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New!* Let’s Learn About Looping!

New!* Let’s Learn About Branching!

New!* Let’s Learn About Debugging!

Let’s Learn About Looping!

Suitable for 4 to 6 years old

Looping is about doing something again and again and again.

When you need to repeat something in code, you can use a loop. Looping allows you to repeat an action again without having to write the same instructions over and over again.

Yoga Looping Activity

Materials Needed

• A piece of paper
• Writing materials

How to Play

Together with your child, come up with a Yoga regime! Follow the steps below.

• Scan the QR code above to view some yoga poses. Decide with your child which yoga poses both of you would like to do and list them down on a paper.
• Next to each yoga pose you have decided, decide how many times you would want to do it (looping!).
• Follow the sequence of the poses and loops of the yoga poses on your list. Enjoy your yoga!

Parents’ Pro Tip

Coding teaches children to take risks, to be creative, to solve problems, to persevere, to think critically and logic, to be focused and to be confident. Get started with unplugged coding activities such as building your own board game, creating a maze or playing treasure hunt with your child at home. Scan the QR code below for more ideas on unplugged coding activities.

Loop that Sandcastle

Materials Needed

• Activity sheet provided below.
• Pencil or crayon

How to Play

In the storybook "How to Code a Sandcastle", Pearl and Pascal coded an entire kingdom with 3 instructions on a repeat mode.

• Fill the pail with sand.
• Dump the sand on our spot.
• Pat the sand down.

Count the number of loops Pascal did to create each sandcastle and write it in the box.

Activity Sheet for Loop That Sandcastle

Parents’ Pro Tip

Use coding-related language often.
To teach looping concepts at home, instead of telling your child to "do that again and again", say "repeat that 5 times".
That's the way we tell computers to loop a certain action in coding languages too.

Let's Watch!

A loop is a command used to repeat a part of a code until a desired process is complete. Watch this video to find out more on why loops are important in programming.

Let’s Read!

All book covers are copyright of the respective publishing companies.

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Let’s Learn About Branching!

Suitable for 4 to 6 years old

Branching, also known as decision making, equips us with choices in the instructions. There are some conditions that dictate what happens.

If/Then Backyard Activity

Materials Needed

• A wide space safe from hazards

• A set of instructions

How to Play

This game requires a "programmer" and some "computers". The "programmer" stands in front of the "computers" and gives instructions for example, " if i turn in a circle, then you turn in a circle" or he/she can give more challenging instructions, like, "if I touch my nose, then you touch your legs."

Take turns with your family members to be "programmer" and "computers".

Parents’ Pro Tip

Introduce your child to the concept of following rules before you try the activity below. Share with them examples of rules and why we need to follow them. Inform them that this activity requires them to listen carefully to instructions and only do the actions that they are required to. This can help your child to practise coordination between their body parts.

Branching with Crunch the Dinosaur

Materials Needed

Activity sheet provided below.

How to Play

Interactive picture books, such as "Crunch, the Shy Dinosaur" gives children an idea on if/then conditional statements, as they do the actions narrated in the book and see what happens to the character. Match an if/then statement by drawing a line to connect the two pictures.

Activity Sheet for Branching with Crunch the Dinosaur

Parents’ Pro Tip

Branching can be easily understood by using any picture book. Read a story with your child. After the story, test your child's memory of the story by asking them questions, like, "if duck quacks loudly..." and get your child to answer," then the other animals will get angry!" You can even recreate the story with your child.

Let's Watch!

This video contains simple information for children to understand how conditional statements work in programming.

Let’s Read!

All book covers are copyright of the respective publishing companies.

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Let’s Learn About Debugging!

Suitable for 4 to 6 years old

Computer bugs are errors in computer programmes which can cause computers or apps to crash.

Some common computer bugs include misspellings, wrong numbers, repeated and wrongly-sequenced instructions.

To ensure that the programmes run correctly, programmers will fix these bugs step by step in a process called debugging.

Treasure Hunt

Materials Needed

• A few toys or any safe household items to be hidden around the house.

• A few sets of correct and buggy algorithm (make them fun!)

How to Play

Hide a few toys or any safe household items around the house. Prepare one set of correct and buggy algorithm for each of the hidden item. Have your child draw the algorithm randomly and follow it to discover the treasure. If your child gets the buggy algorithm, get them to debug it after they have followed the algorithm!

Parents’ Pro Tip

Introduce your child to the concept of directions before you try the activity below. Get them to "walk" the algorithm by following a set of instructions which include directional words. For instance, take two steps to the right. This will help them to understand the orientation of an algorithm.

Catch the Bugs!

Materials Needed

Activity sheet provided below.

How to Play

Spot and circle the “bug” in the following series of patterns.

Activity Sheet for Catch the Bugs!

Parents’ Pro Tip

Read books and sing nursery rhymes that have repetition! This helps your child to recognize patterns and make predictions. Allow your child to repeat the phrases or rhymes in the books and songs and challenge them to predict what happens in the story or continue the song on their own.

Let's Watch!

The video summarises what coding is all about and introduces children to the different types of coding languages and methods.

Let's Read!

All book covers are copyright of the respective publishing companies.

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