In Year 2, robot programs get longer and the grid gets busier. Children plan routes around rocks, compare programs to find one that works, and build their own programs one arrow at a time.
What your child will learn
- Read a program and predict what it does
- Choose the program that solves a puzzle
- Plan and build a program that avoids obstacles
- Understand that different programs can solve the same problem
Plan, build, test
Good programmers plan first. Encourage your child to trace the route with a finger before tapping any arrows. After pressing Run, watching the robot move shows immediately whether the plan worked — and where it went wrong if it didn’t.
Example questions
Here are a few questions like the ones in the first quest. Can you solve them?
1. Which program gets the robot to the star?
- ↑ → ↑ → ↓
- ↑ → ↑
- ↑ ↑ →
- ↑ → ↑ →
Show answer
Answer: ↑ → ↑ →. ↑ → ↑ → works: 1 up, then 1 right, then 1 up, then 1 right. Trace each arrow with your finger to check.
2. Which program gets the robot to the star?
- → → →
- → ↑ →
- ← → →
- → →
Show answer
Answer: → → →. → → → works: 3 right. Trace each arrow with your finger to check.
3. Which program gets the robot to the star?
- ↑ ↑
- ↓ ↑ ←
- ↑ ↑ ←
- ↑ ↑ →
Show answer
Answer: ↑ ↑ ←. ↑ ↑ ← works: 2 up, then 1 left. Trace each arrow with your finger to check.
Tips for grown-ups
- Ask your child to explain their route out loud before they run it.
- Challenge: can you find a program with fewer steps?