Abstract
Codable robots, small electronic devices programmed with software or apps, have become popular toys for children to play with at home. During play, children learn about coding by programming their robot to move and behave however they choose. But given the novelty of coding, children may face impasses when coding their robot to behave in these desired ways. In these moments, they turn to social partners for assistance - and in the home that’s often parents. Although parents are critical learning partners, they may have little prior knowledge about coding. Therefore, this study examines how parents help their children overcome coding challenges during codable robot play. We delivered codable robots to families’ homes in the Chicago area. Over a Zoom session, we provided parents and children with a brief tutorial and facilitated their participation in a playful computational activity with the robot. During these sessions we took field notes documenting moments when children faced challenges in coding their robot to behave in desired ways. We have conducted qualitative Interaction Analysis on several of these moments. Initial findings suggest that parents support their children in accomplishing their coding goals by demonstrating strategies that involve physically moving their bodies and using objects from the home. These strategies provide an accessible way for parents and children to understand their code and achieve their goals for their robot’s behaviors even if both partners have limited prior coding knowledge. Ultimately, these strategies support children’s learning, keep their play positive, and motivates children to keep exploring code.