These Designed Activities are innovative, ready-to-use computational thinking exercises that have been carefully crafted and tested by our team. Each activity includes detailed instructions, learning objectives, and extension ideas, allowing educators to seamlessly integrate them into their curriculum. Whether unplugged challenges, hands-on projects, or digital explorations, these modules offer flexible, scalable ways to engage students in CT concepts and spark creative problem-solving.
Many of these activities have been compiled and published in the book “Computational Thinking Lab: Ideas and Activities for the Classroom” (“Laboratorio de Pensamiento Computacional: Ideas y Actividades para el Aula”), developed by the CoTEDI team. This volume presents a wide variety of carefully designed and classroom-tested proposals that support the development of computational thinking across different educational levels. Some of these activities have also been translated into English, and some are shared below as illustrative examples. The collection includes both ready-to-use materials and experiences implemented in real classroom settings by educators.
The following table provides an overview of the contributions included in the book. Each entry indicates the number and title of the contribution, the educational stage, the target age range, and the type of activity (e.g., unplugged, robotics, video games, etc.). This summary aims to give a quick and accessible view of the diversity of designed activities and to help educators identify the chapters that best fit their interests and needs.
| Nº | Title | Educational Stage | Age Range | Type of Activity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Creating Stories and Learning Letters and Numbers with Cubetto | Early Childhood Education | 4–5 | Robotics |
| 2 | Using Bee-Bot as a Technological Resource in 5-Year-Old Classrooms: Transport & Market | Early Childhood Education | 4–6 | Robotics |
| 3 | Validation of the Game “ABN Universe”: Learning CT and Math Through the ABN Method | Early Childhood Education | 3–5 | Video Games |
| 4 | Playing with Crin: Learning to Read by Teaching a Mobile Avatar | Early Childhood Education | 4–7 | Applications |
| 5 | Algorithms for Drawing | Primary Education | 6–13 | Unplugged |
| 6 | Split-Second Binary Decisions | Primary Education | 6–13 | Unplugged |
| 7 | Exploring Computational Thinking: Bebras in Primary Education | Primary Education | 9–10 | Unplugged |
| 8 | Introduction to Geometry Using Educational Robots | Primary Education | 6–13 | Robotics |
| 9 | EchegaBots – A Classroom Experience | Primary Education | 6–9 | Robotics |
| 10 | Developing CT Through Musical Composition Using ICT | Primary Education | 11–12 | Applications |
| 11 | RetoTech Project at CEIP José de Echegaray (Madrid) | Primary Education | 11–12 | Robotics |
| 12 | Multiples Calculator | Primary Education | 10–12 | Microcontrollers |
| 13 | Programming a Game in Scratch (Even and Odd Numbers) | Primary Education | 9–12 | Applications |
| 14 | Teaching the Distribution of Spanish Population with LEGO® Bricks | Primary Education | 6–12 | Unplugged |
| 15 | Video Game for CT Development: Supermarket Mission | Primary Education | 6–12 | Video Games |
| 16 | ZYNXLE | Primary Education | 9–11 | Video Games |
| 17 | Aquadventure: Finding Water | Primary Education | 11–12 | Unplugged |
| 18 | Video Game for CT Development with Learning Analytics | Secondary & High School | 10–14 | Video Games |
| 19 | Eco Rescue | Secondary & High School | 8–13 | Video Games |
| 20 | CT Training with the Video Game Lullaby | Secondary & High School | 7–12 | Video Games |
| 21 | Robotics Experience to Develop CT in Secondary Education: 5 Programming Challenges | Secondary & High School | 7–12 | Robotics |
| 22 | We Think, Therefore We Learn History | Secondary & High School | 12–14 | Unplugged |
| 23 | Developing CT in Secondary School Through the Horror Game Burned Fair | Secondary & High School | 12–16 | Video Games |
| 24 | Python with Crin: Teaching Programming Through a Mobile App | Secondary & High School | 16 | Applications |
| 25 | CT and Cognitive Function Maintenance Through Card Games | Secondary & Adults | >50 | Unplugged |
The following are selected examples of designed activities included in the book “Computational Thinking Lab: Ideas and Activities for the Classroom” (“Laboratorio de Pensamiento Computacional: Ideas y Actividades para el Aula”). These activities have been translated into English to support international educators interested in integrating computational thinking into their classrooms.
Hermelinda Quintanar Ferreira. Speech and Language Teacher of Comunidad de Madrid. Collaborator at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos
We conducted an educational robotics activity using a tangible programming tool at the Giner de los Ríos Centre in Fuenlabrada, working with children aged 4 and 5. The activity was carried out with half of the group, taking advantage of the split sessions implemented for the teaching of another language, allowing us to work with approximately 12 children at a time. Over four weeks and across six sessions, we engaged the children in executing various activities with Cubetto (Primotoys, n.d.), exploring concepts of surplus and deficiency. These activities were introduced through storytelling and involved recognising the written form of certain letters. The activity was assessed using direct observation techniques, alongside a motivation test completed by the participants to evaluate their experience. The children’s feedback was highly positive, as was the evaluation provided by the school’s management team.
You can download the full activity description from the following link. It includes all necessary steps, objectives, and materials, making it easy for any teacher to implement in the classroom:
María Zapata Cáceres y Estefanía Martín Barroso. CoTEDI Team.
This educational activity is designed for Primary Education students and introduces the concept of algorithms through the step-by-step construction of instructions to recreate a drawing. In a face-to-face classroom environment without electronic devices, students work in small groups to write sequences of instructions using natural language with certain constraints.
Each group receives a drawing that the other groups cannot see and must write the necessary steps for another group to reproduce it. They then exchange the instructions and simulate their execution: one student acts as the “computer” and another as the “compiler”, following the instructions to the letter. Errors are analyzed, and students reflect on the importance of precision in writing algorithms.
The main objective of the activity is to improve understanding of instruction sequencing, error detection and correction, and the development of Computational Thinking skills. In addition, it promotes collaborative learning and effective communication, helping students structure logical thinking in an accessible and playful way
Pablo A. Haya Coll. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. CoTEDI Collaborator.
An educational activity is presented, designed for primary school students, which focuses on understanding the population distribution across the provinces of Spain through the use of LEGO® pieces. In a classroom setting without electronic devices, students are provided with a political map of Spain, LEGO® pieces, and data on the population of each province. After performing calculations to allocate pieces to each province, the students build a visual map of the population, thereby facilitating the interpretation and analysis of population density. The activity culminates in a guided discussion and a reflection on the impact of population distribution on aspects such as the economy and politics.
The main objective of the activity is to enhance geographical understanding and develop skills in data interpretation and critical thinking. Through interdisciplinary learning that combines geography, mathematics, and social sciences, students learn to translate numerical data into visual representations and collaborate in the analysis of population densities. This approach not only strengthens knowledge of population distribution and its implications, but also promotes problem-solving and communication skills, preparing students to apply this knowledge in real-world contexts.