Grasshopper: Learn to Code helps kids practice and improve the following skills:

Planning

Developing a systematic approach for setting and achieving goals.

The deeper into the app the user gets, the more the lessons talk about using as few lines of code as possible. Even earlier in the lessons, the player needs to have a mental image of what they are going to do. In both cases, this means the player is using both their problem solving skills and their short-term planning skills. As they advance, and the amount of code they are writing can get longer, they will also stretch into using longer-term planning skills. If they don’t plan things out, they will miss commands or accidentally add errors into their code.

Working Memory

Recalling and retaining information in our minds while working.

As with any class, the lessons in this app build on each other. That means that the user needs to use their working memory skills in order to retain what they learned in previous lessons. If they don’t work to improve their forgetfulness, they will forget previous lessons and the new lesson will not make much sense. The user also needs to be able to follow directions to do the proper coding and complete the exercise in each lesson. If they can’t follow the directions, the next lesson will not unlock. They will also find it hard to earn badges and level up.