How to check AI Tutors are Working for Your Child

Before you trust an AI tutor…

It’s worth knowing how to judge the quality of the help your child is getting. This guide shows you what to look for in AI’s questioning and support, so you can tell when it’s building real understanding—and when it isn’t.

Artificial intelligence can be a powerful learning companion. Many parents see their children talking with chatbots, solving problems with AI tutors, or asking apps to “explain it differently,” and feel reassured that their child is receiving personalised help. But without teaching experience, it can be difficult to know whether that help is genuinely effective—or just looks impressive on the surface.

This guide helps you spot the difference between help that truly builds understanding and support that sounds helpful but stays shallow. It also explores how to step in when your child’s AI tutor misses something important.

Why some AI learning support seems “smart” but isn’t

AI can generate confident, friendly, and even detailed explanations. But the depth of that support varies widely.

Here are some common examples parents might notice:

Rephrasing, not rethinking.
AI often asks questions that sound new but are really just the same question reworded. A teacher, in contrast, would guide a child toward the next small step in understanding—breaking a big idea into smaller, more manageable chunks.

Limited visual reasoning.
While AI can describe diagrams or generate static pictures, it rarely uses visuals in the same way a human teacher would—drawing as they explain, showing how ideas connect, or adapting visuals to a child’s misunderstanding.

Missing the “why.”
Many AI explanations focus on procedures (“do this, then this”) rather than the reasoning behind them (“why this method works”). This can leave children able to follow steps without real understanding.

No awareness of misconceptions.
A teacher can spot confusion in a child’s tone, facial expression, or written work. AI systems depend entirely on the words the child types, which means they can miss gaps in understanding if the question seems correct.

Where AI does have real strengths

AI shouldn’t be dismissed—it offers valuable benefits when used thoughtfully:

• Patience and availability. AI tutors never tire or lose focus. They can give your child time to practice, revisit topics, or ask questions without embarrassment.
• Personal pace. Good AI learning tools can adapt to your child’s speed, offering extra practice or simpler examples as needed.
• Confidence-building. Some children feel less anxious asking questions to a chatbot than to an adult. This can encourage them to take risks or explore ideas more freely.
• Instant feedback. For simple exercises, AI can quickly show whether an answer is right or wrong—useful for repetition and reinforcement.

When these advantages are paired with human guidance—yours or a teacher’s—they can make learning more consistent and enjoyable.

How parents can judge the quality of AI learning help

You don’t need teaching experience to spot whether AI support is working. Try this step-by-step approach: