KS1 Coding Sessions
Children will use a range of offscreen activities, programmable toys and appropriate apps and software to understand the early beginnings of coding.
Bee-Bots & Blue-Bots are child-friendly floor robots designed specifically for early learners. Featuring an intuitive button layout (Forward, Back, Left, Right) and a playful, tactile design, they introduce young pupils to positional language, directional awareness, and basic sequencing without the need for screens. Blue-Bots add Bluetooth capability, allowing children to connect to tablets and progress seamlessly from physical button-pressing to simple block coding.
ScratchJr is an introductory, block-based coding environment designed for young children. By snapping together graphical programming blocks, pupils learn to create their own interactive stories, animations, and games. It builds foundational computational thinking concepts—such as sequencing, event triggers, looping, and sprite movement—while allowing children to personalize characters and record custom sounds.
What the session could include
- Classroom Activities
- Key Stage 1 (Years 1 & 2):
- Floor Robot Algorithms & Debugging: Building on physical button-pressing with Bee-Bots and Blue-Bots to design, test, and debug clear sequences of instructions (algorithms) using floor mats and custom route challenges.
- On-Screen Block Coding with ScratchJr: Transitioning from physical floor robots to on-screen programming, using ScratchJr to introduce drag-and-drop block coding, event blocks (like green flag triggers), and sprite movement.
- Creative Digital Storytelling & Projects: Designing interactive stories and simple animations where pupils control multiple characters, use loops, and record custom sounds to bring their ideas to life.
In the classroom
Pupils’ work
