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Lesson 1: Design Thinking for Kids

15-20 minutes

What You Will Learn

In this lesson, you will:

How Do Creators Think?

Have you ever built something with blocks, drawn a picture, or made up a game to play with friends? If you have, then you already know a little bit about design thinking. Design thinking is how inventors, artists, and builders figure out what to create.

Before they start building, good creators always ask themselves three important questions:

The Three Big Questions

  1. WHO will use what I make? (Is it for me? My family? My friends? Younger kids?)
  2. WHAT should it do? (Should it tell a story? Play a game? Teach something? Make people laugh?)
  3. HOW will I make it? (What pieces do I need? What steps will I follow?)

These three questions help you think clearly before you start. It is like looking at a map before you go on a trip!

Let Us Try It Together

Imagine you want to make a birthday card for a friend. Let us use the three big questions:

Talk About It Together

WHO: Your friend Sam, who loves dinosaurs.

WHAT: A birthday card that says "Happy Birthday" and shows a dinosaur.

HOW: You need paper, crayons, and maybe some stickers. You will fold the paper, draw a dinosaur on the front, and write a message inside.

See? You just used design thinking! You thought about it before you started, and now you know exactly what to do.

Now let us do the same thing, but for a computer project in Scratch. Instead of paper and crayons, you will use sprites, backgrounds, and code blocks. But the thinking is exactly the same!

What Kind of Project Could You Make?

Here are five types of projects you could build in Scratch. Read through them together and see which ones sound fun:

1. Interactive Story

Create a story where the reader clicks to make things happen. A character could walk through a forest, meet a friend, and solve a mystery. You get to decide what happens!

Skills you will use: Sequences, conditionals (if/then), sprites, and backgrounds.

2. Quiz Game

Make a quiz about something you love -- animals, space, sports, or anything! Ask questions and tell the player if they got it right or wrong. You could even keep score.

Skills you will use: Conditionals, variables (to keep score), and loops.

3. Animation

Create a short cartoon! Make characters move, dance, talk, or fly across the screen. Add sounds and music to bring it to life.

Skills you will use: Sequences, loops, and timing.

4. Virtual Pet

Build a pet that you can take care of on screen. Click to feed it, play with it, or put it to sleep. You could make it happy or sad depending on how you treat it.

Skills you will use: Conditionals, variables, and events.

5. Greeting Card

Make a special card for someone you care about. Add moving pictures, music, and a personal message. It is like a regular card, but with animation!

Skills you will use: Sequences, loops, sounds, and sprites.

Activity: Brainstorm Your Ideas

Unplugged Activity -- No Screen Needed!

Grab a piece of paper (or just talk about it). Think of at least 3 project ideas you might want to build. For each one, answer the three big questions:

  1. WHO is it for?
  2. WHAT should it do?
  3. HOW might you make it? (Just a rough idea is fine!)

Here is an example:

  • Idea: A quiz game about animals
  • WHO: My little sister
  • WHAT: Ask 5 questions about animals and keep score
  • HOW: Use a cat sprite to ask questions, use if/then blocks to check answers

Write down your 3 ideas. Do not worry about picking the best one yet -- that comes in the next lesson!

Why Planning Matters

You might be thinking: "Why can't I just start building?" That is a great question! Here is why planning first is so helpful:

Key Takeaways

Ready for More?

Next Lesson

In Lesson 2, you will pick your favorite idea and draw a plan for your project on paper!

Start Lesson 2

Module Progress

You have finished Lesson 1! Great start on your project journey.

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