Once Upon AI Time: Combining Narrative and Games for Early AI Literacy

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly present in children’s lives, yet few tools support developmentally appropriate AI literacy for grades K-3. This work examines the role of narrative in early AI literacy by directly comparing two versions of interactive game-based digital storybooks for children ages 6-9. The “Book+” condition combined an overarching story and characters with mini-games and scaffolded AI interactions, designed to be enjoyable, provide narrative context, and to give hands-on AI experience. We compared this with a “Game” condition that included the same learning goals, mini-games, and AI interactions but replaced the narrative with primarily instructional text. Across 57 participants, both conditions elicited high engagement, but “Book+” participants showed significantly greater learning gains and higher perceived knowledge. Qualitative findings revealed that while both groups enjoyed the creative AI mini-games, “Book+” participants more frequently used AI vocabulary in responses, connected concepts to the learning context, and expressed stronger emotional connection.