Mash&Co | Blockly Games: Google educational games

Blockly Games are educational games designed by Google to teach kids programming. These innovative games give the possibility to enter the programming world by learning the logic of the programming language.

Blockly is a block programming software that uses the game as a learning tool. From the age of eleven upwards, young learners can take the first steps in digital programming thanks to the power of games and fun. It will be very interesting to understand the logic behind the games and the Apps that use daily to entertain. There are seven games offered by Google.

Blockly Games 1: Puzzle

It is useful for those who have not yet had experience with block programming. Thanks to this game children can learn the concept of “block connection.” It is required to connect to each animal (represented by the green block) to its image, two peculiar characteristics and the number of legs. Once completed, it will be possible to check the correctness of the answers and move on to the next game.

Blockly Games 2: Maze

Divided into ten levels of increasing difficulty. The first level serves as a guide to the execution of the first steps, to ensure that kids can continue independently. This game introduces the concept of cycle and condition, essential topics in coding. In the end, the game shows the JavaScript used.

Blockly Games 3: Bird

This game has ten levels too. It interpolates us in the world of streams of condition and more. We will start with a guide, and then gradually the difficulties will always be more significant.

Blockly Games 4: Turtle

In this game, the concept of the cycle (loop) deepens. Divided into ten increasingly challenging levels, it will ask the player to create a program able to create a pentagon, a star, and a more difficult elements.

Blockly Games 5: Movies

This game and the next two introduce to the concept of the mathematical equation. In fact, in this game, players can animate a film and publish it on Reddit, a social media and entertainment site,   evaluated by other users. Each level demands a precise kind of knowledge such as the Cartesian plane and the equations.

Blockly Games 6: Pond exercise

This game introduces to true textual programming. In the first level, you will be prompted to insert a real text command. Alternate block programming and hypertext commands.

Blockly Games 7: Tin

It is the last game and the most complex. A real game is required to be created using the JavaScript language.

READ ALSO: CODING FOR CHILDREN

Letizia Grasso, Educationalist
“All grown-ups were children, but few of them remember it” This phrase is engraved on my heart. The child who marvels at small things is always with me. I firmly believe that the school should focus on self-construction of knowledge through direct contact with the outside world and, therefore, through the experiences of life. A school open to life and from life itself learns. A school that teaches to observe every little thing, to wonder and to ask questions. A school that forms adults who know how to reflect and put into a relationship the mind and heart.”