Puppy Code

PuppyCode teaches children how programming works by giving them one simple job: help a puppy fetch a ball. A ball is somewhere in the garden. The puppy will fetch it, but only if you tell it exactly how to get there. Build a plan one step at a time. Press Run, and the puppy follows your instructions exactly. If the plan does not work, change it and try again. That is programming. PuppyCode takes that one idea and builds on it slowly, from tapping arrows to writing code. The Road from Arrows to Code There are 27 gardens. Each one adds one small new idea. Gardens 1–12 Children tap arrow buttons and put steps in the right order. The first gardens do not require reading. Pictures carry the meaning. Gardens 13–15 The same instructions are now shown as words instead of arrows. Children press the words rather than having to type them. This creates a small bridge between visual instructions and written code. Gardens 16–27 Children start writing the instructions themselves using a keyboard built into the game. By this point, the words are already familiar. Later gardens introduce repetition, and children begin writing programs with loops. There is no sudden jump from pictures to code. Each step grows naturally from the one before it. What Children Learn PuppyCode introduces programming ideas in a practical order: • Putting instructions in the right order • Predicting what a program will do • Reading a plan someone else wrote • Finding and fixing mistakes • Changing a plan instead of starting again • Writing instructions as text • Repeating a group of instructions with a loop • Spotting repeated patterns in a longer program Children meet each idea because they need it to solve a problem. The programming name for the idea can come afterwards. A Different Kind of Coding Game PuppyCode does not simply tell a child “Wrong.” When a plan stops working, the game explains what the puppy tried to do and what stopped it. The child can change one instruction and run the plan again. A long solution that works is still a correct solution. A shorter solution may be shown afterwards as another way to solve the garden, but it is never required. There are: • No timers • No scores • No streaks • No pressure to finish quickly • No way to lose Children can stay in one garden for as long as they want. Play Together PuppyCode can also be played side by side. A child and parent can share one screen, discuss what the puppy should do next, make predictions, and take turns writing instructions. Adults who have never programmed before can start at the first garden too. Private by Design PuppyCode does not require an account. There are: • No adverts • No analytics • No tracking • No account or sign-up Nothing is collected or sent anywhere. Progress is saved on the device and stays on the device.