Description #
Robot Turtles is a board game designed to teach young children the basics of programming through physical play. Players use simple instruction cards to guide their turtles toward a goal, introducing concepts like sequencing, debugging, and conditionals in a fun, screen-free way.
History #
Robot Turtles was created by Dan Shapiro in 2013 and became the most-backed board game in Kickstarter history at the time. It was later acquired by ThinkFun and has since been used by parents, teachers, and coding clubs to teach programming logic to kids as young as 4.
Hello World Code #
In Robot Turtles, there is no written code. Players use action cards to form a command sequence such as:
[Forward] → [Turn Left] → [Forward] → [Laser] → [Goal]These cards represent the “program” the player writes for their turtle.
How to Run #
Option 1: Physical Board Game
- Purchase from major retailers or ThinkFun’s official site
Option 2: DIY Version (Printable)
- Download print-and-play resources from Robot Turtles DIY
Key Concepts #
- Sequence of instructions (algorithms)
- Basic commands: forward, left, right, laser
- “Bug fixing” (debugging)
- Use of function cards for abstraction
- Player (Turtle Master) vs. adult (Turtle Mover) roles
- Cooperative learning
- Screen-free introduction to coding
- Designed for pre-readers (ages 4+)
- Supports critical thinking and planning
- Builds foundations for visual and text-based programming
Try It Online #
- No official digital version
- DIY version available at Robot Turtles DIY
Fun Facts #
- Dan Shapiro created the game for his own kids to learn programming concepts.
- It was inspired by the Logo turtle and visual movement logic.
- Over 100,000 copies sold globally.
