Kindergarten Computer Science
- Level Elementary School
- Number of Lessons 36
- Grade K
This course is designed to provide computer science instruction aligned to CSTA standards for kindergarten students. It is meant to be taught approximately once a week by a designated computer science teacher.
See the full syllabus for all topics and activities, or explore the course to try it out.
UNITS - 12 (36 lessons)
Through screen-free activities like sequencing a dance, playing a maze card game, and acting out events, students build foundational computational thinking skills around sequencing, patterns, and events before coding on a computer.
Students build the foundational technology skills needed for the course by learning to log in to CodeHop and practicing basic mouse and keyboard use.
Following the story-driven Scout Adventures series, students learn to navigate the CodeHopJr programming interface by adding and modifying characters and backgrounds, building sequences of motion blocks, and combining these features into a complete animated scene.
Students deepen their understanding of sequences and events by using painting tools, event blocks, and grow/shrink blocks to build multi-step programs, including scenes about responsibility and personal storytelling.
Students learn to build multi-page programs and use the go-to-page block to navigate between pages in a CodeHopJr project.
Students explore say/sound and speed blocks to animate transportation modes, get an introduction to the design process, and practice debugging simple event and motion errors.
Students learn what loops are and how they repeat code, practicing with both counted loops and forever loops to create repeating animations like fireworks.
Students learn fundamental computing systems concepts, including what a computer is, how to troubleshoot problems, and how to identify input, output, hardware, and software.
Students learn to identify private and personal information and to use technology safely and responsibly, including understanding an Acceptable Use Policy.
Students practice collecting, organizing, and analyzing data by investigating a question about school transportation.
Students explore how computing devices and technology shape daily life and different careers, including designing an animated spacecraft program tied to a career exploration.
Students are introduced to artificial intelligence by identifying real-world examples, building a simple decision tree, and exploring how machine learning models can be trained to recognize new things.
Explore a sample lesson from this course!
Kindergarten students start with unplugged activities about sequences, algorithms, and events, then learn to use a mouse and keyboard and create their first block-based programs alongside Scout the dog. Throughout the year, they use sequences, events, pages, and loops to build animations and interactive scenes, and practice the design process and debugging. Students also learn about hardware and software, online safety, data, how computers affect daily life, and what AI is.
Kindergarten Computer Science includes 36 lessons, each about 30 minutes long, providing a full year of instruction when taught once a week. Every lesson is built in a ready-to-teach format, with step-by-step videos that walk students through the lesson. Lessons are designed to be teacher-led using an "I do, we do, you do" format, and a self-paced option is also available. The course mixes hands-on programming projects with unplugged activities, with module quizzes to check understanding. Teachers have flexibility in pacing, and the lessons required to fully meet CSTA standards are identified in the course syllabus.
No. There are no prerequisites, and the course is designed to support all learners regardless of prior computer science experience. The course begins with unplugged activities and lessons that teach students how to log in and use a mouse and keyboard before they start programming.
Kindergarten Computer Science focuses on programming, with most lessons spent building block-based programs, animations, and games, along with lessons on computing systems, online safety, data, impacts of computing, and AI. Kindergarten Digital Literacy & AI focuses on digital skills such as productivity software, online safety, research, and AI, with less time spent on programming. Some lessons appear in both courses, so schools can choose the course that best fits their goals.
Kindergarten Computer Science is aligned to state computer science standards and CSTA standards.
