We have put together a list of Hour of Code
resources for parents and teachers. What is the Hour of Code?
The Hour of Code was created to give all students around the world an opportunity to learn to code. It is a weeklong celebration that started in schools but anyone can participate!
The event happens during Computer Science Education Week. You can read more about CSEd Week here.
Code.org founded the Hour of Code; here is what they say about it: “The Hour of Code started as a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify “code”, to show that anybody can learn the basics, and to broaden participation in the field of computer science. It has since become a worldwide effort to celebrate computer science, starting with 1-hour coding activities but expanding to all sorts of community efforts.” – Code.org
You do NOT need to know programming to participate in An Hour of Code or use the resources listed below.
I taught myself programming in graduate school and spent 15 years in a STEM career where coding played a significant role. It’s easy to learn and teaches logic, critical thinking, and math skills.
My children, now in or pursuing STEM careers (mechanical engineering and biology), have had to use coding to perform instrumentation design, project management, statistical analysis, and more.
You never know what future activities or jobs your children will have that might require some coding knowledge. Plus, your child will use the logic and problem-solving skills they will develop when learning to code can be used in many situations, not just a career.
Use the Hour of Code week and some of the resources below to introduce your children to coding.
Don’t have a computer to use?
If you are short on computer resources, you can still teach your child programming logic and concepts. There are some unplugged Hour of Code activities listed below too. See the Unplugged section.
You can use these throughout the year, just let these Hour of Code resources help your child get a start in coding!
New to Hour of Code? START HERE
Here are two Hour of Code resources to read to get familiar with the event:
- Hour of Code Parent Guide from Kodable.com. This post is from 2021 but is still relevant and a good starting point if you are new to this project.
Brand New to Coding?
- If you have never coded before or are just starting with coding in your homeschool, co-op, or classroom, here is a basic intro to block programming from code.org.
- Learn about conditional coding and loops from Tynker.com.
List of Coding Resources for Varying Levels
- Hour of Code activities from Code.org
- Try An Hour of Code with Kahn Academy
- An Hour of Code activity for beginning coders from NASA.
- Google has a large library of coding resources.
- Codespark Academy Hour of Code activities for all skill levels. Includes information for parents and teachers.
- Minecraft Hour of Code sessions from Microsoft
- CodeMonkey.com ‘s Hour of Code activities
- Hour of Code challenges from Tynker – Check out the links to other challenges. Difficulty ranges from beginner to advanced.
- Big list of coding activities and challenges from Code.org. There are resources for all skill levels.
- Raspberry Pi sponsored activities
- Activities from Scratch Jr.
- Code a simple app with MIT’s App Coder
Apps to Help Teach Coding
- Preschool: Lightbot
- Kinder: Beaver Achiever
- First Grade:
- Second Grade: Frozen
- Third Grade:
- Fourth Grade: Star Wars
- Fifth and Sixth Grades:
Unplugged Hour of Code Activities
- 6 Unplugged Code Activities for Hour of Code from Thinkfun.com
- Move It, Move It from Code.org.
- Real-life Algorithms: Plant a Seed.
- Happy Maps – An Algorithm Activity
- Binary Images
- Mostly for 5th Grade and Up – Envelope Variables
- Tangram Algorithms
- Mad Glibs
- Code.org has a library of unplugged activities for all ages.