Alive or Made?
Some things are alive. Some things are made. Can you tell which is which?
Kavi's Two Baskets
Kavi the owl puts a little puppy 🐶 in one basket and a toy car 🚗 in another. "The puppy wiggles and grows — it is alive!" hoots Kavi. "The toy car does not grow or feel a thing — a person made it." Kavi smiles: "A machine is a made thing too, just like the toy. Let's sort alive from made!"
What your child will learn
A peek inside
Try this at home: Circle the one that is ALIVE: 🐶 puppy 🚗 toy car 🪑 chair
Questions parents ask
+What is the difference between living things and made things?
Living things eat, grow and feel — like animals, people and plants. Made things are built by people and do not grow or feel — like toys, cups, cars and robots. A simple test for kids: ask 'Does it eat, grow and feel? Or did a person make it?'
+Is a robot alive?
No. A robot can move and make sounds, but a person built it and it does not eat, grow or feel — so it is a made thing, not alive. Knowing that machines are made (not living, and not thinking like people) is the very first idea in AI literacy.
+What age is this 'Alive or Made?' lesson for?
It is a Stage 1 lesson for roughly ages 5–6 — the start of KAVI Academy's AI-literacy track. It uses a story and sorting games, with no reading required.
+Why teach 'alive or made' as AI literacy?
Before children can understand what AI is, they need to know machines are made things — not alive, and not thinking or feeling like a person. This lesson builds that foundation in a concrete, playful way.
+Is the lesson free?
Yes — this overview and the printable PDF handout are free. The full interactive lesson and the endless practice are part of KAVI Academy.
Ready to play and learn?
Start the free interactive lesson, or print the handout for screen-free play.
Part of AI Literacy · Stage 1 · S1 on KAVI Academy — a secular, whole-child learning platform for ages 5–12.