By CBC Edu Kenya. Facts checked against the live pages on 30 October 2026.
Children are already meeting AI in homework help, in videos and in games, and most parents are not sure what to say. This guide explains what the AI for Kids course covers, what safety features it lists, and how to take it together as a family. Nothing here needs you to know technology.
Is AI safe for my child?
No tool is risk-free, and the best protection is you sitting nearby. What the course page lists is useful, though:
- Enrolment is through a parent's email, and the page says no personal data is collected from the child.
- There is no chat or messaging feature, so your child cannot talk to strangers through the course.
- A parent ticks a consent box before a certificate is bought.
- Lesson 7 helps the family write its own AI rules, including what never to share with an AI tool.
Outside the course, many general chatbots set their own age limits, so check the terms before your child opens an account. Do not let a child create one alone.
What does a lesson look like?
Each lesson is short, between 15 and 30 minutes, and ends with something to do together. Your child can do one a day, one a week or all ten in a weekend. The times below are the ones shown on the course page.
| Lesson | Title | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | What Is a Robot Brain? | 15 min |
| 2 | How the Computer Learns | 18 min |
| 3 | AI Is Everywhere: Can You Spot It? | 15 min |
| 4 | Talking to AI: The Magic of Good Questions | 18 min |
| 5 | AI for Homework: The Right Way | 15 min |
| 6 | Make Art with AI | 18 min |
| 7 | AI Safety: Rules Your Family Agrees To | 15 min |
| 8 | Build Your First AI: Pet Recogniser | 30 min |
| 9 | Robots and Jobs: What Will You Do When You Grow Up? | 18 min |
| 10 | Capstone: Show Us Your AI Creation | 30 min |
The total is 192 minutes, a little over 3 hours. In Lesson 8 your child trains a simple AI to tell their pet from other pets, with no coding.
How can we do the course as a family?
The course asks for a parent activity in every lesson, so plan it like a small family project rather than homework. One simple plan:
- Saturday morning: Lessons 1 to 3 together, about 50 minutes, then talk about where you saw AI this week.
- Sunday afternoon: Lessons 4 to 7, about an hour, and write your family AI rules on paper.
- The next weekend: Lessons 8 to 10, about 80 minutes, with your child showing you what they built.
Go slower if your child is on the younger side. Ten minutes of real talk beats a rushed lesson.
What does the certificate cost?
The course is free. The certificate is optional: KSh 500 or $4. It is colourful, carries your child's name in large letters and a parent's co-signature, and can be checked on the verification page. Buy it only if your child wants something to keep. It is a certificate of completion for encouragement, not an official qualification.
How should my child use AI for homework?
Lesson 5 puts it simply: using AI to help you learn is good, and using it to do your homework for you is not learning. A few rules you can start with tonight:
- Sit with your child while they use any AI tool.
- Never type names, school, photos or phone numbers into it.
- Ask the AI to explain, then ask your child to say it back in their own words.
- Check answers against the textbook or the teacher, because AI can be wrong.
- Agree the time limit before starting.
For ideas on revision, see our guide to using AI revision cards and past paper drills safely and the holiday guide to an AI tutor in the school holiday.
Where does Somo fit?
Somo is the CBC AI tutor from CBC Edu Kenya. Its page says it guides step by step and asks the learner to try first, rather than just giving answers. The same page lists a child-safe mode with parent consent as a later feature, so for younger children, use Somo with a parent beside them. You can try five free questions without signing up.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Ages | 8 to 14 |
| Lessons | 10, each with a parent activity |
| Time | About 3 hours (192 minutes by the lesson times) |
| Course price | Free |
| Certificate | Optional: KSh 500 or $4, with a parent's consent |
| How to enrol | Through a parent's email |
| Child's personal data | None collected, according to the course page |
| Adult version | A separate 10-module AI course, free, with an optional KSh 1,000 certificate |
Parents who want to learn too can take the adult free AI course, and our guide to the free AI course and its certificate explains how it works.
Frequently asked questions
What age is the AI for Kids course for?
It is made for children aged 8 to 14. Younger children can join in if a parent reads along and does the activity with them.
Does the course collect my child's personal data?
The course page says no personal data is collected from the child and that enrolment is through a parent's email. Read the page yourself and use your own judgement before you enrol.
Is the course free?
Yes. The course is free. Only the certificate costs money, KSh 500 or $4, and only if you choose to buy it.
Does my child need a phone or a webcam?
Lessons run in a browser on a phone, tablet or computer. The pet recogniser lesson uses Google's Teachable Machine, which runs in the browser too. Sit with your child for that lesson.
Is it OK for my child to use ChatGPT for homework?
Use AI to explain, not to do the work. Lesson 5 teaches the line between getting help to learn and copying an answer. Many general chatbots also set their own minimum ages, so read their terms before your child uses one.
KJSEA and KPSEA revision courses
The Grade 9 KJSEA course covers all 9 learning areas for KSH 400. The Grade 6 KPSEA course covers all 5 subjects for KSH 300. Notes, worked examples, topical questions and full marking schemes in both.
KSH 300 or KSH 400 · Get it now → 📱 M-Pesa, sent to your email after payment · join parents preparing nowHave a CBC question this article didn't answer?
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