Coding Across the Carpet: Bots for Early Math and Literacy

Outline

Intro: 5 min- Share the session goals (the four outcomes). Quick hook: show a photo/video of bots “on the carpet” in a primary classroom.
Connect to why early math and literacy benefit from hands-on coding. Concrete to Abstract Learning. Students learn best when they can see, touch, and move. Coding with bots turns abstract concepts like arrays, sequencing, or sentence building into concrete, physical actions. For example, when a mouse bot moves down a column, students literally see and count the steps of an array.

Outcome 1: 10 min- Reinforcing Early Math & Literacy with Bots (10 minutes)
Explain how mouse bots can model math concepts: rows/columns, arrays, sequencing, spatial reasoning. Explain how Sphero indi supports literacy: sentence building, phonics coding with colors, storytelling. Share real classroom examples or lesson snapshots

Outcome 2: 10 min- Connecting Coding to Core Skills (10 minutes)
Math: arrays, number sense, sequencing steps.
Literacy: color-coded words → sentence structure, phonics sounds mapped to color tiles. Provide concrete scenarios (e.g., mouse moves down a column to “Row 3, Column 5” / indi drives over tiles to form “The cat runs”).

Outcome 3: 10 min- Integrating Computational Thinking Daily (10 minutes)
Highlight the four pillars: decomposition, pattern recognition, abstraction, algorithms.
Show how simple bot activities naturally embed these skills:
Sequencing steps → algorithms.
Debugging missteps → problem solving.
Connect coding to everyday routines (morning meeting, centers, literacy stations, math warm-ups).

Outcome 4: 10 min- Adapting for Diverse Learners (10 minutes)
Strategies for inclusion: visual supports, peer coding partners, simplified vs. extended challenges. Share examples of adapting for students with ADHD, emerging readers, or advanced learners. Provide a resource packet (sample mats, word lists, lesson prompts).

Wrap-Up: 10 min- Recap the four outcomes.
Invite participants to share one idea they’ll try.
Share digital/printed resources for lesson templates and mats. Time to interact with the bots and code across the carpet.

Outcomes

By the end of this session, participants will:
Understand how mouse bots and Sphero indi can be used to reinforce early math and literacy concepts.

Explore strategies for connecting coding to sequencing, arrays, sentence construction, and phonics.

Identify ways to integrate computational thinking into daily classroom instruction.

Leave with ideas and resources to adapt robotics to diverse learning needs in K–2.

Supporting research

“Creating Coding Stories and Games” (NAEYC / McLennan) — A practical, field-oriented piece showing how coding games align with early math, language, and play. (Teaching Young Children February/March 2017 Vol. 10, No. 3)

“Effect of coding activities on preschool children’s mathematical reasoning skills” (Somuncu et al., 2021) — Empirical evidence that coding can boost early math reasoning.