With Tek
How to code a game on paper
To code a game on paper, draw a grid as the screen, write rule cards that say what happens when the player presses each button, and have a grown-up play the computer, who follows only the cards. In this course your kid draws a 5 by 5 grid with a hero and three coins, writes a card for each button, adds a score and a win rule, then adds a crab that moves after every turn and fixes the rules until the game feels right. Tek hosts four short films for kids 6 to 13, and your kid ends with a working game with no screen, played by three people: the coder, the computer, and the player. Plan about 4 minutes of films and 45–60 minutes of drawing, writing, and playing. On Kubrio, all four films and the quiz are free, with no account.
All 4 films and the quiz are free on this page. Your kid doesn't need an account. See every lesson
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What your kid makes
Your kid ends with a game on paper: a 5 by 5 grid, a hero, three coins, a crab, and a stack of rule cards that a grown-up follows exactly, like a computer. The cards hold real coding ideas (buttons, a score, a win rule, and a moving obstacle) written in plain words.
- Ages
- 6 to 13
- Time
- 4 films, about 4 minutes, then 45–60 minutes of drawing, writing, and playing
- You need
- Graph paper, or paper with a grid drawn on it, small cards or scraps of paper for the rules, a pencil and an eraser, a grown-up to be the computer, and a friend or sibling to be the player
- Host
- Tek
The 4 lessons
Lesson 1. Three jobs
Every video game is a screen plus rules, and the computer follows the rules. On paper there are three jobs: the coder, the computer, and the player. The computer can't think. It only does what the cards say.
- Draw a grid five squares by five
- Put your hero in a corner
- Add three coins for the hero to collect
Where: Paper
Lesson 2. Button cards
Each button gets one card: when the player says up, the hero moves one square up. A word with no card, like jump, makes the computer do nothing at all.
- Write one card each for up, down, left, and right
- Draw a big arrow on each card
- Test the cards with your computer
Where: Paper
Lesson 3. Score and win
A coin card and a win card turn moving into a game: the computer checks them after every move, adds one for each coin, and shouts you win at three.
- Draw a score box that starts at zero
- Write a coin card: if the hero lands on a coin, rub it out and add one
- Write a win card for a score of three, then play until you win
Where: Paper
Lesson 4. Add a crab
A crab that steps back and forth after every hero move makes the game harder. Game makers change their rules until the game feels right, then swap jobs.
- Draw a crab on the middle row and write its two cards
- Play: move the hero, move the crab, then check every card
- Change a card if it's too hard or too easy, then swap jobs
Where: At home
Take the quiz
Tek asks 3 questions about the films. Get 2 right and you finish the course.
Lesson 1 transcript: Three jobs
Hi, I'm Tek! Today you code a real game. No screen. Just paper and a grown-up!
Every video game is a screen, plus rules. The computer follows the rules, super fast.
So there are three jobs. You're the coder. A grown-up is the computer. And a friend is the player!
Computer rule! The computer can't think. It only does what your cards say.
First, the screen. Draw a grid, five squares by five. Put your hero in a corner.
Add three coins for the hero to collect. That's the goal!
Your turn. Draw a five by five grid, your hero, and three coins.
Free guides to practise with
Questions parents ask
Can kids learn coding without a screen?
Yes. Code is a set of rules a computer follows exactly, and in this course a grown-up plays the computer and follows only the cards your kid writes. When the player says jump and there's no jump card, nothing happens, which is how a real computer behaves.
How many people do we need?
Three is ideal: your kid as the coder, a grown-up as the computer, and a friend or sibling as the player. With two people, the grown-up can be the computer while your kid plays. Lesson 4 ends with everyone swapping jobs.
Does my kid need an app or an account?
No. The films play on this page, and the game is paper, a pencil, and a few small cards. Nothing in the course needs a screen.