Robo-parents

Activity type: Offline
For ages: 6 to 7
Time: 5 minutes
Learning outcome: Decomposition, Algorithm

About "Robo-parents"
Taking turns to program each other, give your child a chance to be 'programmed' to reach a goal. Let them instruct and lead you with the correct sequence to an the endgoal, through outdoor play.

Materials Needed:
• Any object (e.g. a stuffed toy, bottle)
• Flooring with tiles

Instructions

In an outdoor area with tiled floors, find a item that your kid can easily recognise (his waterbottle, a toy, a tree branch etc.) and place it on one of the tiles.
The goal is to be programmed from a designated starting point to the item, moving one tile at a time. One of you will be the programmer, and one of you will be the "robot", listening and following the instructions of the other person. The rule of the game is that the mover can only move one tile at a time, in either of the 4 directions.
To start off, you could be the "robot" and your child could be the programmer. Determine a start point, and follow the exact instructions of your child. If they say to "go there" or "come here", do not respond as the aim is to get your child to be as precise and exact as possible. An ideal instruction will be "move to the right 1 step". Give them an example to correct them if need be!
To increase the difficulty level, you could determine the maximum number of steps they can take to reach the item from the starting point. Take turns to be the programmer and and let your child be the "robot"!