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Lesson 3: The Robot Game

About 15-20 minutes -- Screen-free lesson

What You Will Learn

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

Give step-by-step instructions to move a "robot" through real-world challenges
Fix your instructions when things go wrong (debugging!)
Break a big task into small, simple steps
Understand that coding is really about clear communication

How to Play the Robot Game

This is the most fun lesson in Module 1! One person becomes the "robot" and the other person becomes the "programmer." The programmer gives instructions, and the robot follows them exactly.

Unplugged Activity: The Robot Game -- Setup

Players: Two people (parent and child take turns being the robot and the programmer)

What you need:

An open space where you can walk around safely (living room, hallway, backyard)
A few objects to use as targets (a stuffed animal, a book, a cup, a ball)
The printable instruction cards below (optional but helpful)

Robot rules:

The robot can ONLY do what the programmer says. No guessing!
The robot does not understand vague instructions like "go over there."
The robot stands still until it receives an instruction.
The robot does one instruction at a time, then waits for the next one.
The robot speaks in a robot voice to make it more fun! ("BEEP BOOP. INSTRUCTION RECEIVED.")

Instructions the Robot Understands

The robot only understands these simple commands. The programmer must use only these commands (or very similar ones) to guide the robot.

Printable Instruction Cards

Print this page or write these on index cards. Cut them out so your child can hold up cards to give instructions.

STEP FORWARD

STEP BACKWARD

TURN LEFT

TURN RIGHT

PICK UP

PUT DOWN

RAISE HAND

LOWER HAND

STOP

SAY HELLO

SIT DOWN

STAND UP

How Instructions Work

Each instruction does exactly one thing:

STEP FORWARD -- Take one step forward (just one!)
STEP BACKWARD -- Take one step backward
TURN LEFT -- Turn your body 90 degrees to the left (a quarter turn)
TURN RIGHT -- Turn your body 90 degrees to the right
PICK UP -- Bend down and pick up the object directly in front of you
PUT DOWN -- Place whatever you are holding on the ground in front of you

If the programmer says "STEP FORWARD" three times, the robot takes three steps. Each command must be given separately.

Challenge 1: Walk to the Object

Unplugged Activity: Challenge 1

Setup: Place a stuffed animal about 5 steps away from the robot. The robot faces the stuffed animal.

Goal: The programmer must guide the robot to walk to the stuffed animal and pick it up.

Example solution:

STEP FORWARD
STEP FORWARD
STEP FORWARD
STEP FORWARD
STEP FORWARD
PICK UP

Parent tip: If your child says "walk to the stuffed animal," remind them that the robot only understands the commands on the cards. They need to figure out how many steps to take!

Challenge 2: Turn the Corner

Unplugged Activity: Challenge 2

Setup: Place a book on the floor around a corner. The robot cannot walk straight to it -- they need to turn.

Goal: Guide the robot forward, then turn, then forward again, then pick up the book.

This is harder because the programmer needs to figure out when to turn and which direction.

Example solution (will vary by your room):

STEP FORWARD
STEP FORWARD
STEP FORWARD
TURN RIGHT
STEP FORWARD
STEP FORWARD
PICK UP

What if the robot bumps into something? The robot says "BEEP BOOP. ERROR. OBSTACLE DETECTED." The programmer needs to debug -- go back and change the instructions!

Challenge 3: Pick Up and Deliver

Unplugged Activity: Challenge 3

Setup: Place a cup on one side of the room. Place a plate or a mat on the other side of the room.

Goal: Guide the robot to pick up the cup, carry it across the room, and put it down on the plate.

This is the hardest challenge because it has three parts:

Get to the cup
Pick it up
Get to the plate
Put it down

The programmer needs to plan the whole route before starting!

Talk About It

After each challenge, ask your child:

"How many instructions did that take?"
"Were there any mistakes? How did you fix them?"
"Could you have done it with fewer instructions?"

This teaches them about efficiency -- doing something in as few steps as possible.

Bonus: Switch Roles!

Now let the child be the robot and the parent be the programmer! This helps your child see things from the computer's point of view. They will experience what it feels like to only be able to do exactly what someone says.

Try It: Create Your Own Challenge

Now that you know how the Robot Game works, make up your own challenges! Here are some ideas:

Guide the robot to sit down in a specific chair
Guide the robot to pick up two objects and stack them
Guide the robot through an obstacle course of pillows
Guide the robot to a light switch and turn the light on or off

The more creative the challenge, the more instructions you will need to give!

What You Just Did Is Real Programming

Think about what happened during the Robot Game:

You broke a big task into small steps -- that is called decomposition.
You put steps in the right order -- that is called sequencing.
You fixed mistakes when things went wrong -- that is called debugging.
You figured out the most efficient path -- that is called optimization.

These are the same things that professional programmers do every single day. You are already thinking like a coder!

Check Your Understanding

1. In the Robot Game, what does the robot do when it gets an instruction it does not understand?

Answer: The robot stops and does nothing (or says "ERROR"). Just like a real computer, if the robot does not understand an instruction, it cannot guess what you meant. The programmer needs to use a clearer instruction.

2. If you need the robot to take five steps forward, how many STEP FORWARD instructions do you give?

Answer: Five! You need to say STEP FORWARD five separate times. Each instruction makes the robot take exactly one step.

3. What is "decomposition" in your own words?

Answer: Decomposition means breaking a big task into smaller, simpler steps. For example, "pick up the cup and bring it here" gets broken into many small steps like STEP FORWARD, PICK UP, TURN RIGHT, STEP FORWARD, PUT DOWN.

4. When your instructions did not work in the Robot Game, what did you do? What is this called?

Answer: You figured out what went wrong and changed your instructions to fix it. This is called debugging. It is one of the most important skills in programming!

Key Takeaways

The Robot Game shows you what it is like to program a computer using simple commands.
Decomposition means breaking big tasks into small steps.
Sequencing means putting steps in the right order.
Debugging means finding and fixing mistakes in your instructions.
Computers (like the robot) only understand specific, simple commands, one at a time.
The skills you used in this game are the same skills real programmers use every day!

Ready for More?

Next Lesson

In Lesson 4, you will open Scratch for the first time and make a character move and talk on screen! Time for the computer.

Start Lesson 4

Module Progress

You have finished Lesson 3! One more lesson to go, then practice and the quiz.

Back to Module Home