Build a Teachable Machine Image Classifier With Your Kid

A hands-on, zero-coding weekend project to teach children ages 8 to 16 how machine learning models are trained.

Most children today are passive consumers of artificial intelligence. They interact with algorithms through video recommendations, voice assistants, and search engines, but they rarely get to see behind the curtain. To prepare the next generation of leaders, we must shift their perspective from viewing AI as a magical black box to understanding it as a practical tool built on data, patterns, and training.

You do not need a computer science degree or expensive software subscriptions to teach these concepts. Using a free, browser-based tool developed by Google, you and your child can build, train, and test a custom image classifier in less than half an hour. This project is designed for children aged 8 to 16, requiring only a computer with a webcam and a few household objects.

Step 1: Access the Platform

To begin, open a web browser on your computer and navigate to Google Teachable Machine . Click on the "Get Started" button, and select "Image Project" followed by "Standard Image Model". This platform runs entirely in the browser, meaning no data is sent to external servers, and no account creation is required.

Step 2: Define Your Classes and Gather Data

An image classifier works by recognizing patterns in visual data. To demonstrate this, have your child choose two distinct objects from around the house (such as a coffee mug and a pen, or a toy dinosaur and a toy car).

In the Teachable Machine interface, you will see two default categories called "Class 1" and "Class 2". Have your child rename these classes to match the chosen objects. Next, click the webcam button under the first class. Hold the first object up to the camera and click and hold the "Record" button to capture approximately 100 to 150 images. Encourage your child to rotate the object, move it closer and further from the screen, and tilt it to capture different angles. Repeat this exact process for the second object in the second class.