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Code the Robot: a Maze to Plan

Plan every step before anything moves. That gap between deciding and finding out is what makes this programming.

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What it teaches

Planning a sequence and then testing it. Block-based programming has a documented effect on problem solving at this age, and the effect comes from the order: the child commits to the whole plan first and only then sees it run.

From the second maze the robot must collect batteries before the star counts. They sit off the direct route on purpose, so the order they are fetched in changes how long the program is. That is a real planning decision.

What to look for

Ask the child to say the plan out loud before pressing Run. Reading a program back is the habit that finds the mistake, and it is worth more than any hint the game gives.

A shorter program earns more. A child who notices that is doing optimisation.

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