AI Tools by Grade Level: The K-5 Parent's Complete Recommendation Guide

Choosing the right AI tools for your elementary-age child can feel overwhelming. With hundreds of apps and platforms claiming to be "kid-friendly," how do you know which ones actually match your child's developmental stage? The truth is that a kindergartener and a fifth grader have vastly different cognitive abilities, attention spans, and learning needs, so a one-size-fits-all approach simply does not work.

This grade-by-grade guide draws on established developmental research, national education standards (ISTE and CSTA), and hands-on classroom experience to give you concrete recommendations for every year of elementary school. For each grade, you will find the cognitive context, three to four vetted AI tools with real use cases, a starter project you can do together, a parent involvement rating, and sensible time limits.

Quick Reference Summary Chart

Before diving into the details, here is the big picture at a glance.

Kindergarten: Discovering the Magic

Cognitive Development Stage

Kindergarteners are in Piaget's late pre-operational stage. Their thinking is dominated by perception, imagination, and egocentrism. They learn best through play, sensory experiences, and short, highly interactive activities. Abstract reasoning is essentially nonexistent at this point; everything must be concrete, colorful, and immediate.

Key traits to design around:

• Attention span of roughly 5 to 10 minutes per task
• Heavily reliant on visual and auditory cues
• Cannot yet read fluently, so text-heavy interfaces are a barrier
• Motivated by surprise, humor, and instant feedback

Recommended AI Tools

1. Google Quick, Draw!

This free browser game asks children to draw a simple object (a cat, a house, a banana) while a neural network tries to guess what they are drawing in real time. For kindergarteners, the magic is immediate: they draw a squiggly circle and the computer shouts "I think it's a sun!" It teaches the foundational concept that computers can "see" and "learn" from pictures.

• Use case: Play three rounds together and then ask, "Why did the computer guess wrong that time? What could you draw differently?"
• ISTE Standard alignment: 1.1 Empowered Learner (students use technology to seek feedback).

2. ScratchJr

Designed specifically for ages 5 to 7, ScratchJr uses colorful snap-together blocks instead of text code. Kindergarteners can make a cat walk across the screen or change color with just two or three blocks. While this is technically a coding tool rather than an AI tool, it builds the sequential-thinking foundation that all later AI literacy depends on.

• Use case: Create a "Good Morning" animation where a character waves and says hello.
• CSTA Standard alignment: 1A-AP-08 (model daily processes by creating and following algorithms).

3. AI Storybook Apps (e.g., Novel Effect, My Story Elf)

These apps use speech recognition AI to listen while a parent reads aloud, then add sound effects, music, and character voices in real time. The child experiences AI as an invisible helper that makes storytime more immersive.

• Use case: Read a favorite picture book together and let the AI add sound effects. Afterward, ask, "How did the app know when to make the thunder sound?"
• ISTE Standard alignment: 1.6 Creative Communicator.

Starter Project With a Parent

"Draw and Guess" Night (15 minutes)

Open Quick, Draw! on a tablet. Take turns with your kindergartener: one person draws, both watch the AI guess. After five rounds, ask your child to draw the same object twice in very different styles and see if the AI still guesses correctly. This introduces the concept that AI uses patterns. End by drawing something totally made up (a "florpnax") and noticing the AI cannot guess it, which shows it only knows things it has been taught.

Parent Involvement Scale: 5 out of 5

You are the co-pilot on every interaction. Sit together, share the screen, narrate what is happening, and handle any reading or navigation. The child's job is to draw, tap, and talk. Your job is to frame what the AI is doing in simple language: "The computer looked at thousands of drawings of cats to learn what a cat looks like."

Time Limits

• Per session: 10 to 15 minutes
• Per day: No more than one session
• Per week: 3 to 4 sessions maximum
• Always follow AI time with a physical activity: building blocks, outdoor play, or drawing on paper

Graduation Milestone

Your kindergartener is ready to move to first-grade tools when they can describe in their own words what the AI "guessed" and whether it was right or wrong. This shows emerging metacognitive awareness about machine behavior.

First Grade: Building Confidence With Sequences

Cognitive Development Stage

First graders are transitioning into early concrete operational thinking. They begin to understand simple cause and effect ("If I press this block, the cat moves"), can follow multi-step instructions, and are developing early reading skills. Their attention span has grown to about 10 to 15 minutes of focused engagement.

Key traits:

• Emerging literacy allows simple text labels to be useful
• Can understand basic "if this, then that" logic
• Enjoy repetition and mastery, doing the same activity several times to get better
• Starting to collaborate with peers

Recommended AI Tools

1. Google Quick, Draw! (Extended Use)

First graders can now use Quick, Draw! more independently. They can attempt to "trick" the AI by drawing unusual versions of objects, which sparks conversations about training data and patterns.

• Use case: Challenge your child to find three objects the AI gets wrong. Discuss why together.

2. ScratchJr (Multi-Scene Projects)

With a year of maturity, first graders can build ScratchJr projects with two to four scenes, sequencing events into a simple narrative. This is where algorithmic thinking begins to solidify.

• Use case: Create a three-scene story: character walks to a door, door opens, character enters a new room.
• CSTA Standard alignment: 1A-AP-09 (model the way programs store and manipulate data).

3. AI Story Generators (e.g., Once Upon a Bot, StoryAI Kids)

With emerging reading skills, first graders can now participate more actively in AI-generated stories. A parent types a starting sentence, the AI continues the story, and the child decides what happens next.

• Use case: Start a story with "A purple dragon lived in a library." Let the AI write the next paragraph, then ask your child to decide the dragon's next adventure.

4. Emoji Scavenger Hunt (Google AI Experiment)

This camera-based game asks children to find real-world objects that match emojis on screen, using AI image recognition. It gets kids moving physically while interacting with AI.

• Use case: Play during a weekend morning as a 10-minute warm-up activity. Discuss how the phone's camera is "thinking."

Starter Project With a Parent

"My AI Story" Booklet (20 minutes over two sessions)

Session 1: Together with your child, feed a story prompt into an AI story generator. Print or write down the AI's story. Session 2: Your child draws illustrations for each page of the story and adds or changes details they do not like. Staple the pages into a booklet. This teaches that AI is a collaborator whose work you can edit, not an authority whose output is final.

Parent Involvement Scale: 5 out of 5

Still full co-play. First graders need you to read AI-generated text aloud, help navigate interfaces, and scaffold the learning conversation. You are also the quality filter: if the AI produces something confusing or off-topic, you explain why.

Time Limits

• Per session: 15 to 20 minutes
• Per day: One to two sessions with a break between
• Per week: 4 to 5 sessions maximum

Graduation Milestone

Your first grader is ready for second-grade tools when they can independently create a three-block ScratchJr sequence and explain what each block does. This demonstrates sequential logic and basic computational thinking.

Second Grade: From Using to Training

Cognitive Development Stage

Second graders are firmly in the concrete operational stage. They can classify objects into categories, understand reversibility, and perform mental operations on concrete information. This is a game-changing shift for AI literacy because classification is the foundation of machine learning.

Key traits:

• Can sort objects into groups based on multiple attributes
• Beginning to understand that data can be represented in charts and tables
• Reading fluency allows them to interact with text-based tools with less help
• Can sustain focused work for 15 to 20 minutes

Recommended AI Tools

1. Google Teachable Machine

This is the star tool for second grade. Teachable Machine lets children train their own image, sound, or pose recognition models with zero code. A second grader can hold up a pencil, take photos, then hold up a crayon, take more photos, and train the AI to tell the difference. The moment the model correctly identifies an object, you can see the lightbulb go on.

• Use case: Train a model to recognize two different stuffed animals. Test it, then discuss what happens when you show it a stuffed animal it has never seen.
• CSTA Standard alignment: 1A-DA-05 (store, copy, search, retrieve, modify, and delete data).

2. AI Art Generators (e.g., Kidgeni, Canva Kids)

Second graders have enough vocabulary to write short prompts for AI image generators. A child-safe platform like Kidgeni allows them to type "a friendly robot reading a book in a garden" and see the result. This builds prompt literacy, the ability to communicate clearly with AI systems.

• Use case: Create illustrations for a writing assignment. Compare three different prompts for the same scene and discuss which produced the best result.
• ISTE Standard alignment: 1.6 Creative Communicator.

3. Educational Chatbots (e.g., Khanmigo Kids Mode, ReadAlong by Google)

Carefully designed educational chatbots can serve as patient practice partners. ReadAlong uses speech recognition AI to listen to a child read aloud and provide gentle corrections, while Khanmigo can ask Socratic questions about math problems.

• Use case: Have your child read aloud to the app for 10 minutes a day. Review the progress reports together weekly.

Starter Project With a Parent

"Snack Sorter" AI Model (25 minutes)

Using Teachable Machine, train an image model with two categories: "fruit" and "not fruit." Gather five real items from your kitchen (an apple, a banana, a cracker, a spoon, a carrot). Take photos of each. Train the model and test it. Then introduce a tricky item like a tomato. Is it a fruit? The AI does not know unless you teach it. This project teaches data labeling, classification, and the idea that AI reflects the choices of its trainer.

Parent Involvement Scale: 4 out of 5

You are shifting from co-pilot to guide. You still set up the tools, read complex instructions, and supervise content. But the child now drives more of the interaction: choosing what to draw, picking categories to train, deciding which prompt to try.

Time Limits

• Per session: 20 to 25 minutes
• Per day: One to two sessions
• Per week: 4 to 5 sessions

Graduation Milestone

Your second grader is ready for third-grade tools when they can independently train a two-class image model on Teachable Machine and explain that the AI "learned from the pictures I showed it." This shows understanding of the training-data concept.

Third Grade: Understanding Why AI Makes Mistakes

Cognitive Development Stage

Third graders represent a significant cognitive leap. Their reasoning is more flexible, they can hold multiple variables in mind, and they start to understand that outcomes depend on inputs. This is when children begin to grasp that AI is not magic but rather a system that follows rules based on data.

Key traits:

• Can reason about cause and effect with multiple steps
• Developing hypothesis-testing skills ("What if I change this?")
• Growing capacity for collaborative work
• Can write paragraphs and express complex ideas in text

Recommended AI Tools

1. Teachable Machine (Advanced Projects)

Third graders can now work with three or more classes, experiment with sound recognition, and intentionally try to "confuse" their models to understand failure modes.

• Use case: Train a sound model to recognize three different animal sounds. Then test it with background noise. Why does it fail? How can you improve the training data?
• CSTA Standard alignment: 1A-AP-11 (decompose the steps needed to solve a problem).

2. AI Art With Iterative Prompting (e.g., Kidgeni, Craiyon)

At this level, children should practice iterative prompting: writing a prompt, evaluating the output, revising the prompt, and trying again. This mirrors the revision process in writing and teaches that communicating with AI is a skill that improves with practice.

• Use case: Start with a vague prompt like "a castle." Then refine it step by step: "a castle on a mountain at sunset with a dragon flying overhead." Compare results at each stage.
• ISTE Standard alignment: 1.5 Computational Thinker.

3. Educational Chatbots (Deeper Interactions)

Third graders can hold more sustained conversations with educational chatbots, using them to explore topics in science and social studies. Khanmigo's Socratic tutoring mode is especially effective here because it asks guiding questions rather than giving answers.

• Use case: Use a chatbot to research an animal for a school report. Teach your child to ask follow-up questions and to verify at least two facts using a book or trusted website.

4. Machine Learning for Kids (machinelearningforkids.co.uk)

This free platform bridges Teachable Machine and Scratch. Children create ML models and then use them inside Scratch projects, for example, building a game where a character responds to hand gestures.

• Use case: Train a model to recognize thumbs up and thumbs down, then build a Scratch project where a character smiles or frowns based on the gesture.

Starter Project With a Parent

"Bias Detective" Experiment (30 minutes)

Using Teachable Machine, train a model to recognize "happy" and "sad" faces using only photos of one family member. Then test it on another family member. Does it work as well? What about on a photo from a magazine? This introduces the concept of AI bias in an age-appropriate way: the AI only knows what you showed it, and if you only showed it one person, it might not work well for others. Discuss how this could matter in the real world.

Parent Involvement Scale: 4 out of 5

Similar to second grade but with longer stretches of independent work. You set the activity, check in every 10 minutes, and lead the debrief conversation at the end.

Time Limits

• Per session: 25 to 30 minutes
• Per day: One to two sessions
• Per week: 5 sessions maximum

Graduation Milestone

Your third grader is ready for fourth-grade tools when they can articulate how training data affects AI performance: "The AI got it wrong because we didn't show it enough examples of that type." This demonstrates emerging understanding of data quality and bias.

Fourth Grade: Communicating With AI

Cognitive Development Stage

Fourth graders are at the upper end of concrete operations with the earliest hints of formal operational thinking. They can plan multi-step projects, think about their own thinking (metacognition), and begin to grasp hypothetical scenarios. Written communication is strong enough to support meaningful text-based interactions with AI.

Key traits:

• Comfortable with multi-step, multi-day projects
• Can evaluate information for reliability (with guidance)
• Beginning to understand abstraction
• Strong enough writers to craft effective prompts

Recommended AI Tools

1. ChatGPT (Supervised Sessions)

Fourth grade is the recommended starting point for supervised large language model use. With a parent or teacher present, children can use ChatGPT to brainstorm ideas, get explanations of concepts, or practice dialogue in a foreign language. The critical rule: always verify AI answers using a second source.

• Use case: Use ChatGPT to generate five quiz questions about a topic the child is studying, then check each answer together.
• ISTE Standard alignment: 1.3 Knowledge Constructor (students curate information from digital resources using a variety of tools).

2. Khanmigo

Khan Academy's AI tutor uses GPT technology but wraps it in an educational framework designed to prevent answer-giving. It asks students to show their work, provides hints rather than solutions, and tracks learning progress. Explore more AI learning tools at our tools directory.

• Use case: Use Khanmigo for 15 minutes of math practice three times per week. Review the progress dashboard with your child each Friday.
• CSTA Standard alignment: 1B-AP-10 (create programs that include sequences, events, loops, and conditionals).

3. Scratch + ML Extensions (e.g., ML4Kids Scratch Integration)

Fourth graders are ready for full Scratch (not just ScratchJr) combined with machine learning extensions. They can build interactive projects that respond to real-world input like images, sounds, or text.

• Use case: Build a Scratch game where the player controls a character using hand gestures recognized by a trained ML model.

4. AI Music Generators (e.g., Suno AI, Chrome Music Lab + AI)

AI music tools let children compose songs by describing a mood, genre, or theme. Fourth graders can use these to create soundtracks for presentations, background music for Scratch projects, or just explore musical creativity.

• Use case: Compose a short theme song for a book character being studied in class. Discuss how the AI interpreted the mood keywords.
• ISTE Standard alignment: 1.6 Creative Communicator.

Starter Project With a Parent

"AI Interview" Journal (30 minutes per session, two sessions)

Session 1: Together, prepare five thoughtful questions about a topic your child is interested in (dinosaurs, space, cooking, etc.). Ask ChatGPT each question and record the answers. Session 2: Fact-check each answer using library books or trusted websites. Mark each answer as confirmed, partially correct, or wrong. Write a short reflection: "What did the AI get right? What did it miss? Why might it have made mistakes?" This project builds critical evaluation skills that are essential for responsible AI use.

Parent Involvement Scale: 3 out of 5

You are transitioning to supervised independence. Set up the session, establish the task, and remain in the room (or check in every 10 to 15 minutes). Review the output together after the session ends. You handle account access and passwords.

Time Limits

• Per session: 30 to 40 minutes for project work, 15 to 20 minutes for practice tools like Khanmigo
• Per day: Up to two sessions
• Per week: 5 to 6 sessions, mixing creation and practice

Graduation Milestone

Your fourth grader is ready for fifth-grade tools when they can independently write an effective AI prompt that includes context, a clear question, and a specified output format. For example: "I am studying the water cycle for fourth-grade science. Explain evaporation in simple terms with an analogy." This demonstrates prompt engineering fundamentals.

Fifth Grade: Independent AI Projects

Cognitive Development Stage

Fifth graders sit at the threshold of formal operational thinking. Many can engage in hypothetical reasoning ("What would happen if..."), systematic experimentation, and self-directed research. They are ready for projects that span multiple sessions and require planning, execution, and reflection.

Key traits:

• Can design and carry out simple experiments
• Comfortable with multi-day, multi-tool projects
• Developing a personal sense of ethics and fairness
• Can collaborate effectively in small groups
• Starting to think about audience and purpose in their work

Recommended AI Tools

1. ChatGPT (Semi-Independent Use)

Fifth graders can use ChatGPT with periodic check-ins rather than constant supervision. The focus shifts to higher-order applications: comparing multiple AI responses, using AI as a research starting point, and practicing the discipline of verification.

• Use case: Use ChatGPT to outline a persuasive essay, then rewrite and improve the outline independently before drafting the essay by hand.
• ISTE Standard alignment: 1.3 Knowledge Constructor, 1.5 Computational Thinker.

2. Khanmigo (Advanced Features)

At the fifth-grade level, Khanmigo can be used for debate practice, writing feedback, and exploring historical perspectives through its character chat feature (e.g., "Talk to" a historical figure).

• Use case: Use the historical character feature to interview a figure relevant to a social studies unit. Write a summary of what was learned and what seemed historically accurate versus speculative.

3. Scratch + Machine Learning (Complex Projects)

Fifth graders can build sophisticated Scratch projects that integrate trained ML models. Think: a recycling sorting game that uses image recognition, or a translation tool that uses text classification.

• Use case: Build a "smart recycling bin" Scratch project that uses a trained image model to identify whether an item goes in recycling, compost, or trash.
• CSTA Standard alignment: 1B-AP-12 (modify, remix, or incorporate portions of an existing program into one's own work), 1B-AP-15 (test and debug a program).

4. AI Music Composition (e.g., Suno AI, AIVA)

Fifth graders can use AI music tools for cross-curricular projects: composing a soundtrack for a history presentation, creating a song that explains a science concept, or writing lyrics and having AI generate the melody.

• Use case: Write original lyrics about a science topic (photosynthesis, the solar system) and use Suno AI to generate a song. Perform or present it to the class.

Starter Project With a Parent

"AI for Good" Challenge (Spread over one week, three sessions of 35 to 40 minutes)

Session 1 (Research): Your child identifies a problem in their community or school (littering, food waste, helping new students feel welcome). They use ChatGPT to brainstorm solutions and research the problem. Together, you evaluate the AI's suggestions for feasibility. Session 2 (Build): Using Scratch with ML extensions, your child builds a prototype. This could be an image-recognition tool that sorts items, a chatbot that answers frequently asked questions for new students, or an interactive quiz. Session 3 (Present): Your child prepares a short presentation explaining the problem, their AI-powered solution, how they built it, and what they learned. They present it to the family or to their class.

This project ties together research skills, critical thinking, technical building, and communication, which are the four pillars of the ISTE standards.

Parent Involvement Scale: 2 to 3 out of 5

You are now in advisory mode. Help with account setup, review outputs at the end of each session, and be available for questions. The child drives the project independently. Your most important role is the debrief conversation: "What did you learn? What would you do differently? Did the AI surprise you?"

Time Limits

• Per session: 35 to 45 minutes for project work, 20 to 25 minutes for practice tools
• Per day: Up to two sessions with a meaningful break between them
• Per week: Daily use is acceptable when balanced with physical activity and offline hobbies

Graduation Milestone

Your fifth grader is ready for middle school AI tools when they can independently plan, build, and present a multi-step AI project that solves a real problem. They should be able to articulate what AI did well, where it fell short, and how they made decisions the AI could not make. This is the capstone of elementary AI literacy.

ISTE and CSTA Standards Alignment Overview

Every recommendation in this guide maps to national education technology standards. Here is a condensed reference.

ISTE Standards for Students (Relevant to K-5 AI)

• 1.1 Empowered Learner: Students leverage technology to take an active role in choosing, achieving, and demonstrating competency in their learning goals. Applicable in all grades through tool selection and self-assessment.
• 1.3 Knowledge Constructor: Students critically curate a variety of resources using digital tools. Central to fourth and fifth grade ChatGPT use.
• 1.5 Computational Thinker: Students develop and employ strategies for understanding and solving problems using technology. Core to Scratch, Teachable Machine, and ML projects.
• 1.6 Creative Communicator: Students communicate clearly and express themselves creatively using digital tools. Applicable to AI art, music, and story generation at every grade.

CSTA Standards (Computer Science Teachers Association)

• 1A-AP-08 (Grades K-2): Model daily processes by creating and following algorithms.
• 1A-AP-09 (Grades K-2): Model the way programs store and manipulate data.
• 1A-DA-05 (Grades K-2): Store, copy, search, retrieve, modify, and delete data.
• 1A-AP-11 (Grades 3-5): Decompose the steps needed to solve a problem.
• 1B-AP-10 (Grades 3-5): Create programs that include sequences, events, loops, and conditionals.
• 1B-AP-12 (Grades 3-5): Modify, remix, or incorporate portions of an existing program.
• 1B-AP-15 (Grades 3-5): Test and debug a program or algorithm.

Tips for Teachers

If you are an educator looking to bring these tools into your classroom, here are practical suggestions based on what works in real K-5 settings.

Start Small and Iterate

Do not try to overhaul your entire curriculum at once. Pick one tool (Quick, Draw! for K-1, Teachable Machine for 2-3, or supervised ChatGPT for 4-5) and run a single 30-minute lesson. Observe what excites students, what confuses them, and what questions they ask. Iterate from there.

Pair AI Activities With Reflection

Every AI session should end with a brief reflection, either written or verbal. Even kindergarteners can answer: "What did the computer do? Did it get it right?" Third graders can write a paragraph. Fifth graders can keep an AI journal. Reflection is where the real learning happens.

Use the "Unplug First" Strategy

Before introducing an AI tool, do an unplugged activity that teaches the same concept. For Teachable Machine, have students sort physical objects into bins first. For ChatGPT, have them interview a classmate before interviewing the AI. This builds conceptual understanding before adding technology.

Address AI Ethics Early

Even young children can understand basic fairness. When a Teachable Machine model fails on certain inputs, ask: "Is that fair? What could we do to fix it?" By third grade, you can introduce the word "bias" and discuss real-world examples at an age-appropriate level.

Manage Classroom Logistics

For schools with limited devices, use a station rotation model: one group works with the AI tool while others do related offline activities (drawing, writing, building). For schools with one-to-one devices, use a whole-class demo followed by individual exploration.

Communicate With Parents

Send home a brief note explaining what AI tools you are using, why, and how parents can extend the learning at home. Many parents are eager to engage but do not know where to start. This guide can serve as a resource you share with families.

Leverage Cross-Curricular Connections

AI tools are not just for computer science class. AI art supports visual arts and ELA (descriptive writing). AI music supports music class. Teachable Machine supports science (classification, data collection). ChatGPT supports research in any subject. The best AI integration is invisible because it simply makes existing subjects richer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is my child too young for AI?

If your child is in kindergarten or older, the answer is no, as long as you choose grade-appropriate tools and maintain the recommended level of parent involvement. The tools in this guide have been selected specifically because they match each grade's cognitive abilities.

Will AI make my child lazy?

Not if you use it correctly. The key is positioning AI as a collaborator rather than an answer machine. When a child uses ChatGPT to generate quiz questions and then checks the answers, they are doing more cognitive work than simply reading a textbook. The projects in this guide are designed to increase effort and thinking, not reduce it.

What about screen time?

The time limits in this guide fall within American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations when combined with a reasonable overall screen budget. AI tool time should be counted as part of total screen time, not in addition to it. Prioritize active, creative screen use (building, creating, training models) over passive consumption.

My child's school does not use any AI tools. Should I still do this at home?

Yes. AI literacy is as fundamental as reading and math literacy for the generation growing up now. Even 15 minutes a week of guided AI exploration at home gives your child a meaningful advantage. Many of the tools in this guide are free and require no special technical knowledge from parents.

How do I keep my child safe?

Stick to the tools recommended for their grade level, maintain the suggested parent involvement level, never share personal information with AI tools, and use child-specific accounts when available. For a deeper dive into safety, visit our tools directory where every tool is rated for safety and privacy.

Your K-5 AI Journey in Three Principles

If this entire guide can be boiled down to three ideas, they are these.

Principle 1: Match the tool to the mind. A kindergartener drawing for Quick, Draw! and a fifth grader building a Scratch ML project are both doing age-appropriate AI learning. Neither is better; both are exactly right for their stage.

Principle 2: Fade your involvement gradually. Start at full co-play in kindergarten and work toward advisory check-ins by fifth grade. The goal is a child who can use AI independently, critically, and ethically by the time they enter middle school.

Principle 3: Always ask "why" and "how." The tools will change every year. The ability to ask "Why did the AI do that?" and "How could I make this better?" will serve your child for the rest of their life.

Explore our full collection of reviewed, safety-rated AI tools for kids at our tools directory to find the right fit for your child's grade and interests.