Coding for Kids: Robot Turtles Boardgame

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Want to help your youngest kids (4 and up) learn the basics of coding? There's a screen-free way to learn and play called Robot Turtles Game. I know some of you like to find things for the young children that are not in front of the screen. This would be something that you might want to consider. From the company:

Robot Turtles was a Kickstarter sensation, graced the front page of the New York Times and has garnered awards since its national introduction last summer, including Teachers' Pick by Scholastic Instructor and Best Toy for Kids by the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association. Robot Turtles was invented by Seattle software entrepreneur Dan Shapiro who wanted to spend quality time with his then four-year-old twins and share what he feels is his single greatest superpower – the skill of programming.

I received a copy of Robot Turtles over the summer and it was a delight. Since we're all celebrating Hour of Code (and we're all shopping for presents), I thought some of you might want to know about it. A good game for young classrooms too.

My Amazon Affiliate Link: Robot Turtles Game

Or, you can go to their website to learn more: http://www.thinkfun.com/robotturtles/

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Vicki Davis

Vicki Davis is a full-time classroom teacher and IT Director in Georgia, USA. She is Mom of three, wife of one, and loves talking about the wise, transformational use of technology for teaching and doing good in the world. She hosts the 10 Minute Teacher Podcast which interviews teachers around the world about remarkable classroom practices to inspire and help teachers. Vicki focuses on what unites us -- a quest for truly remarkable life-changing teaching and learning. The goal of her work is to provide actionable, encouraging, relevant ideas for teachers that are grounded in the truth and shared with love. Vicki has been teaching since 2002 and blogging since 2005. Vicki has spoken around the world to inspire and help teachers reach their students. She is passionate about helping every child find purpose, passion, and meaning in life with a lifelong commitment to the joy and responsibility of learning. If you talk to Vicki for very long, she will encourage you to "Relate to Educate" or "innovate like a turtle" or to be "a remarkable teacher." She loves to talk to teachers who love their students and are trying to do their best. Twitter is her favorite place to share and she loves to make homemade sourdough bread and cinnamon rolls and enjoys running half marathons with her sisters. You can usually find her laughing with her students or digging into a book.

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3 comments

Ed December 11, 2014 - 9:40 pm

Thanks for posting this. I just ordered one for my nephew’s Christmas present.

Tom December 14, 2014 - 5:52 pm

This sounds like a great game to try out. While I am a teacher, I teach high school Language Arts, and my class may not be the best venue for introducing coding. However, I do have a 4-year-old son and would love to start helping to develop these skills. I’ll definitely look into this game.

Vicki Davis December 15, 2014 - 6:40 am

Let me know what you think of the game, Tom. It is great to get kids learning these concepts but we also want to limit screentime and encourage social interactions. Love to hear what you think!