefront. And of course, if you have a favorite book about AI for kids, I’d certainly love to hear all about it! You can send me an email by replying to my weekly newsletter (sign up here). Or you can send me a quick DM on Instagram.
