Cubetto for preschoolers: Computer programming code to code

Abstract

This article is derived from a study on the creation of strategies within children's computer programming An analysis of time used by children for the creation and execution of strategies was performed. Another analysis about the children's errors made during the process was also achieved. T aking as a starting point the fact that computer programming is translated as a set of codes to work out a problem; it is necessary to mention that such codes are created under a specific programming language, which will perform a particular function on the computer. In this case, the codes execute a series of movements that will al-low infants to solve a problem, which has been stated through a child's story with the purpose that children aged 4 to 5 years old can create playful strategies for the fulfillment of objectives previously set. Through a descriptive and exploratory research, some bibliographic data were collected and a population group of second-level initial education students was directly ob-served. Such children learned to use the Cubetto robot to learn to codify their ideas by giving solution to a problem. It is concluded that the development of the systemic thinking at this level is of great importance since it facilitates the acquisition of new mental processes; in this case, the code-to-code programming strengthens the student's systemic process.