Let’s Sort
Try an introductory sorting activity together! As you sort, think about what details you are focusing on and what details you can ignore.
Curriculum
Exploring Computational Thinking in Preschool Resources
Exploring Computational Thinking in Preschool, a National Science Foundation-funded project, aimed to identify computational thinking (CT) skills that align with the abilities and interests of preschool children.
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Related Programs
Learning Environments
Exploring Computational Thinking in Preschool
Our National Science Foundation-funded project, a collaboration with SRI International, Edfinity, and Curious Media, aimed to identify CT skills that align with the abilities and interests of preschool children (ages 3-5) and examine how CT can be integrated meaningfully to promote adaptive and effective learning strategies for early learning.
Preschool Computational Thinking Activities
The project w focused on the following subset of CT skills:
Abstraction: Identifying relevant detail and hiding unnecessary detail
Problem Decomposition: Breaking down problems or tasks into smaller parts
Algorithms: Creating and following a sequence of steps to meet an end goal or to solve a problem
Classroom Circle and Story Time
Check out these circle time activities for introducing CT skills.
Lola Goes to School
Read Lola Goes to School and find out what Lola does to get ready for her day. She has a big task and smaller, easier tasks that help complete her routine.
Playing with Dice
Children will learn to create instruction codes with loops to play a fun game with number and activity dice.
Classroom Small Group Play
Find hands-on small group activities that help children practice CT skills.
Grocery Store
Learn about different food groups and practice sorting fruits and vegetables for your pretend grocery store.
Getting Ready for School Mini Books
Make your very own book to tell the story of getting ready for school. What is the big task and what are the smaller, easier tasks?
Throughout the Preschool Day
Look at these activities for ways to incorporate CT throughout the day.
Pretend Play: My Grocery
Set up and organize a pretend grocery store to easily find the food you need. How did you sort and label your food items? What detail did you include in the labels?
Art: Playdough Workshop
Have fun with Playdough creations and practice breaking a big task into smaller, easier parts.
Snack: Snack Time with Loops
Integrate looping during snack time for a quick and tasty algorithm activity!
Home-School Connection
Getting Ready for Bed Mini Books
Make your very own book to tell the story of getting ready for bed. What is the big task and what are the smaller, easier tasks?
Make a Necklace
Children will follow a set of instructions (algorithms) to make a necklace out of cereal or pasta.
View the Project Website
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant 1827293. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.