From Turtles to Tape Decks: The Evolution of Kids' Coding Languages

As a child, I was fascinated by computers. My early experiences with coding gave me confidence that I could create something new, not just interact with technology. Today, we use computers in almost every aspect of our lives. From home to work and even in our pockets, they have become an integral part of our daily routines.

Growing up, my parents questioned how coding would ever benefit a nine-year-old like me. It was indeed futuristic and impractical when kids programming on computers first emerged in the 1960s with Logo. Designed by Seymour Papert and researchers at MIT, Logo aimed to make coding less intimidating yet just as powerful and expressive.

Fast forward to today, we celebrate fifty years of coding languages for kids with a very special creation: our first ever kids-focused coding Google Doodle! Meet the 'Tape Deck Doodle' - an interactive adventure where you can program and help a furry friend gather its favorite food by snapping together coding blocks based on Scratch. This new language builds upon Papert's early ideas about kids and computers, allowing children to develop confidence and fluency with modern technology.

The concept of kids' coding languages is rooted in the vision of Papert and his colleagues who saw coding as a way for kids to explore math and science concepts through programming. With Logo, children could program the movements of a turtle, giving them the opportunity to learn and create something new. This innovative approach has come a long way since its inception in the 1960s.

We invited Champika Fernando, one of the project's most passionate collaborators at MIT, to share her thoughts on the importance of kids' coding languages: 'Coding for kids is not just about teaching them how to code; it's about giving them the confidence and fluency with a powerful technology that will be ubiquitous in their lives.'

Today, we celebrate fifty years since kids programming languages were first introduced to the world. This special creation, the 'Tape Deck Doodle,' was developed through the close teamwork of three teams: the Google Doodle team, the Google Blockly team, and researchers from Computer Science Education Week.

So, what are you waiting for? Join the celebration and take a journey with our furry friend across six levels to gather carrots while learning how to code!

Tapedeck doodle