The importance of kids learning a foreign language at a young age has been scientifically established through years of scientific study. Children are simply like language sponges. Given this premise, it’s not too much a stretch of the imagination to consider teaching children how to code computer languages. Enter ThinkFun’s Robot Turtles – a game that sets out to instill the basic ideas behind programming through fun board game play.
How’s the game play?
ThinkFun’s Robot Turtles adeptly combines education and fun. As a parent and designated “Turtle Mover” running the game, you can make Robot Turtles more or less complex based on the level of the children participating. Kids will get a kick out of all the wacky computer noises the “Turtle Mover” has to make to perform the commands of the “Turtle Masters”. The learning opportunities provided by Robot Turtles are numerous.
What are the educational aspects of the game?
Children and non-programmer adults alike will learn introductory programming concepts that will increase in complexity as players complete different level challenges. Even debugging has been cleverly integrated into the game play. if a “turtle master” makes a mistake, one can declare they have a “bug” and undo the previous move and proceed to fix it by using a different card. For a game that is electronics free, the interactivity level is phenomenal with a commendable replay value.
Who’s the target audience for the game?
Teaching children the foundations of programming by way of a fun board game is simply inspired game making. I enthusiastically recommend Robot Turtles for kids ages 3 and up. Parents with young children will have the unique opportunity to learn along with their children while having fun. Robot Turtles is also a great pick for classroom use as well.
Available for purchase at Amazon and other fine retailers.
Full Disclosure: CuteMonster.com was sent a free review copy of ThinkFun’s Robot Turtles. All opinions expressed are our own.
