Thinking sheet · Brain games and puzzles

Code the Robot

Write arrow code to move a robot from start to goal on the grid. Then debug a friend’s code.

Grades
1–4
Time
about 25 minutes
Kids practice
coding basics, directions, debugging

What kids do

“Robots only follow code! Write arrows to get the robot to the goal.”

  1. Mark a Start, a Goal and some walls
  2. My code (↑ ↓ ← →)
  3. Bug I found and fixed:

How to run it

  • Draw an S, a G and a few X walls on the grid.
  • One arrow moves one square. Write 3 → for three steps.
  • Swap and test: does the code work?

Talk about it

  • What is a bug?
  • Was there more than one path?
  • What is the shortest code?

Take it further

Act it out: one kid is the robot, one reads the code.

Pairs well with

Free for home and classroom use. Print as many copies as you need.

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