Lesson Plans
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Candy Quest
Go on a quest for candy!Beginner levelGrade: K-4 about 30 minutesTeacher Note:
Students solve several coding puzzles and learn to use basic programming concepts such as loops and conditional statements.
Teacher Guide
Puzzle Solutions
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Puppy Adventure
Help Pixel the puppy get homeBeginner levelGrade: K-4 about 30 minutesTeacher Note:
Students use problem solving skills and learn to recognize patterns and write small programs.
Teacher Guide
Puzzle Solutions
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Spin Draw
Create a fun pen that draws a rotating image.Beginner levelGrade: K+ about 30 minutesTeacher Note:
Students use stamping to program a pen that draws a rotating image. Then they can use their new pen to make fun creations.
Teacher Guide
Sample Project
Student Creations
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Tell a Joke
Make two birds tell each other a jokeBeginner levelGrade: K+ about 30 minutesTeacher Note:
Students learn the basics that they'll need to create storytelling projects in Tynker. When they're done with this project, encourage them to program their own joke or story.
Teacher Guide
Sample Project
Student Creations
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Platformer Starter Kit
Program your own platformer game!Intermediate levelGrade: 1-8 about 20 minutesTeacher Note:
Students create a platformer game with custom power-ups and bad guys. They can save and share the project with friends and parents.
Teacher Guide
Sample Project
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Peep: Dance with Friends
Make Peep and his friends dance!Beginner levelGrade: K-4 about 20 minutesTeacher Note:
In this tutorial, students program an animated dancing scene using the characters from Peep and the Big Wide World.
Teacher Guide
Sample Project
Student Creations
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Peep: Nature Walk
Go for a nature walk with Peep!Beginner levelGrade: K-4 about 20 minutesTeacher Note:
In this tutorial, students create an animated scene where Peep explores the world around him.
Teacher Guide
Sample Project
Student Creations
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Code Monsters
Collect, train, and battle your monsters!Intermediate levelGrade: 3+ about 40 minutesTeacher Note:
Students complete a set of 20 puzzles where they program the monsters they've collected.
Teacher Guide
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Dragon Dash
Go on an epic quest for treasureIntermediate levelGrade: 5-8 about 30 minutesTeacher Note:
Students complete a series of levels using basic programming concepts such as sequencing, repetition, conditional logic and counting.
Teacher Guide
Puzzle Solutions
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Hot Wheels: Obstacle Course
Design your own Hot Wheels obstacle courseBeginner levelGrade: 3+ about 20 minutes
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Scavenger Hunt
Go on a scavenger hunt!Beginner levelGrade: 3+ about 40 minutesTeacher Note:
Students solve a set of 20 coding puzzles to guide Monster High characters through a scavenger hunt.
Teacher Guide
Sample Project
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Hot Wheels: Hack the Track
Guide your Hot Wheels car to win the raceBeginner levelGrade: 3+ about 20 minutes
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Brick Breaker
Make your own version of this arcade classic.Intermediate levelGrade: 2-5 about 30 minutesTeacher Note:
Students program keyboard motion using impulses, detect collisions, and program the motion of the ball. They can theme the game and add their own levels.
Teacher Guide
Sample Project
Student Creations
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Monster High: Music Video
Program a music video!Beginner levelGrade: 3+ about 20 minutesTeacher Note:
Students follow step-by-step instructions to create and publish their own music video.
Teacher Guide
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Undersea Arcade
Create a top-down arcade game.Intermediate levelGrade: 5-8 about 30 minutesTeacher Note:
In this tutorial, students learn how to build a top-down arcade game using visual programming blocks.
Teacher Guide
Sample Project
Student Creations
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Lost in Space
Biff the spaceman is lost in space!Intermediate levelGrade: 5-8 about 40 minutesTeacher Note:
Students solve a series of coding puzzles and learn basic programming concepts such as loops, conditional logic, and sequencing.
Teacher Guide
Puzzle Solutions
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Ecological Pyramid
Create an interactive ecological pyramid with plants and animals.Beginner levelGrade: 3-5 about 40 minutesTeacher Note:
Students follow step-by-step instructions to code an interactive ecological pyramid. They think about how organisms interact within an ecosystem.
Teacher Guide
Sample Project
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Multiplication Escape
Make a fun math game!Advanced levelGrade: 3-5 about 30 minutesTeacher Note:
In this STEM project, students will follow step-by-step instructions to make an escape game. If the user answers a multiplication question correctly, the character moves forward and avoids the boulders. If the user answers incorrectly, it’s game over!
Teacher Guide
Sample Project
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Bill of Rights
Program a quiz about the Bill of Rights!Advanced levelGrade: 3-5 about 30 minutesTeacher Note:
In this STEM project, students will create a Social Studies game demonstrating their understanding of the Bill of Rights.
Teacher Guide
Sample Project
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Code Commander
Build and train your army for battle!Intermediate levelGrade: 6+ about 40 minutesTeacher Note:
Students complete a set of 18 puzzles where they program members of an army.
Teacher Guide
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Debugger
Fight bugs to save the motherboard!Intermediate levelGrade: 5+ about 40 minutesTeacher Note:
Students complete several coding challenges that progressively add capabilities to overcome the "bugs" and eventually complete the game.
Teacher Guide
Puzzle Solutions
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Counter Hack
Learn Javascript as you defeat viruses!Advanced levelGrade: 6+ about 60 minutesTeacher Note:
These fun puzzle activities teach core programming concepts such as loops and conditionals, as well as JavaScript syntax.
Teacher Guide
Puzzle Solutions
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Physics Cannon Game
Make a 2-player physics game!Advanced levelGrade: 5-8 about 30 minutesTeacher Note:
Students learn to use physics concepts such as gravity, bounciness, impulse and collisions as they build an Angry Birds™ inspired game using the physics engine.
Teacher Guide
Sample Project
Student Creations
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Pattern Maker
Create programmatic drawingsIntermediate levelGrade: 5-8 about 30 minutesTeacher Note:
Students experiment with pen commands and learn to draw squares, triangles, Spirograph designs and more.
Teacher Guide
Sample Project
Student Creations
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Bird Mayhem
Make a game where birds bounce around the screen.Intermediate levelGrade: 5+ about 30 minutesTeacher Note:
Students use cloning to create more birds and change physics properties to make the birds move and bounce.
Teacher Guide
Sample Project
Student Creations
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Solar System
Program a moving model of the Solar SystemIntermediate levelGrade: 6+ about 40 minutesTeacher Note:
Students follow step-by-step instructions to code an interactive Solar System. They do independent research about the planets and the Sun.
Teacher Guide
Sample Project
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Analog Clock
Create a working analog clockAdvanced levelGrade: 6+ about 40 minutesTeacher Note:
Students follow step-by-step instructions to code an analog clock. This project requires a working understanding of angles and geometry and an ability to apply critical thinking to set up and solve geometry problems.
Teacher Guide
Sample Project
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Toxic Jungle
Use Python to save the toxic jungle!Advanced levelGrade: 7+ about 60 minutesTeacher Note:
In these 20 coding puzzles, students will learn core programming concepts such as loops and conditionals, as well as Python syntax.
Teacher Guide
Puzzle Solutions
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Homophones
Make a storytelling game about homophones!Advanced levelGrade: 6-8 about 30 minutesTeacher Note:
In this STEM project, students will apply what they know about homophones to create an animated storytelling project. Throughout the story, the user will need to choose between two or more homophones to fill in the blank in a line of dialog. The story can’t go on until they choose the correct homophone!
Teacher Guide
Sample Project
Planning Guide
With Tynker’s game-based approach to learning, it's easy to engage students of all ages, interests, and experience levels. Tynker uses structured and open-ended activities that allow children to learn and create.
New to Tynker? Create a free account
Add all your students to a class. Students will be able to access the Hour of Code activities from their dashboard.
Existing Teachers - no prep needed
You're all set! The Hour of Code activities will automatically show up in your students' dashboards during the event. Encourage your students to log in to their accounts during the Hour of Code week to participate. Please spread the word to your fellow teachers.
Sample Sequences
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What Students Do
- Solve game-based coding puzzles to learn the basics
- Follow step-by-step tutorials to create drawing, music, animation, storytelling, physics, and arcade game projects
- Save and publish their creations
- Download the free Tynker App to create and run projects on tablets
What Students Learn
Students use critical thinking and problem solving skills to complete puzzles while learning programming concepts such as sequencing, repetition, and conditional logic. As they create games, stories, and art with code, they learn how to apply these concepts. Students build projects that they’re proud to share with their family and friends. With Tynker, children learn that programming is neither difficult nor boring—it’s a powerful tool that they can use to bring their imagination to life!
Tips for Success
- Pick a sequence of activities based on interests, grade-level and experience
- Encourage students to create - Make a portfolio of games, art, music, comics greetings and more
- Explore other students' creations and discover what they can do
- Don't stop! Continue solving puzzles and making apps from home
Fun Ideas for an Exciting Event
- Plan a Family Hour of Code Showcase! Invite parents, community leaders and school administrators to see the great work you and the students are doing.
- Reach out to the media and turn your Hour of Code into a community success story! Use our press template.
- Post printouts of kids’ custom characters on a bulletin board
- Have a classroom challenge! Showcase the best creations
- For experienced students – pick a theme and ask students to create lessons for each other using Tutorial Designer
Track Student Progress
What Kids are Saying
Additional Resources
- Press release template for schools
- Enhance Learning in All Areas
- Learning To Code Develops Creativity in Kids
- Programming = Better Math Skills + Fun
- Using Tynker District Wide
- Project Based Learning with Tynker
- Getting Girls to Code
- Lunch-time Tynker Club
- After School Coding Club
- Coding in Early Grades
Beyond the Hour of Code
Tynker makes it easy to teach computer programming. The curriculum is organized into grade-specific courses where students move at their own pace through scaffolded lessons to learn concepts and apply them creatively. Tynker includes everything you need to teach programming in a fun, engaging way, including lesson plans, teacher guides, answer keys, and standards alignment.
BeginnerSTEM Project Library
Ready-to-use project templates that integrate coding into what you already teach, across the curriculum.
Refer a Teacher
Help spread the word. Recruit five fellow educators to host an Hour of Code with Tynker and receive a free Tynker lesson for you and your five invitees. Thank you for your support!
Refer other Educators