6 Unplugged Coding Games for Kids

Help your little one embrace the digital-fueled world with these fun coding games for kids! They’re offline so you don’t have to worry about your children spending hours in front of the screen.

If-Then Statements

Your kids could learn to code with this interactive game! It’s just like the all-too-famous Simon Says.

You’re the “programmer”, and you need to give a few if-then statements (conditional statements in programming terms) to your kids, aka the “robots”. For example, you could say “If I touch my toes, you touch your toes too”. Make sure they follow through with the actions. You could increase the difficulty level by assigning a “code” to each action. So, if you assign the action word “hopping” to “clapping”, it means, every time you clap, your kids need to hop instead! (the instruction would be “If I clap my hands, you hop on the spot”)

Secret Code

Ask your child to write a letter to a friend. But, here’s the catch – they need to write it only using a “secret code”. This means they have to first assign a “code” to each letter of the alphabet. For example, if H = 6, E = ^, L = %, and O = $”, the word “Hello” would have to be written as 6^%%$. We know it looks a bit complicated, but it could prove to be one of the most fun coding games for kids.

Cheese for the Mouse

In this game, you’re the mouse, aka “the robot”, and your child is your “programmer”. And you’re hungry for cheese!

All your programmer must do is guide you to your cheese (you could place it on a plate at the end of your room, surrounded by a few obstacles) only using coding commands. They need to give specific orders like “2 steps forward”, or “3 steps to the right”, without giving instructions that you, the mouse/robot might not understand. If they give the wrong instructions, you need to freeze on the spot until they “debug” the problem. It’s a super fun way to learn coding games for kids learn to code with play!

Algorithm Routine

Following a routine is actually exactly the same as following an algorithm. This is because just like algorithms consist of taking specific steps for a specific outcome, a daily routine (if followed in the exact same manner every day) is always going to have the same outcome. 

For example, waking up late makes your kid late for school, but following a specific routine (waking up at a specific time, taking a shower at a specific time, etc) will result in a positive outcome.

Cooking and Coding

In this unplugged coding game, your child is the programmer and you’re the robot. They need to give you specific instructions to help you make a meal from scratch! However, make sure to check if your child knows the basic ingredients required for the meal before you start this activity.

For a digital-physical cooking (and math) game, play Osmo’s Pizza Co.!

Coding Hunt

Did you know that a game of Treasure Hunt could teach your kids to learn to code? Just how coding needs you to complete one task in order to continue to the next, so does Treasure Hunt.

Check out Osmo’s Detective Agency game for a virtual scavenging adventure. 

We hope your kids enjoy playing these unplugged coding games! Don’t forget to shop our Learnament of Champions sale on our digital-physical coding games – Coding Awbie, Coding Duo, and Coding Jam. These hands-on games teach kids to code in progression.