Coding practice has become popular in this digital age and is now being taught to young children.Children who learn to code gain an appreciation for how things work while improving their problem solving skills early on. Obviously coding is going to look different to young children than a software engineer, but it provides the basics to get starting in this coding world. In the end, coding is all about how we get from one place to the next.
This activity turned into an all time favorite at our house. Both of my kids enjoyed this because well first, it involved food, second because it provided choices (super important for kids because it gives them some control) and third because it was almost like a game, which they love! They have never really experienced coding before so this was a great 1st experience for them and they asked to do it over and over! After we do it a few more times, Max (6) is excited to make his own (which was my goal)!
TO DO: Gather different shaped snacks (I found triangles, squares, circles, hearts and rectangles–try to get two of each shape so that the kids have choices). I laid pieces of snacks out all over the paper so it was easier for me to make the activity and know where I should draw the shapes. Then I began making lines to connect the snack. Lastly, I took the snacks away and I had my coding board! As my boys followed the arrows they would stop at each shape and choose a snack that was that shape and eat it until they got to the bonus snack at the end!
