Algorithms and Sequences · Activity 01
Would you like to start teaching technology concepts but don’t know where to begin? You can teach algorithms for children with masking tape and a little floor space!
Discover this free activity for primary school educational robotics and technology lessons. You can also use it at home — there are no limits to play!
What is the activity like?
-> In Obedient Robot, one child gives the commands and the other plays the robot. Their mission is to reach the treasure by following the instructions in the right order.
Picture the scene: one child says, “Turn right!” and the other turns on the spot. “But you were supposed to move to the next square!” This is a great moment to ask the class which command was missing.
Who is it for? · Suggested grades 1–3
Time · 15 minutes
Grouping · Pairs or small groups
Materials · Masking tape or chalk, an object to use as the treasure, and paper and pencil to record the commands.
How to play Obedient Robot
- Build the grid. Mark a floor grid of 4 × 4 squares. Decide where the treasure will be, which square the robot starts on and which way it will face.
- Agree on the commands. With “forward”, the robot moves one square in the direction it is facing. With “left” or “right”, it turns 90° in that direction and stays on the same square.
- Give commands and carry them out. In the first round, one child gives one command at a time and the other follows it as agreed. If the robot stops on the wrong square, the pair can retrace the route to find the step where it changed.
- Swap roles and record. In the second round, the pair writes or draws all the commands before testing the route. If using arrows, agree on one symbol for moving forward and another for turning.
A route to test. Place the robot in the bottom-left corner, facing the right side of the board. Put the treasure in the third column, one row above the start. The sequence is forward → forward → left → forward. Where will the robot stop if the class removes the last “forward”?
Algorithms for children in practice
The command sequence that takes the robot to the treasure is an algorithm. When the pair records the steps, they can predict where the robot will stop, test the route and correct one command at a time.
To finish, ask “What happens when we give an imprecise command?” Then invite one pair to test another pair’s program without hints. If the robot stops before the treasure, the class can return to the record and look for the missing step.
Want to increase the challenge? Mark a square as an obstacle or limit the number of commands. Ask the pair to plan the new route before setting the robot in motion.
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