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See Exactly What Your Child Does in Session 1

A complete, step-by-step look at our first workshop: Build Your Own Chatbot. No experience needed — ages 8–12.

2-hour session plan Real activities included Ages 8–12 Instructor notes

Workshop 1 of 4Beginner

Workshop 1: Build Your Own Chatbot

This is the full lesson plan for our first session. By the end, every child has a working chatbot they built themselves — one that knows their name, their interests, and can answer questions the way they want it to.

Parents often tell us this is the moment their kid stops thinking "AI is something adults do" and starts thinking "I can build with this."

What your child walks away with: A live chatbot hosted online (shareable link they can show friends and family), plus a clear understanding of what a "prompt" is and why it matters — the single most important AI skill they can have in 2026.

Learning Outcomes

🤖
Build a real chatbot Using a real AI API — not a toy simulator
✍️
Write their first prompt Understand how instructions shape AI behavior
🔗
Get a shareable link Live project they can show anyone
💡
Ask better questions The skill that unlocks every AI tool they'll ever use

Full Session Plan (2 Hours)

Group size: 4–6 kids. Instructor + optional co-facilitator. All activities online via browser — no installs needed.

Phase 1
0:00 – 0:20  (20 min)
What Is AI? (And Why Should You Care?)
Open with a short demo that surprises the kids — not a lecture. The goal is to spark curiosity and establish a safe "I can try things" mindset.
  • 🎯
    Hook demo (5 min): Instructor shows AI guessing what's in a photo the kids pick. Ask: "How did it know that?" Let them offer theories.
  • 💬
    Quick-fire round (5 min): Each kid names one thing they think AI can do and one thing they think it can't. No wrong answers — record them on screen to revisit at the end.
  • 🗺️
    Roadmap (5 min): Show what they'll build today and what the chatbot will be able to do. Make it concrete: "By 4pm you'll have a link you can text your parents."
  • 🔑
    One big idea (5 min): Introduce "the prompt" — the instruction you give AI. Demo how the same question gets a very different answer with different prompts. This becomes the thread throughout the session.
Phase 2
0:20 – 0:50  (30 min)
Design Your Chatbot's Personality
Kids write the "brain" of their chatbot — a system prompt that defines who the bot is, what it knows, and how it talks. This is where creativity explodes.
  • 📝
    Personality worksheet (10 min): Each child fills in: Bot name, 3 things it loves, its communication style (funny / serious / mysterious / helpful), one secret fact it knows. This becomes their system prompt.
  • 🔄
    Prompt drafting (10 min): Instructor models turning the worksheet into a real system prompt. Kids write their own version in plain English — no coding needed.
  • 🧪
    First test (10 min): Paste the prompt into the instructor's live demo tool. Kids take turns asking their bot questions. Watch the personality come through. Refine one thing based on what surprised them.
Phase 3
0:50 – 1:30  (40 min)
Build the Real Thing
Each child builds their own chatbot using a browser-based tool. No install, no account needed — just open the link, paste their prompt, click deploy.
  • 🚀
    Guided build (15 min): Instructor walks step by step. Each kid: opens the build tool → names their chatbot → pastes their system prompt → adjusts the greeting message → hits "Deploy."
  • 🎨
    Personalization (10 min): Pick a color theme, set a welcome message, add 2–3 example questions the bot is great at answering.
  • 🤝
    Cross-test (15 min): Kids swap links and chat with each other's bots. Task: find one thing funny or unexpected. Share out. Instructor points out what's working in each prompt design.
Phase 4
1:30 – 1:50  (20 min)
Show & Tell + Debrief
Each child presents their bot to the group. Wrap up with the "so what" — why this skill matters beyond the workshop.
  • 🎤
    60-second pitch (12 min): Each kid introduces their chatbot: name, personality, and one cool thing it can do. Group votes on Most Creative, Most Helpful, Most Surprising.
  • 🔁
    Revisit predictions (5 min): Pull up the list from Phase 1. What did AI actually do that they thought it couldn't? What still surprised them?
  • 📬
    Takeaway (3 min): Kids copy their chatbot link to share with parents. Instructor previews Session 2: "Next time you'll build something that can see images."
Phase 5
1:50 – 2:00  (10 min)
Parent Handoff
A brief moment for kids to show their parents what they built. This is always the best 10 minutes of the session.
  • 👨‍👩‍👧
    Kids share their chatbot link with their parent and give them a 30-second demo.
  • 📋
    Parent receives a one-page recap: what their child learned, what's coming in Session 2, and one thing to try at home this week.

Sessions 2–4: What Comes Next

Session 2 covers image recognition and creative AI art tools. Session 3 introduces story generation and narrative AI. Session 4 is a capstone project where each child picks their own idea and builds a full mini-app.

Session 2: AI Image Creator
Kids learn how text-to-image AI works, build a personal image generator with custom style settings, and create a short illustrated story.
Session 3: AI Story Tool
Collaborative storytelling with AI. Kids learn how to steer the narrative, inject characters, and use AI as a co-author rather than a replacement.
Session 4: Your Own AI Project
Capstone session. Each child chooses one idea — a game helper, a study buddy, a creative tool — and builds it from scratch with instructor support.
📚

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Sessions 2–4 + instructor notes, take-home materials, and the parent recap guide — free, no strings attached.

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Your child could build this today

First session is completely free — no commitment, no experience needed. Small groups of 4–6 kids, live instructor, real deliverable.

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Why Parents Love This Approach

Most "coding for kids" programs either teach syntax (boring for kids who want to make things) or use walled-garden toy platforms (not transferable to real tools). Our workshops do neither.

Common Questions

Does my child need to know how to code?

No. Session 1 requires zero coding knowledge. The only skill needed is the ability to type and read. We start from "what is AI?" and move to "I built something real" in 2 hours.

What device do they need?

Any laptop or Chromebook with a browser. No installs, no accounts. We handle all the setup before the session starts.

How is this different from apps like Scratch or Code.org?

Scratch and Code.org teach traditional programming logic — great for some kids, but very different from working with AI. Our workshops focus specifically on AI tools: how to direct them, how to combine them, and how to build AI-powered projects rather than rule-based code.

What age is this actually right for?

The sweet spot is 9–12. Eight-year-olds can do it but benefit most from a parent nearby. Kids 13+ find the sessions a bit easy — we're working on an advanced track for them.

Will my child actually finish something in one session?

Yes. That's a non-negotiable design constraint. Every session is built around one complete deliverable. If a child finishes early, there's an extension challenge. No one leaves without a shareable link.