Summer school and holiday programmes often promise two things that are scarce in term time: breathing space and flexibility. This makes them ideal for exploring artificial intelligence in ways that feel playful, hands-on and low stakes. Instead of racing to finish a syllabus, you can let pupils tinker, question and create.
Used thoughtfully, AI can help you personalise projects, support learners who struggle with confidence, and spark curiosity in pupils who are usually disengaged. A reluctant writer might enjoy co-creating a comic with an AI assistant; a budding engineer can quickly prototype ideas with AI-generated prompts and feedback. For pupils who have missed learning, AI can offer gentle scaffolding without the stigma of extra worksheets.
Crucially, summer is also a chance to model healthy, balanced technology use. You can show that AI is not a magic answer machine, nor a threat to “real learning”, but a tool to interrogate, adapt and combine with offline activities. For more on this mindset, you might find this piece on AI not being cheating helpful.
Before planning activities, it helps to establish a few simple principles that you can share with staff, pupils and families.
First, AI should augment, not replace, human teaching and relationships. The most powerful learning still comes from discussion, collaboration and feedback from trusted adults. AI tools are there to support, not to take over.
Second, keep AI use transparent and explainable. Pupils should know when they are interacting with AI, why they are using it, and how its suggestions are being checked. This builds digital literacy rather than passive dependence.
Third, maintain clear boundaries about what AI is for. In summer programmes, emphasise creativity, exploration and practice, rather than using AI to complete graded tasks quietly. This helps avoid unhealthy shortcuts and supports academic integrity when term starts again.
Finally, keep things developmentally appropriate. Younger pupils need tightly curated, adult-mediated use. Older students can handle more autonomy, but still benefit from structured prompts, reflection and discussion about bias, reliability and ethics.
If your staff are new to AI, consider a short, focused briefing or training session before summer begins. Our guide on AI training for educators offers practical starting points.
Think of your summer AI offer as a menu, not a single programme. You might combine:
In-person clubs or camps, where AI is woven into themed weeks such as “Storytelling Studio”, “Young Scientists” or “Community Designers”. Devices are used in short, purposeful bursts alongside outdoor, creative and physical activities.
Targeted summer school sessions for learners who need extra support, where AI tools provide personalised practice in reading, writing or numeracy, wrapped inside engaging projects.
At-home learning packs that include optional AI-based extensions for those with access, and equally rich non-digital alternatives for those without.
Start by clarifying your outcomes. Are you aiming to boost confidence, close gaps, extend high attainers, or simply keep pupils curious and connected to learning? Your answer will shape which AI tools you choose and how often pupils use them.
For primary pupils, AI should be a small ingredient in a much bigger recipe of play, talk and hands-on exploration. Adults remain firmly “in the loop”, guiding prompts, filtering output and turning digital ideas into physical activity.
You might try a “Story Seeds and Adventure Walks” project. Pupils dictate a short story starter to an AI assistant through a teacher-led device. The AI suggests three different directions for the story. Pupils choose one, then head outside to act out or draw the next scene, collecting natural objects as “props”. Back inside, they describe what happened, and the adult helps them update the story. The AI is used briefly to spark ideas; most of the time is spent moving, talking and creating.
Another option is “AI Creature Inventors”. As a group, pupils describe an imaginary creature’s habitat, diet and special powers. The AI generates a description or simple poem, which pupils then model from clay, recycled materials or chalk drawings in the playground. They label key features by hand, using vocabulary the AI suggested. This supports language development while keeping screens peripheral.
For literacy support, you might use AI to create personalised reading passages at different difficulty levels on the same topic, so pupils can work together on “expert” themes even if their reading levels differ. Keep passages short, print them out, and pair reading with drama, drawing or simple experiments.
At this age, avoid unsupervised AI use. Adults should handle all logins, choose age-appropriate tools, and keep interactions projected on a screen or shared tablet so that content can be monitored.
Learners in early secondary years are often fascinated by AI but may overestimate its capabilities. Summer is a perfect time to let them investigate what AI can and cannot do, through structured challenges.
You could run a “Mythbusting AI” week. Pupils work in small groups to test AI on tasks such as writing a poem in the style of a local landmark, explaining a science concept for a younger child, or suggesting a new school club. They then evaluate the output: What did it get right? What felt generic or biased? How would they improve it? Groups present their findings as posters or short videos, with very limited device time per session.
Another idea is “Local Explorers with AI”. Pupils ask an AI tool to suggest a walking route or fieldwork questions about their local area, then compare this with their own ideas. They go out, collect observations, sketches or photos, and later feed their notes back into the AI to help them draft a short guidebook or exhibition labels. Our article on AI outdoor learning and fieldwork cycles offers more inspiration for blending AI with the real world.
For pupils needing extra academic support, you might design “Mini Mastery Missions”. AI provides quick, tailored practice questions or explanations in maths or languages, but each short digital session is followed by a game, peer teaching or a low-tech application task. This keeps motivation high while reinforcing core skills.
Older students can use summer programmes to build AI literacy and portfolio pieces that will support future study or employment. Here, the emphasis shifts from “using AI” to “working with and critiquing AI”.
One approach is “AI-Enhanced Passion Projects”. Students choose a topic they genuinely care about – from climate justice to game design – and use AI to help them:
You can require them to keep a short “AI log” noting what prompts they used, which suggestions they accepted or rejected, and why. This not only supports academic honesty but also helps them reflect on their own thinking.
Another option is a “Future Work with AI” mini-course. Students explore how AI is used in different careers, then design a small artefact: a mock-up of an AI-informed business idea, a short policy brief on AI ethics in their field of interest, or a tutorial for younger pupils on safe AI use. These artefacts can form part of a digital portfolio or personal statement.
Students with access to devices at home might continue projects independently, while those without can use printed prompt banks and reflection sheets in school sessions, with a shared device used briefly for key steps.
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Safeguarding responsibilities do not disappear over the summer. If you are running school-led programmes, your existing policies still apply, but AI introduces extra considerations.
Choose tools that minimise data collection, avoid requiring pupils to create personal accounts, and allow you to control privacy settings. Where possible, use school-managed accounts and devices. Avoid entering identifiable pupil information into AI systems, and make this explicit in staff guidance.
Set clear content boundaries. For example, you might decide that AI will not be used to discuss sensitive personal issues, mental health, or topics that would normally trigger safeguarding referrals. Staff should know how to respond if pupils ask AI about these areas, and how to signpost appropriate human support.
Wellbeing also includes screen balance. Build your timetable so that AI activities are short and purposeful, surrounded by off-screen tasks, physical movement and social interaction. Model healthy habits, such as taking breaks and questioning online information, rather than scrolling endlessly.
Equity should sit at the heart of your summer AI plans. Not all pupils will have reliable devices, connectivity or quiet spaces at home. Design activities so that the richest learning happens in shared, supervised settings, not only for those with personal laptops.
Consider using a small number of shared devices in “AI stations” that groups rotate through, while most work happens on paper, in discussion or outdoors. Print AI-generated resources – such as differentiated texts, question sets or writing prompts – so they are accessible to everyone.
Have a “no-internet plan” for each activity. For example, if an AI tool would normally suggest creative writing prompts, prepare a bank of human-written prompts that can be used instead. If AI would usually help summarise notes, teach simple manual summarising techniques alongside.
Keep costs down by focusing on free or trial versions of tools, and by investing more in staff training and planning than in new software. Our guide to AI for lesson accessibility includes ideas that can be adapted with minimal technology.
Families are often unsure how much AI use is “too much”, especially over the holidays. Proactive communication can build trust and help parents support healthy habits.
You might send a short letter or email explaining:
Here is a simple paragraph you can adapt:
“Over the summer, pupils will sometimes use AI tools, guided by staff, to support creative projects and practise key skills. We treat AI as a helper, not a replacement for teaching, and we always encourage pupils to question and improve what it suggests. Pupils will never be asked to share personal information with AI systems, and most activities will be offline, practical and collaborative. If your child has access to AI tools at home, we encourage you to sit with them, ask what they think about the AI’s answers, and keep an eye on overall screen time.”
You could also provide a one-page family guide with three sections: “What AI is”, “How we are using it this summer”, and “How you can support at home”, using plain language and concrete examples.
To move from ideas to implementation, it helps to have a short checklist.
For leaders, focus on three areas: clarity, capacity and consistency. Be clear about your aims for AI use over the summer and how they connect to your wider digital strategy. Ensure staff have at least a basic introduction to the tools and principles you expect them to use; our article on AI training for educators may support this. Finally, keep expectations consistent across programmes so that pupils receive the same messages about safety and balance.
For programme coordinators, start by mapping activities by age group and deciding where AI adds genuine value. Build in low-tech alternatives from the start, rather than as an afterthought. Prepare safeguarding guidance and family communications before the programme launches, and plan regular moments for staff to reflect on what is working and what needs adjusting.
With thoughtful design, AI can help you turn summer school and holiday programmes into spaces of curiosity, creativity and confidence – without letting screens dominate the season.
Happy exploring!
The Automated Education Team
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