Check the school's rules first
Schools have different rules about AI, and they can differ between subjects and tasks. Ask the child, or their teacher, what is allowed for this piece of work. If you are unsure, treat it as not allowed.
Fair ways to use it together
- Ask it to explain an idea in a different way: "Explain fractions to a nine-year-old using pizza."
- Ask it to make practice questions, then let the child answer them.
- Ask it to quiz the child on their spelling words or times tables.
- Ask it to give feedback on a paragraph the child has already written, without rewriting it.
Not fair
- Asking it to write the essay, story or answers for them.
- Copying its words into homework as if the child wrote them.
Teachers want to see what the child can do. Work done by a chatbot does not show that, and the child misses the learning.
Check together
Show the child that AI can be wrong. Look up one of its answers together in a book or on a trusted website. This is a useful skill for life.
Try this
- With a grandchild, pick a topic from their homework.
- Ask a chatbot: "Make five practice questions about this, for a child in Year 4. Do not give the answers."
- Let the child answer, then check the answers together.
Safety tip
Children should use AI with an adult nearby, and many chatbots have a minimum age. Check the chatbot's age rules before a child uses it.