There has been a recent push for early childhood educators to teach children computer programming, with the belief that coding will make them employable in the future.
Some children are already interested in coding and have robotics toys at home. Following these children's interests is great! You will find ideas for follow-up experiences further down this page.
However, teaching coding as a life skill is unnecessary in a play-based curriculum - especially for two-year-olds. Read Seriously, stop trying to teach toddlers how to code on Wired.
The Early Years Learning Framework
Extensive research says that young children learn best when they are immersed in child-led play. The Early Years Learning Framework highlights the importance of childhood as a time to be.
The EYLF has learning outcomes for many of the fundamental skills required to be good at coding, but these can be achieved without doing dedicated coding activities:
- Commitment, enthusiasm, persistence, and confidence (4.1).
- Problem solving, inquiry, experimentation, hypothesising, researching and investigating (4.2).
- Using technologies (4.4), including information and communication technologies (5.5).
- Expressing ideas and making meaning using a range of media (5.3).
- Understanding how symbols and pattern systems work (5.4).
Learning experiences
Follow directions
- Children can learn about giving and following instructions by playing the traditional game of Simon says.
- Play a robot game. One child pretends to be a robot and another child is the programmer who gives instructions for the robot to follow. Early childhood educators can encourage the programmer to give multi-step commands that include directions (e.g. "walk backwards, clap your hands and sit down").
- Educators can make signs on the ground that have commands for children to follow. An arrow means move in this direction. A handprint can mean clap your hands and a footprint can mean hop on the spot.
- Make cards with simple instructions such as "move forward", "turn left", "jump" or "spin". They can be used to create a sequence of actions that can be executed by the children.
- One child draws a maze on a piece of paper or with chalk on the cement. This child gives another child step-by-step instructions on how to get through the maze.
Make patterns
Educators can show children how to make simple patterns using a row of blocks or coloured beads on string (e.g. "two red blocks, one yellow block, two red blocks, one yellow block").
Design and build
Children can draw a block construction before they build it. During the planning stage, children should think about which blocks they will use, their sizes and shapes, and how they will fit together.
Make a sequence
Make flash cards with pictures that depict different events in a familiar story. Ask children to place the cards in the correct sequence.
Children can also practice telling stories to each other, recalling a sequence of events in the correct order.
Tell felt-board stories
Provide children with storytelling equipment, like felt boards or magnetic pictures, with characters and scenes that they can move and direct like a computer game. Encourage children to tell stories with a beginning, an end, and a series of events in between.
Join Scratch
Scratch is a free coding community for children. The website allows children to create digital stories, games and animations. Many of the opportunities will be too advanced for use in early childhood education, but it is still a great place to explore. Early childhood educators may find some useful resources that match their children's interests and abilities.