Coding doesn’t have to start on a screen. Some of the best first coding lessons happen on the lounge-room floor, with a few cards, a toy and a grown-up who is happy to play the robot. These unplugged coding activities for kids teach the same big ideas computers use, steps in order, patterns, loops, decisions and fixing mistakes, without a device in sight. Here’s what unplugged coding is, what children learn at school, and eight games to play at home.
What is unplugged coding?
Unplugged coding means learning the ideas behind coding without a computer. CS Unplugged, a free project from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, describes its activities as games and puzzles “that use cards, string, crayons and lots of running around.” The idea is that children can learn computer science “without having to learn programming first”.
At the heart of it is the algorithm. The Australian Government’s Digital Technologies Hub explains: “An algorithm is a series of ordered steps required for solving a problem.” A recipe is an algorithm. So is getting dressed. Coding is writing those steps so carefully that a computer, which can’t guess what you mean, can follow them.
Do kids learn coding at school in Australia?
Yes, through Digital Technologies, which is part of the curriculum from the first year of school. In the early years it’s mostly about following and describing steps, not typing code.
- Australian Curriculum, Years 1 and 2: children learn to “follow and describe algorithms involving a sequence of steps, branching (decisions) and iteration (repetition)” (AC9TDI2P02). In Foundation (Prep), the national curriculum focuses on exploring digital systems and data rather than algorithms.
- Victorian Curriculum 2.0, Foundation to Level 2: children “follow, describe and represent algorithms involving a sequence of steps, branching (decisions) and iteration (repetition) needed to solve simple problems” (VC2TDI2C02). In Levels 3 and 4 they move on to simple visual programs.
The curriculum’s own examples sound a lot like home life: socks must go on before shoes, but a jumper can go on before or after shoes; if it is raining, take a raincoat, otherwise take a hat. That’s why unplugged games work so well. The Digital Technologies Hub agrees that “much of the Digital Technologies curriculum can be introduced using an ‘unplugged’ approach.”
| Big idea | In kid words | An everyday example |
|---|---|---|
| Sequence | Steps in the right order | Socks before shoes |
| Pattern | Something that repeats in a way you can predict | Clap, clap, stamp, clap, clap, stamp |
| Loop (iteration) | Do it again, a set number of times | Stir the pancake mix 10 times |
| Decision (branching) | If this happens, do that | If it’s raining, take a raincoat |
| Bug | A mistake in the steps, which we can find and fix | The recipe forgot to say “turn off the oven” |
8 unplugged coding games to play at home
Each game matches one of KidStudy’s Coding lessons, from Prep to Year 3, so your child can play it on the floor first and then try it on screen.
- Steps in order (Prep). Draw four pictures of making toast, or brushing teeth, on separate cards. Mix them up and ask your child to put them in order. Then swap two cards and ask, “Does it still work?”
- What comes next? (Prep). Make a pattern with blocks, beads or claps: red, red, blue, red, red, blue. Ask what comes next, then let your child make a pattern for you to finish.
- Be the robot (Year 1). Make arrow cards: forward, turn left, turn right. Your child lays out a row of arrows to guide you, the robot, from the couch to a soft toy. Follow the arrows exactly, even if they walk you into a cushion. CS Unplugged has a similar at-home activity called Kidbots.
- Cardboard computer (Year 1). Turn a box into a pretend computer. Label the parts: the keyboard and mouse put information in, the screen and speakers send it out. Talk about what each part does.
- Loop dance (Year 2). Write a dance as steps: jump, clap, spin. Then add a loop: “Repeat 3 times.” Ask why the loop is easier than writing the steps out three times.
- If this, then that (Year 2). Play a rules game: “If I hold up the red card, hop. If I hold up the blue card, sit down.” Then let your child invent the rules and be in charge.
- Find the bug (Year 3). Write a short set of instructions, like making a sandwich, with one step wrong or missing. Your child tests it by acting it out, finds the bug and fixes it.
- Safe or not sure? (Year 3). Write a few online situations on cards, such as “a game asks for your address” or “a friend sends a funny drawing”. Sort them into “OK”, “ask a grown-up” and “stop”. Our guide to talking to your child about online safety has the words to use.
What age can kids start learning to code?
There’s no fixed age. Ideas like putting steps in order and spotting patterns suit preschoolers and Prep children, and the curriculum builds on them from Year 1. What matters more than age is keeping it playful and short. Five or ten minutes of a game is plenty, and many children will ask to play again.
Unplugged games also help with maths. Patterns, counting steps and following directions like “turn left” all build the thinking children use in number work. Our post on everyday maths talk has more ideas.
Is unplugged coding as good as using an app?
They do different jobs, and together they work best. Unplugged games let children move, talk and see their mistakes in real life, which makes the ideas stick. A short session on screen then lets them try the same idea with instant feedback.
KidStudy’s Coding lessons are built for that second step. In Code Kobi, children make a program of arrows for Kobi the koala to follow, just like the robot game. The lessons are free, with no account and no ads, and the app pauses for a 20-second eye break after every 20 minutes. Our post on screen time that helps shows how to keep it calm and shared.
Free unplugged coding resources
- CS Unplugged. Free activities from the University of Canterbury, shared under a Creative Commons licence. Its “at home” page includes Kidbots, Binary Challenge and Guess my number.
- The Digital Technologies Hub. Developed by Education Services Australia for the Australian Government Department of Education. Its family pages suggest flowcharts as “a good way to help children represent algorithms involving branching (decisions)”, with a flowchart for the card game Snap for 8 to 10-year-olds.
Questions parents ask
What is unplugged coding?
Unplugged coding means learning the ideas behind coding, such as putting steps in order, loops and decisions, through games and puzzles without a computer. You can use cards, toys, string or your own body.
What age can kids start learning to code?
There’s no set age. Preschoolers and Prep children can put steps in order and spot patterns, and the Australian Curriculum teaches following and describing algorithms from Year 1. Keep it short and playful.
Do kids learn coding at school in Australia?
Yes, in Digital Technologies. In Years 1 and 2 children learn to follow and describe algorithms with steps, decisions and repetition. In Victoria this is in the Foundation to Level 2 band, and simple visual programs come in Levels 3 and 4.
How can I teach my child coding at home without a computer?
Play the robot game with arrow cards, make patterns with beads or claps, write a loop dance, play an if-then rules game, or find the bug in a set of instructions. Each takes five or ten minutes.
Is unplugged coding as good as using an app?
They work best together. Unplugged games help children see and talk about the ideas in real life, and a short app session lets them practise the same idea with instant feedback.
What is an algorithm, in kid terms?
An algorithm is a list of steps, in order, to get something done, like a recipe or the steps for getting dressed. Coding is writing those steps carefully enough for a computer to follow.
Sources
- About CS Unplugged, University of Canterbury
- CS Unplugged at home, University of Canterbury
- About the Digital Technologies Hub, Australian Government Department of Education
- Teaching unplugged, Digital Technologies Hub
- Learn together, Digital Technologies Hub
- Digital Technologies: Years 1 and 2, Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority
- Victorian Curriculum F–10 Version 2.0: Digital Technologies, VCAA
