7 Free Ways to Have Fun with Coding over Winter Break (Grades 3+)
Looking for ways to keep kids engaged with coding and STEM over winter break? We’ve compiled seven of our favorite winter and holiday-themed games.
1) Codesters Winter Greetings (Grades 3+)
Ever wanted to design your own virtual holiday card? Create an interactive winter greeting complete with snowmen, moving snowflakes, and customizable message.
2) Code a Winter Animal on mBlocks (Grades 3+)
With tons of winter animals to code, this game is perfect for the season. Just scroll down and click “Code with Blocks” or “Code with Python” and then explore all the festive sprites/avatars, like penguins and foxes.
3) Maneuver a Car Around a Winter Track (Grades 3+)
In this Terminal Two game, the goal is to maneuver your car around the track faster than the other cars - but watch out for icy conditions!
“Race Condition” from Terminal Two
4) Code a New Year’s Resolution with Tynker (Grades 3+)
Have you made your 2022 Resolutions yet?? Using simple drag and drop, create an avatar that reminds you of your goals for next year. When you finish that, check out Tynker’s other fun winter-themed games.
5) Have a Snowball Fight! (Grades 3+)
Ready to have a snowball fight - without going outside? This Scratch-based project is the best way to practice even if there’s no real snow on the ground.
6) Draw a Snowflake (Grades 5+)
In this challenge, you’ll use Python Turtle to draw a snowflake. There is a tutorial for the first one, but how many different designs can you make?
7) Code a Holiday Song (Grades 5+/Intermediate Coders)
Can’t get enough holiday music? Code your own festive songs on Earsketch using Python or JavaScript.
Bonus: Offline Winter Maze (Offline/All Ages)
Building a winter maze is a great way to introduce younger kids to coding principles. Use the linked templates or simply draw a grid on spare paper. Then, children add obstacles to some of the squares using found objects - like Legos, paperclips, or other winter-themed items. DIY some cards that say “go forward,” “go right,” etc. and have your children lay out a path through the maze. Now you have a fun maze that can be adjusted to any coding level!