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Algorithms for Kids: Program Bop the Robot in Robo Town

Algorithms for Kids: Program Bop the Robot in Robo Town

Learn what an algorithm is and why robots need precise instructions, then program Bop the robot and predict where its program will take it.

  • Ages 5–7
  • About 35 min
  • Easy start
  • Coding
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What you'll learn

  • What an algorithm is: a list of steps in the right order
  • Why changing the order of steps changes what happens
  • Why robots need precise, unambiguous instructions because they cannot guess
  • That a program is an algorithm a digital device can follow
  • How to predict where a floor robot will stop
  • How to use logical reasoning to predict what a program does next

Chapter by chapter

  1. What is an algorithm? Steps in the right order Free to try

    Years 1–2 computing · 1

  2. Precise and unambiguous instructions: robots can't guess

    Years 1–2 computing · 1

  3. Programs on digital devices: turning an algorithm into a program

    Years 1–2 computing · 1

  4. Predicting where a robot's program will take it

    Years 1–2 computing · 2

  5. Using logical reasoning to predict what simple programs do

    Years 1–2 computing · 2 Years 1–2 computing · 1

  6. Algorithm Expert Challenge (10 questions)

What the chapters cover in the national curriculum in England:

  1. Years 1–2 computing: Understand what algorithms are; how they are implemented as programs on digital devices; and that programs execute by following precise and unambiguous instructions
  2. Years 1–2 computing: Use logical reasoning to predict the behaviour of simple programs

About this adventure

Algorithms for Kids is an interactive game that teaches children aged 5 to 7 what an algorithm is, how algorithms become programs on digital devices, and how to predict what a simple program will do. It follows the KS1 computing curriculum in England and is pitched mainly at Year 1.

With Pip the mouse inventor, children tap everyday steps into order, watch a robot chef put a whole jar of jam on the bread, and choose instructions that are precise (exact) and unambiguous (with only one meaning). They press a floor robot's buttons to turn an algorithm into a program, then use logical reasoning, thinking one step at a time, to say where the robot will stop before pressing Go to check.

Every line is read aloud with captions, wrong answers get a helpful hint and a second try, and a final challenge checks what they have learned.

Questions and answers

What is an algorithm, in simple words?

An algorithm is a list of steps, in the right order, that tells someone or something how to do a job. Brushing your teeth or making a jam sandwich can be written as an algorithm, and computers follow algorithms too.

What is the difference between an algorithm and a program?

A program is an algorithm written in a form that a digital device can follow, such as button presses for a floor robot or code for a tablet. The algorithm is the plan, and the program is that plan turned into instructions the device can run.

Why do computers need precise and unambiguous instructions?

Computers and robots cannot guess what we mean, so they do exactly what they are told. A precise instruction is exact, like 'move forward 3 squares', and an unambiguous one has only one meaning, like 'pick up the blue cup' when there are two cups.

What age is this algorithms game for?

The game is for children aged 5 to 7, and it is pitched mainly at Year 1, when algorithms are usually first taught in KS1 computing in England. Everything is spoken aloud, so children who are still learning to read can play.

What does the algorithms game include and how long does it take?

It has five short chapters and a 10-question final challenge, and takes about 35 minutes to play from start to finish. There is also an optional left and right warm-up, and children can start any chapter from the Robo Town map.

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