3 Games to Introduce Computer Science

Apr 13, 2023

I’m the kind of teacher who is always looking for fun, new ways to introduce the subject matter during those first few days of school. Every year, I feel like I’m doing something new and seeing if it works out. Lucky for you, this means I’ve tested quite a few options and I’m here to deliver my top 3 favorite games to play to introduce computer science! I’ve used these games in both my Computer Science A and Computer Science Principles classes on those first few days in the classroom. I keep going back to them every year because they are THAT good!

All resources in this post are FREE for you to use and apply in your own classroom. I also have a great first-day survey to give students at the end of this post. Keep reading to check out what I do!

Blockly

blockly.games is a great collection of games that give students a fun way to be introduced to coding, without feeling like they are actually coding.

I love using the Blockly Maze game to introduce sequencing, selection, and iteration to students, without them ever having coded before! The game has 10 levels, each getting progressively harder as the student wins each level.

I enjoy assigning this as an intro activity during the first 5-10 minutes of class on the second day or in the last 5-10 minutes of class on the first day. I find that even students who are insecure about starting coding really find success and confidence in the first few levels. The advanced students will like breezing through the first 5-6 levels and then will enjoy the puzzling challenge in the last few levels.

Drawing a Picture – Simulating Computer Instructions

This is a great activity to do on the second or third day of class, maybe right before the weekend starts. I set up the game (see below) and then tell my students we will discuss how this relates to computer science after we have completed the activity.

First, split your class into groups of 3. If your class is not divisible by 3, you can have one or two groups of 4.

In your group of 3, 1 person is the “describer”, 1 is the “runner”, and 1 is the “drawer”. In a group of 4, I have 2 drawers.

The describer and the drawer sit at desks on opposite sides of the room, facing away from each other. Make sure there is enough distance between them so the drawer cannot hear the describer.

The describer is given a picture (some form of online clip art) that they will describe, using words only, to the runner. The describer is the only one allowed to talk to the runner. The runner cannot communicate back to the describer.

The runner cannot see the picture. They listen to the describer, and then run with the verbal instructions in their head, over to the drawer. The runner has to then describe, using only words, how to draw the picture to the drawer. The runner will not be able to see what the drawer is drawing, and the drawer is not allowed to ask questions or communicate in any way with the drawer.

The runner can go back and forth as many times as they would like to communicate the necessary instructions.

I usually give about 4-5 minutes of them doing the game, following these instructions. After that, I tell them they have 3 minutes where the runner can talk back to the describer and the drawer can talk back to the runner, and they are allowed to edit their pictures and ask for clarifications.

Below are some clip art pieces I used, and the resulting drawings from the students:

Note: I do not own this clip art. You can go to search.creativecommons.org and get some free online clip art for you to use!

How does this relate to computer science? I ask that open-ended question after this game is up, and I like seeing what the students come up with. What I want them to understand, is the following:

Instructions that are not subjective and left to interpretation will result in errors.
Giving instructions must be clear and free from interpretation error, much like the instructions we have to give to a computer when coding.
The order that we give the instructions is important; the algorithm we make to try and construct this drawing has a “best solution” for constructing it. In CS, there might be many algorithms to accomplish a task, but we want to go after the optimal one.
Coding is all about communication, which requires other people! Coding is not just one person in front of a screen, but it takes many people behind the scenes working together to make it come together.

After we have this conversation, they always ask for another round, so I have more (new) clip art ready to go so they can try it again!

2 Truths and 1 Lie

This works best when students have either one-to-one devices or a phone, they are able to go on. Tell students they have to research two truths and one lie about computer science. They should write these sentences on a piece of paper.

Once they have their statements, they will go around and match up with a partner who will try and guess which one is the lie. They will repeat this for every student in the class (or for 5 students if you have a small time frame). Students should keep track of how many of their peers guess the lie correctly and incorrectly.

After everyone has gone around and played, see who was able to fool the most people with their lie! I will usually have a candy bar for the winner, but you can always play for bragging rights.

Extra – First Day Questionnaire

Get an insight into how familiar your students are with their computer skills with this FREE Google Form (or PDF). I have students complete this on Day 1 so I can get to know a little more about them and their computer science abilities.