Preschool/KG
FromRobotics for Young Children,
Ann Gadzikowski
What to have
You will need a variety of objects, each one demonstrating a characteristic of a robot. Here is a suggested combination:
- something that looks like a robot but doesn’t actually work, such as a wooden
or rubber robot toy or a picture of a robot
- a simple machine— something that serves a purpose but is not programmable, such as a real or toy clock, a pencil sharpener, a stapler, or a coffeemaker
- something that is programmable, such as a computer, smartphone, or tablet (such as an old, broken smartphone for this activity so the children play with it and not worry that it will be damaged.)
- something that looks like a part of a robot, such as a plastic toy robot hand or toy grabber
What to do
This activity works well as a morning provocation, an activity presented to children as they are arriving in the classroom. You can invite children to touch and play with the objects and engage in conversations about what is a robot and what is not. For each item, ask the children, “Is this a robot?” Ask them to explain their thinking. Document children’s responses by making an audio or video recording or taking notes.
Why
Children will develop critical thinking skills as it pertains to robot identification. They will learn to classify based on characteristics.
For more activities check out
Robotics for Young Children: STEM Activities and Simple Coding
By Ann Gadzikowski Copyright 2018 Preschool/KG