AI is everywhere.

It’s woven into many systems we interact with daily, often quietly in the background, shaping how information, services, and digital tools respond to us. From search engines and virtual assistants to streaming platforms and “listening” smartphones, AI has increasingly taken on tasks that rely on prediction, personalization, and pattern recognition.

AI’s influence is also reshaping what children learn, how they learn, and the teaching methods that are practiced in today’s classroom. A 2026 report found that AI can boost learning when it’s used alongside effective teaching, expanding access to students with disabilities, multilingual learners, and neurodivergence. It can also reduce teacher workload so instructors can give students more individualized attention. However, without clear safeguards, AI could reduce student agency, weaken meaningful learning, and hinder their emotional well‑being.

In this post, we’re not going to get into AI taking jobs or the climate change implications of AI farms, even though those factors do make us extremely wary of it. When looking at it through a developmental lens, it becomes clear that AI isn’t just a new tool, but a whole new learning environment.

The Learning Process

Cognitive processing skills shape every step of a child’s learning journey. They’re not about what a child knows, but how their brain takes in information, makes sense of it, stores it, and uses it later. They serve as the engine behind learning, thinking, and problem‑solving. When children learn a new skill, they must:

• Absorb the information through attention
• Make sense of it through exploration and practice
• Recall it when needed
• Flexibly apply it in different situations

Strengthening these cognitive processes helps children learn more efficiently, retain more deeply, and adapt more confidently.

However, AI isn’t just another “tool” like a calculator. It actually changes the conditions of learning. When it comes to the learning process, AI can support (as well as disrupt) and its impact depends almost entirely on how the tool is used:

• Encoding is the way a child’s brain takes in new information and turns it into something they can remember later. AI can help with this by making information easier to understand (ex: using simple explanations, visuals, or examples that match a child’s level). But it can also get in the way if it gives answers too quickly, distracts the child with too much on the screen, or encourages them to watch instead of think and engage.
  
  
• Retrieval is the brain’s process of recalling stored information so it can be used. AI can help kids remember information by giving them short practice activities, quick quizzes, and instant feedback that strengthens their memory. But it can also make remembering harder if they start relying on AI to hold the information for them, copy answers without thinking, or use it so often that they don’t practice recalling things on their own.
  

• Cognitive flexibility is the ability to shift between ideas, adjust to new information, and apply learning in different situations. AI can assist kids in becoming more flexible thinkers by showing different ways to solve a problem, giving lots of examples, and encouraging them to try new approaches. But it can also limit this skill if they start to believe the AI’s answer is always the “right” one, avoid dealing with uncertainty, or accept whatever the AI says without thinking it through themselves.

So when you see videos of teachers and college professors getting frustrated that students are using AI tools to condense classroom curriculum and instruction, it’s not because students are “working smarter”. It’s the opposite. Finding ways to spend less time immersed in material might get you through a course, but it doesn’t show that you’ve learned and can practice the knowledge.

The Double-Edged Sword

AI can be a powerful support for learning, but it also brings real risks for children whose brains are still developing key skills like attention, memory, and executive function. The problem is that AI can shortcut the very processes kids need to practice. These include opportunities to:

• Focus
• Build memory
• Develop executive functions
• Regulate emotions
• Interact with others
• Process challenging ideas
• Reflect on their thoughts

When AI starts doing too much of the thinking for them, it can interfere with these essential parts of healthy cognitive development. AI-generated material is shown to have the least mental engagement because the brain doesn’t actually do any work, aka brain rot. On the other hand, AI can strengthen learning when it’s used intentionally to support the skills that make thinking possible. It can:

• Reduce unnecessary cognitive load by taking care of extra mental steps so kids can focus on learning.
• Scaffold executive function by giving kids small supports that make it easier to stay organized and on track.
• Adapt to a child’s attention by adjusting the pace, difficulty, or feedback/support based on how focused they are.
• Personalize practice by giving each child the right level of challenge based on what they need.
• Spark creativity by offering kids new ideas, examples, and possibilities that inspire them to imagine and create.
• Build language by providing rich models, examples, and feedback that help children learn new words and express ideas more clearly.
• Encourage curiosity by inviting kids to ask questions, explore ideas, and follow their interests in new directions.
• Support emotional regulation by supplying calm prompts, helpful language, or gentle guidance that helps children manage big feelings.

In short, AI is most powerful when it enhances a child’s thinking rather than doing the thinking for them.

AI the Ally

Parents play the biggest role in how AI affects their child’s learning. The answer isn’t to avoid AI or let it take over, but to help kids use it in a thoughtful way. When parents guide the process, AI becomes a helpful support rather than a replacement for real thinking.

In 2024, Harvard researcher Ying Xu explained that kids can learn from AI, but only when the technology is built to support real learning. For example, some AI tools can help children understand stories better by asking questions as they read. But AI can’t replace the rich back‑and‑forth interaction children need from adults for language and social development. He also stressed that children need “AI literacy,” meaning they should learn to question what AI says, notice its mistakes, and understand its limits.

Here are some ways to make AI a helper instead of a hinderance to your child’s learning:

• Set expectations. Children need to understand the purpose of using AI. You can explain that it is like a modern reference book or study guide that offers explanations, organizes ideas, and gives helpful hints. But it should never replace their own thinking (or else the robots win).
  
  
• Limit its usage. AI is fast, stimulating, and can erode attention stamina if used constantly. Reserve AI for specific tasks, keep longer reading and problem‑solving AI‑free, and encourage “think first, ask AI second” to help kids stay focused and persistent.
  
  
• Let the struggle be real. Kids learn by putting in effort, making mistakes, and trying again. When curriculum is challenging, it forces your brain to engage deeper with the material and students end up learning that material much more thoroughly. Before they turn to AI for help, ask questions like “What have you tried so far?”, “Show me your thinking,” or “What part feels confusing?” Guide them to work through the problem first, then use AI to check their work, see an example, or clarify a tricky idea.
  
  
• AI together. Co‑using AI with your kid turns it into a shared learning tool rather than a solitary one. Sitting together, exploring responses, asking them to explain what AI said, comparing it to their own thinking, and modeling healthy skepticism all help make AI part of a meaningful conversation that strengthens learning.
  
  
• Question everything. Children need to learn that AI isn’t always right, so teach them to pause and question what they see. Asking things like “How do I know this is true?”, “What evidence is missing?”, or “Is there another way to think about this?” helps build critical thinking and stay alert to misinformation. Also point out that AI often makes little mistakes, like spelling and grammar errors, and that any AI references must be edited and fact checked.
  
  
• Keep some things analog. If your kid needs to study, revert back to other learning techniques: making paper flashcards, doing edits by hand, writing out draft responses our outlines before typing essays, making lists. Physical handwriting increases neural activity and brain recall. While AI can support organizing content or giving practice quizzes, getting in the habit of using other types of study skills supports cognitive processing, memory, and deeper learning. Diversify the study habits!
  

• Keep it human. AI should never replace the human experiences children need most, such as conversation, play, hands‑on exploration, social problem solving, and emotional learning.

If it sounds like we’re still a bit skeptical, it’s because we are. Call us Millennials who did things the analog way back in the 1900s, but we find it really concerning when our kids bring home class work and their answers are a bit questionable. Or when they have an assignment on one unit but can’t remember anything they learned from the previous unit. In these developmental/early elementary years, when the brain hasn’t fully grasped study skills or foundational knowledge, keep the AI to a very closely-monitored minimum.

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Sources:
AI’s future for students is in our hands | Brookings
The Impact of AI on Children’s Development | Harvard Graduate School of Education