The whole series
Every week of Game Makers
12 weekly sessions, each its own step. Built for ages 5 to 8. Every week builds on the last, so the learning is a real climb, not a set of one-off games.
Play and notice
The game does exactly what its blocks say, no more and no less. That is the first idea of coding.
Build a world, watch it think
You build the world; the toy finds its own way and then TELLS you the program it ran: so many forwards, so many turns. Reading a program beats typing one, on day one.
Do it again (loops)
A loop repeats the boring part for you, and every loop needs a way to stop.
Move the lemur (change the game)
Stop just playing: change the program, send the lemur a new way, use a repeat to do it in fewer blocks.
Score and speed (place value)
Games are full of numbers. Ten ones explode into a ten; that is how big numbers are built.
Add and take away
A score goes up and down. More, less, and how many more, felt in the hands.
If this, then that
A rule can hold a choice: IF something is true THEN one thing happens, else the other. Only one path fires.
Make a level
Design your own maze on paper (start, goal, walls), then keep the programming muscle warm on screen.
Find the bug
A bug is where the instructions did not say what we meant. Run, look, fix, run again.
Build a tiny game
Make a small thing that is all yours: a maze, a pick-a-path story. Small and working beats big and broken.
Polish and playtest
Watch a friend play your game, fix one confusing thing, add one delightful thing. That is how real games get made.
Family Showcase Day
You are the game maker today: show your family your game and teach them to play it.