Robotics Studio · With Tek
How to start coding: your first program
To start coding, a kid writes a first program: a short list of steps that a robot does one at a time, in the order they're written. In this course your kid writes the steps for an everyday task, plays the robot game with arrow cards and a grown-up as the robot, finds and fixes a program whose cards are swapped, then does the first job on their own robot. Tek hosts four short films for kids 6 to 13, and your kid ends with a first program that works. Plan about 4 minutes of films and 30–45 minutes of practice. With Kubrio, your kid programs the robot they built in the Robotics Studio, starting with job 1 in the Program room.
How to start coding: your first program is part of Kubrio Learn: short courses that inspire kids to make things. Learn more
Watch all 4 lessons in the appWhat your kid makes
Your kid ends with a first program that works: a list of steps in the right order that gets a robot to its goal. On paper they keep a numbered tooth-brushing program and a set of arrow cards, and in the Robotics Studio their own robot finishes job 1.
- Ages
- 6 to 13
- Time
- 4 films, about 4 minutes, then 30–45 minutes of practice on paper, at home, and in the Robotics Studio
- You need
- Paper and a pencil, card or paper for 3 arrow cards, a toy to use as the goal, a grown-up to play the robot, a computer or tablet for the Robotics Studio in lesson 4
- Host
- Tek
The 4 lessons
Lesson 1. Steps in order
A program is a list of steps that a robot does one at a time, from the top, in the order you write them.
- Write the steps for brushing your teeth
- Number them 1, 2, 3
- Read them mixed up and see what happens
Where: Paper
Lesson 2. Be the robot
Three arrow cards (Forward, Turn left, and Turn right) make a program a grown-up can follow, one step at a time, to reach a goal.
- Draw a Forward, a Turn left, and a Turn right card
- Put a toy across the room as the goal
- Lay one card per step, top to bottom, and read them out loud
Where: At home
In the app
Lesson 3. Order matters
Swapping two cards sends the robot far from the goal, even though no card is missing. Running it one step at a time shows the first step that goes off course.
- Swap two cards on purpose and run the program
- Run it again, one step at a time
- Stop at the first step that goes off course and move the card back
Where: At home
In the app
Lesson 4. Your robot's first job
In the Robotics Studio, job 1 in the Program room is a plain list of steps. A mixed-up order stops the robot, and the right order finishes the job with 3 stars.
- Build your robot and open Program
- Pick job 1 and play the tiles in a mixed-up order
- Swap them, watch with One step, and earn 3 stars
Where: Robotics Studio
In the app
Lesson 1 transcript: Steps in order
A robot can't guess what you want. It needs steps, one after another.
A list of steps like that is called a program!
You follow programs every day. Putting on your shoes?
First your sock. Then your shoe.
Now swap them. Shoe first, then sock?
Silly! Same steps, wrong order.
A robot reads its program from the top. It does one step.
Then the next. Then the next.
So the order you write is the order it does. Every single time.
On paper, write the steps for brushing your teeth. Number them one, two, three.
Then try them mixed up!
Free guides to practise with
Questions parents ask
What do kids learn first in coding?
Sequence: a program is a list of steps, and the computer does them one at a time, in the order they're written. Loops, if-then choices, and everything after build on it. Kids meet the same idea in Scratch, in block coding apps, and later in Python.
What age is this for?
Kids 6 to 13. Younger kids can play the robot game with a grown-up reading the cards out loud. Older kids usually move on to the next jobs, and to loops, on their own.
Does my kid need a robot kit?
No. Lessons 1 to 3 happen on paper and at home, with a grown-up as the robot. Lesson 4 uses the Robotics Studio on Kubrio, where your kid programs the robot they built there, on a computer or tablet.