Stop, Think, Choose: Learning.com Launches a K-8 AI Literacy Curriculum To Build Healthy AI Habits For Life

The nation's leading digital literacy provider delivers a new structured, research-grounded curriculum to teach AI literacy and responsible use starting in kindergarten

PORTLAND, Ore., April 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly one in three children under eight are already using AI for learning, often without any structured guidance. Yet, peer-reviewed research consistently finds that age-appropriate curricula for students below middle school remain largely nonexistent. Today, Learning.com launches its next generation K-8 AI Literacy built on the award-winning EasyTech platform to close that gap.

"Students of all ages are already using AI, so the real question is how we teach them to use it thoughtfully before bad habits take hold," said Lisa O'Masta, CEO of Learning.com. "We're giving them a simple mantra to carry from the classroom to college or the workplace: stop before you trust or share what AI produces, think about whether it is accurate, fair, and appropriate, and choose how you want to proceed."

Built on research-backed frameworks from UNESCO and the OECD, the curriculum focuses on how AI shapes thinking, learning, and decision-making, helping students understand what AI is, how to evaluate what it produces, and how to use it responsibly.

• In grades K–2, students explore AI through play and storytelling, which has been shown to be ideal for kids as early as age five. They learn to recognize AI in the world around them, protecting personal information, and build early problem-solving skills that lay the foundation for computational thinking.
• In grades 3–5, students deepen their understanding by exploring how AI systems work, analyzing data and outputs, and evaluating results for accuracy and bias so they can use AI more critically and responsibly.
• By middle school, students apply more advanced thinking to analyze how data shapes AI systems, evaluate tradeoffs and limitations, and examine fairness, accountability, and real-world impact.
• Across all grade bands, core domains including understanding AI systems, using AI safely, working with data, evaluating outputs, problem-solving, and ethical reasoning are introduced early and revisited with increasing depth, mirroring how literacy and numeracy skills are developed over time..

"Young children are more capable of engaging thoughtfully with technology than we often assume, particularly when they have the right support,"  said Kristen Mattson, ISTE author and AI & Digital Literacy curriculum advisor. "In my work as an educator, I've seen that when students are invited into age-appropriate conversations about complex ideas, they respond with insight and responsibility. Age-appropriate AI instruction helps build the foundation they need to become informed decision-makers in our digital world."

To expand access, Learning.com is making a free AI literacy experience available now: 18 lessons across grades K-8, open to educators, students, families, and district leaders. Districts using EasyTech can begin foundational AI awareness instruction immediately, with professional learning embedded to support students and teachers learning AI together. The full AI Literacy curriculum is available to schools and districts through EasyTech, Learning.com's widely adopted digital literacy platform.

To access the free experience and learn more, visit https://info.learning.com/ai-literacy.

SOURCE Learning.com