Screen-Free CS Activities for your K-5 Classroom

Hello Ruby

Billed as “ the world’s most whimsical way to learn about computers, technology, and programming,” this website features exercises, games, and interactive videos tailored specifically for kids five and older. 

Every activity on the site is screen-free while still providing students a chance to creatively engage with CS topics. Some of my favorites include:

• Building your Own Robot out of craft materials to learn about machine learning
• Visualizing how the internet is made up of wires, cables, satellites, and more by examining what’s Hiding in Plain Sight
• Turn yourself or a favorite stuffed animal into a Vlogger to discover how videos are made and how algorithms affect what we watch
• Practice counting skills and see how data online is stored as Bits of binary code

Hello Ruby also offers resources to help new and seasoned CS educators translate what they know into kid-friendly language and concepts.

Their Love Letters to Computers video series is a great way to bolster your understanding of CS concepts and prepare to teach students everything from computational thinking to diversity and inclusion.

CS Unplugged

As its name suggests, this website features wire-free ways for elementary students to get hands-on with CS concepts using “cards, string, crayons and lots of running around.”

Many of CS Unplugged’s activities can be enjoyed by remote learners, making them ideal for hybrid classrooms and families who want to try out CS learning at home. Their integration resources are also invaluable to teachers who are trying to add CS lessons to an existing curriculum.

ISBE Early Learning and Computer Science Crosswalk

To help educators bring CS learning to today’s youngest learners, the Illinois State Board of Education has produced a curriculum crosswalk that aligns example activities with Illinois’ Early Childhood Learning standards and Pre-K Computer Science standards.

Topics covered in these activities include representation, problem solving, social-emotional learning, and pattern identification.

Teachers, administrators, and curriculum leaders can all reach for this resource for inspiration, as well as support while justifying the inclusion of CS learning opportunities in a standard Pre-K curriculum.