DiscoverTech

New!* Let’s Learn About Digital Art!	New!* Let’s Learn About Positive Digital Habits!	New!* Let’s Learn About Augmented Reality!	Let’s Learn About Sequences!	Let’s Learn About Decomposition!
Let’s Learn About Algorithm!	Let’s Learn About Looping	Let’s Learn About Branching!	Let’s Learn About Debugging!

Let’s Learn About Digital Art!

Suitable for 4 to 6 years old

What is Digital Art?

These days art isn't limited to paper and colour pencils. Digital Art uses technology like tablets or laptops to create images. You can draw your favourite storybook character or tasty treats. With certain apps, your images can even move!

Colours are so important. They are one of the first ways a toddler learns, understands and describes objects they see. Another method of arranging visual information is through shapes. Letting your child explore different shapes helps with their observational skills too.

Colours Activity

How To Play

Find colourful items and place them in a basket or box. Next, place coloured paper in front of the basket and have your child sort the objects.

Parents' Pro Tip

This wonderful activity helps your child develop skills in making comparisons as well as their organisation. As your child plays, they will classify and sort items based on their similarities.

Poulpe the Octopus’ Birthday Party!

Materials Needed

• Colour Pencils
• Paint
• Crayons

How To Play

Decorate Poulpe and her home in time for her party. Practice your math by figuring out which number corresponds to which colour. Be as creative as you can with the colours. You can even draw objects in the background.

Activity Sheet for Octopus Birthday Party!

Parents’ Pro Tip

The background with no numbers is a chance for your child to draw and colour freely! If your child gets stuck on what to draw or write, have some visual references handy. Use your fingers to count with your child and have them do the same. If they run into a mistake, don't tell them if they're wrong. Encourage them to try again.

Let's Watch!

Great and colorful educational crafts and DIYs for toddlers. Learn colors and numbers with these awesome crafts for kids!

Let’s Read!

All book covers are copyright of the respective publishing companies.

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Let’s Learn About Positive Digital Habits!

Suitable for 4 to 6 years old

Help Your Child Develop Positive Digital Habits

The American Academy of Pediatrics with support from the Media Literacy Council recommend that parents limit screen time (games, computers, tablets, smartphones and televisions) for preschoolers 2-5 years old to at most 1 hour per day.

Toddlers 1-2 years old should be getting little to no screen time.

Your children should watch high-quality programming - which means it’s got to be educational and interactive!

Bonding Activity

It’s good to get away from technology, and what better way than to have a wonderful sensory scavenger hunt in nature? What treasures can you find?

Instructions

Pack your gear:

Bring a pencil to tick the treasures you find.

Remember to bring a water bottle.

Have fun outside!

Parents, please take pictures of your children while they are out and about.

Reflection

Talk to your child about their scavenger hunt.

Which item was their favourite to find?

Which was the most difficult thing to find?

What senses did they use on their hunt?

Parents’ Pro Tip

If you find something interesting that is not on the list, have your child write or draw it on the activity sheet!

Unlock your Phone!

Have your ever taken a look at your hand? At the tips of your fingers are your own unique prints. That means no one else has the same whorls and loops like you do. Our fingerprints also protect the privacy of your parents' phones.

Instructions

Try tracing a line from the key to the lock through the maze.

There are a few ways to unlock your phone.

Parents’ Pro Tip

Collaborate with your child. Encourage them to tell you how they would solve the activity. If they run into a mistake, don't tell them if they're wrong. Ask if what they're doing is the best way.

Activity: What are we hiding?

Bai the Book wants to read with his friends and family at the playground.
Can you figure out where they are hiding?

Instructions

Circle the books you find.

Let's Watch!

Controlling screen time can be tricky, because screens are everywhere. According to some big health organizations we should probably be paying more attention to the effects screen time can have on kids, especially the little ones under the age of 5.

Let’s Read!

All book covers are copyright of the respective publishing companies.

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Let’s Learn About Augmented Reality!

Suitable for 4 to 6 years old

Augmented Reality (AR) “augments” your experience of the world around you. Augment means "to add". Virtual objects are added to our environment. AR combines our real world with the virtual world to make our reality better and more interesting!

Animals Come Alive! Activity

Materials Needed

• "ABC Animals, Alphabet in Motion" book by Sarina Simon (see "Book Recommendations")
• A digital device
• The "ABC Animals AR" app by North South Studios, available free on IOS and Android

How to Play

Use the app alongside the book, and discover adorable animals with your child, while helping them learn the alphabet! Read the book aloud with your child and ask them the questions on the page related to each letter and animal. Then, point your device at the photographs in the book and watch as the still images on the page magically transform into motion videos, revealing the answers to the questions asked.

Parents’ Pro Tip

Read the books below with your child one time first without using the AR apps. Let them get familiar with the characters and the storyline before introducing the app to them. They might get too distracted with the app by then to focus on the story! This will also allow them to fully appreciate how the added use of AR elevates their reading experience.

Stories Come Alive!

Materials Needed

• Arbi and the Fire Breathing Dragon" by Iker Burguera (see "Book Recommendations")
• A digital device
• The “Arbi Augmented Reality” app by Educa Reality, available free on IOS and Android

How to Play

Read the book with your child while using the app. Not only will you be able to watch the story come alive on your device, but you will also get to answer pop quiz questions too!
Encourage your child to get curious and interact freely with the 3D elements in the book. Play around with the camera angles. Zoom in and zoom out. Fold and rotate the pages. Tilt the book back and forth. The possibilities are endless!
You can even do a fun photoshoot with your child! Take some photos of your child posing with some of the AR animations. Let them express themselves and get creative with the poses!

Activity Sheet for Stories Come Alive!

Parents’ Pro Tip

Take some time to introduce the app to your child first and walk them through how they can use it. You can be the one using it initially for the first few pages of the book before letting them have a go later once they have observed you do so.

Let's Watch!

A short and entertaining video explaining what Augmented Reality actually is and providing us with real life examples of the use of AR today.

Let’s Read!

All book covers are copyright of the respective publishing companies.

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Let’s Learn About Sequences!

Suitable for 4 to 6 years old

Doing things in the correct sequence is important. A programmer needs to teach computers or robots to do things in the correct order. 

For example, you should wash your vegetables before cooking them. If you wash them after cooking, you will end up eating soggy food!

Building Block Sequencing Activity

Materials Needed

• 26 Building Blocks such as Lego Duplo
• Alphabet Stickers or Erasable Markers

How to Play

Paste the each letter of the alphabet sticker on the side of the building blocks (or use the marker to write the letters). Stack the blocks in alphabetical order and remove one (or two). Get your child to find out which one is missing.

Parents’ Pro Tip

Introduce your child to the alphabet before trying the activity. For older children, you can use the blocks to spell simple words. Remove 1 letter from a word and have your child figure out which is the missing letter! You may need to add more blocks as some words such as "eggs" repeat the same letter.

Robot, Brush your Teeth!

Materials Needed

• Activity sheet provided below.
• Printed arrows (optional)

How to Play

Your robot friend, Ida is not afraid of water and wants to learn how to brush her teeth!

Teach Ida to brush her teeth by numbering the steps below correctly from 1 to 5.

You can also cut out the jigsaw pieces and fit them together in the correct order!

Activity Sheet for Robot, Brush Your Teeth!

Parents’ Pro Tip

Create similar activities for your child by breaking down other daily tasks (such as wearing shoes) into smaller steps and asking your child to rearrange them in the right order!

Let's Watch!

Sequencing focuses on the order of things. Learn about how a computer needs to have correct step-by-step instructions with this fun sequencing coding song.

Let’s Read!

All book covers are copyright of the respective publishing companies.

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Let’s Learn About Decomposition!

Suitable for 4 to 6 years old

Decomposition is breaking down a computing task or problem into smaller parts so that it becomes easier. 

Share with your child that decomposition occurs in daily activities such as brushing one's teeth, reading a book and making breakfast. All of these can be broken down into smaller steps.

Sandwich Robot Activity

Materials Needed

• A few slices of bread
• Any of your child's favourite sandwich fillings- cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, jam, butter, sliced meat etc. which are already available at home
• Plastic knife
• Plate

How to Play

Get your child to be a Sandwich Robot and you will be the Computer Programmer. Start by giving step-by-step instructions (decomposition) to your Robot on how to construct a yummy sandwich. Keep the steps short and clear. If your Robot gets it wrong- for example, doing too much, too little, or the wrong thing -- tell them, Stop! Robot Malfunction! Keep going until you have a finished sandwich, served on a plate and ready to eat!

Parents’ Pro Tip

Before the activity, explain to your child that robots need very specific and step by step instructions to execute the task correctly even if it seems obvious to us. To illustrate this, you can use an everyday routine that your child is familiar with such as brushing their teeth. To brush our teeth, we would need to:
1. Pick up the toothbrush, wet it and add toothpaste on it

2. Brush your teeth

3. Rinse your mouth with water

4. Wash your toothbrush and you are done!

Blast Off, Rocket Ship!

Materials Needed

• Activity sheet provided below.
• Coloured paper or foam sheets cut into basic shapes in different sizes (optional)

How to Play

1. Break down, or decompose, the rocket ship below. Can you identify all the different shapes found on the rocket ship?

2. Can you identify the missing parts of the rocket ship?

Activity Sheet for Blast Off, Rocket Ship!

Parents’ Pro Tip

Talk about shapes and colours with your child before trying out this activity.
For a hands-on approach, you can cut out the shapes needed to make the rocket ship from coloured foam sheets and build the rocket ship 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 Algorithm!

Suitable for 4 to 6 years old

An algorithm is a set of steps to follow in order to complete a task or solve a problem.

In coding, algorithms provide step-by-step instructions for computer programmes to complete various tasks such as calculations or processing data.

Egg Carton Coding Activity

Materials Needed

• Egg cartons
• Plastics eggs or any items that can hold the small prizes
• Small prizes for the eggs
• Your child's favourite miniature toy
• Red construction paper

How to Play

Get the miniature toy to the prize eggs while avoiding the lava rocks. Plan the algorithms and move the miniature toy to all the prize eggs. If the toy lands on a lava rock, go back to the start and debug the algorithm!

Parents’ Pro Tip

Introduce your child to the concept of directions before you try the activities 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.

Escape the Bear!

Materials Needed

• Activity sheet provided below.
• Printed arrows (optional)

How to Play

Help the family escape from the big, brown bear and reach home as fast as they can. Avoid the obstacles along the way! Challenge yourself to create different sets of algorithms by using directional signs - up, down, right and left.

Activity Sheet for Escape the Bear!

Parents’ Pro Tip

Have fun reading the story of "We're Going on a Bear Hunt" by Michael Rosen. Introduce the concept of sequencing as your guide your child to remember the seuuence of obstacles met!
Recall the concept of directions, to plan the algorithm to escape!

Let's Watch!

Watch this video to find out more about Algorithm through the example of brushing your teeth!

Let’s Read!

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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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