Holiday Coding Activities for Kids

School breaks are coming up, and your kids will have plenty of time on their hands to play, read, and explore. And if you’re looking for some fun holiday coding activities for kids (and we know you are!), here are a few seasonal game starters to get your kids to create projects for all to enjoy.

We updated a student-submitted Halloween game (October 30 blog post) with new themes for your kids to change up and customize. All they need to do to get started is to click “Log in and Remix” and save the project to their Tynker account to make changes.

Help the chef gather ingredients for a Thanksgiving stew. Click to play! Log in and remix “Make Thanksgiving Stew”!

We gave Santa ribbons to “wrap” the presents as gifts fall from the sky. Click to play! Log in and remix “Wrap the Presents”

What are holiday Coding Activities?

Here are some great ways to use these projects in the classroom and at home.

1. Ask kids to work in pairs for rich collaboration (student groups created these game starters).
2. Encourage kids to follow the student-built tutorial included in “Wrap the Presents”, so that they can build this project on their own (you can save this project to your teacher account and assign it to your class as a lesson).
3. Prompt kids to add an end condition such as: what happens if a gift or soup ingredient is “missed”? Or, Is there a certain number of misses before the game ends?
4. Ask kids to add their music or artwork to make the game fit a curriculum theme or topic.

Let’s inspire kids to spend time creating projects with code over the holidays. They’ll have fun, be creative, and have something awesome to share with their friends. Share projects with us — we look forward to seeing what kids make!

What are the benefits of engaging children in holiday coding projects?

Engaging children in holiday coding projects capitalizes on their festive enthusiasm and cultivates critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and creativity. These projects provide a hands-on learning experience, reinforcing STEM concepts in a fun, relatable manner. As children create holiday-themed apps or games, they gain a sense of accomplishment, fostering confidence in their abilities. Moreover, such activities can introduce them to potential future careers in tech while also ensuring they productively utilize their holiday downtime, blending leisure with constructive learning.

Are there any online resources or platforms that offer holiday coding activities?

Numerous online platforms and resources specialize in offering holiday-themed coding activities. Websites like Code.org and Tynker frequently launch seasonal coding challenges catering to young learners. Scratch, a free platform developed by MIT, allows kids to create their holiday-themed animations and games, encouraging them to explore and innovate. Khan Academy also offers computer programming courses that often include festive projects. These platforms, often equipped with intuitive interfaces and guided tutorials, ensure children can dive into coding festivities irrespective of their prior experience.

p.s. Parents — your child gets a lifetime Tynker account when you purchase an online course or when they use Tynker at school. With an account, any projects that we publish or share are available for your child to access for free.