A guide for families and educators to practicing problem-solving, checking AI answers and building small projects while protecting privacy.
Learning about AI can give teenagers a chance to practice asking questions, solving problems and weighing evidence. The goal shouldn't just be getting quick answers or learning the names of a few tools. A teenager should be able to explain what problem they have, what information they used and why they trust a conclusion.
In this guide we introduce a few activities Fekrano suggests for supervised learning. These exercises don't promise career or academic outcomes and should be adjusted to each teenager's age, interests and experience.
Break the problem into small parts
Before opening any tool, ask the teenager to describe the problem in their own words. For example, "how do I find a way through a maze?" can be broken down into understanding the squares, spotting obstacles, choosing a move and checking whether you've reached the goal.
This helps separate the goal, the input, the rules and the result. If the rules of the game change, which part of the solution has to change? A question like that goes beyond memorizing a ready-made answer.
Do an activity with no user account
Build a simple maze on paper or cardboard. Define a few commands such as "move forward one square" and "turn right". The teenager writes their commands, and a second person carries them out exactly, without guessing what they meant.
When the path hits an obstacle, instead of calling it a failure, ask which assumption was wrong. Then add a condition: "if the path is blocked, try another direction." This activity is a way to practice precise instructions and reviewing a solution; the maze on its own isn't an AI system.
Show the difference between a fluent answer and a correct one
With an educator supervising, pick a question that can be checked and put a tool's answer next to a textbook or another reliable source. Ask the teenager to separate the claims: which part can be observed, which part needs a source and which part is just a suggestion?
- Find an independent source for one claim and read the relevant part.
- If the tool cited a source, check that it exists and is actually relevant.
- Find a counterexample, or a situation where the answer wouldn't be true.
- Explain which part they're still unsure about.
In this exercise the teenager doesn't always have to find the tool's mistake. What matters is learning the checking process and being able to express uncertainty.
Protect the teenager's privacy and agency
UNICEF's guidance on AI and children treats protecting children's data and privacy, and attention to their rights, as central concerns. Choosing educational tools should take these considerations into account too. UNICEF guidance
For classroom activities, use made-up names and non-personal information. Don't put photos of faces, home addresses, school names, account passwords or private conversations into public tools. Check each service's age requirements before using it, and never enter a false age to get access. If creating an account isn't appropriate, the educator can share pre-prepared outputs with the group to review.
Finish the project by explaining the process
A small project could be designing a paper game, sorting non-personal examples or creating a guide on a favourite topic. Before starting, agree on the expected output and the constraints. At the end, ask the teenager to show the first version and the improved version side by side.
The suggested assessment is four questions: What was the problem? What did you build yourself? At which stage did you use a tool? What mistake did you find and fix? A polished-looking output doesn't replace these explanations.
What's the role of parents and educators?
Being involved doesn't mean doing the project for the teenager. Set aside a specific time for the work, ask about their experience and keep the option of working without tools open. If disturbing or inappropriate output appears, stop using the tool and look at how to report or block it in the service.
Common questions from families
Does getting started require programming?
Not for the activities in this guide. You can start with games, paper and conversation. Programming can be added later, depending on the teenager's interest and readiness.
Is it acceptable to use a tool instead of doing homework?
The school's and educator's rules should be clear. It's best to state the tool's role in the work, and the teenager should be able to explain the result independently. Handing in generated answers without understanding them isn't the goal here.
What should we look for when choosing a course?
Check the age group, whether an educator is present, the type of project, the privacy policy and how feedback is given. See the AI and Systems Thinking for Teenagers course, and before applying, get a consultation on whether the course fits your child's needs.