I was looking for a Christmas coding activity to do with my classes in the computer lab right before Christmas. I didn’t find what I was looking for so I created this Christmas coding set. You will want to share it with your children at school or at home. It features algorithms created using Blockly blocks. Children do what each block asks them to. They will start with the block just under the word run and work their way down the blocks.
Before you have your children start the activity, you may want to read them a Christmas book that focuses on Christmas trees. The illustrations in the book may give them some ideas they can use when they decorate their own trees. Below you will see a list of some of my favorite Christmas books.
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Getting the Christmas Coding Set
You can download the Christmas Coding STEAM Activity – Creating a Christmas Tree. Then you can open the set with Acrobat Reader. Finally, you can print out the Christmas coding activity you want your children to work on. You will find the word green on second printable in the was designed to be green on the printable. It can print it out in black and white if you like. Your children may be able to read the word green and don’t need it in green.
Let’s Look at Each Christmas Coding Printable
You will notice that the first printable walk your children how to create the tree with a triangle and a rectangle. Then it walks them through decorating the tree. Finally, it invites them to decorate the background of their picture.
The second printable has visual clues as to what children will need to do for the first five steps. It even has the word green on the Blockly block that tells them to color the tree green. If your children can’t read the word on the block, they can look at the picture. After adding the section of the tree and ornaments, children will create a background for their illustration.
You will see that the final printable adds working with symmetry to the activity. Children will need to add ornaments. Then they will lights. Finally, they will add a star to the tree symmetrically. They will need to try to place them as closely as they can to the same place on the left and right side of the tree as they can. While this could be tricky, I think school-age children will be up to the challenge.
If you like this coding activity, here are some more your children will enjoy.
First, there are algorithm worksheets that invite your children to sequence the events of a story.
The Snowy Day Coding Printable
Then there is Blockly block algorithm drawing page that invites children to create a magical creature.
Magical Creatures STEM Coding and Drawing Page
Finally, there is an activity that features LEGO, graph paper, and plastic toy animals.
