Robots and planning · About 5-10 minutes · Ages 3-6 with a grown-up
Help Chip Find a Way
Chip can see a blue ball across the play mat. The orange block piles are in the way. Which steps could help Chip reach the ball?
Chip starts in the bottom-left square. The ball is in the top-right square. Each arrow moves Chip one square in that direction. Go around the orange blocks. You can plan up to ten steps and try them one at a time.
Start
Chip is at row 4, column 1. The blue ball is at row 1, column 4.
Which way should Chip move first? Add an arrow, then try the step.
Your plan0 of 10 arrows
Your first arrow goes here.
Step 1 needs a change
Add arrows to make a plan.
Try one step at a time or plan ahead.
Grown-up guide
Let your child trace a route with a finger before choosing arrows. Read each arrow as a direction on the page, not a turn relative to Chip's face. Offer one step at a time or several planned steps. When a route meets a block, describe the result calmly and invite a change. There is no score or countdown.
Simpler invitation
Point along a possible route together. You can operate the buttons while your child points. Try just the first two steps and finish later if that is enough.
More to explore
Plan the whole route before trying it. Compare two routes by their number of steps. Ask whether they both reach the ball, even if they travel through different squares.
Facilitator solutions
Up, up, up, right, right, right works. Right, right, right, up, up, up also works. Both use six steps. Other valid routes are welcome. These are facilitator examples, not the only accepted answers.
What this practices
Planning a sequence, checking a result and revising a step. This is a fixed-rule pretend robot game; it does not represent every kind of AI or claim that AI learns simply by following arrows.
Optional play
Make a small floor route with paper squares and guide a favorite toy. A finger can stand in for Chip on the printable. No cutting or loose counters are required.
A grown-up stays close. Use only toys and objects that suit your child's age.
The printable map in words: Four rows and four columns. Count rows from top to bottom and columns from left to right. Start: row 4, column 1. Goal: row 1, column 4. Blocked squares: row 2, column 2 and row 3, column 3. All other squares are open.