Coding as a Playground: Programming and Computational Thinking in the Early Childhood Classroom

Coding as a Playground, Second Edition focuses on how young children (aged 7 and under) can engage in computational thinking and be taught to become computer programmers, a process that can increase both their cognitive and social-emotional skills. Learn how coding can engage children as producers―and not merely consumers―of technology in a playful way. You will come away from this groundbreaking work with an understanding of how coding promotes developmentally appropriate experiences such as problem-solving, imagination, cognitive challenges, social interactions, motor skills development, emotional exploration, and making different choices. Featuring all-new case studies, vignettes, and projects, as well as an expanded focus on teaching coding as a new literacy, this second edition helps you learn how to integrate coding into different curricular areas to promote literacy, math, science, engineering, and the arts through a project-based approach and a positive attitude to learning.

Marina Umaschi Bers is Professor in the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development with a secondary appointment in the Department of Computer at Tufts University, U.S.A. She heads the Developmental Technologies (DevTech) research group where she studies innovative ways to promote positive childhood development through new learning technologies. Marina co-developed the ScratchJr programming language in collaboration with the MIT Media Lab and the PICO company. She is also the creator of KIBO, a robotics platform for children aged 4 to 7 that can be programmed with wooden blocks (no screen needed), which allows young builders to learn programming and engineering while integrating arts and crafts.