Google teaches children to code by playing with blocks

The Project Bloks consists of a set of blocks that children can put together to control other toys and at the same time learn about coding and programming.

Google's Creative Lab has collaborated with IDEO and Paulo Blikstein from Stanford University to come up with a toy system that will teach children how to code not in front of the computer, but by building with bricks.

Project Bloks consists of blocks that can be connected to control another toy. With this kind of tangible programming and physical play, it becomes easier to teach children the basics and logic of coding.

At the heart of Project Bloks is a brain board that uses the Raspberry Pi Zero CPU that provides the power to the other blocks, which are called pucks and bases.

The pucks have no active electronic components, but they provide the basic programming commands, which can be static or interactive. These come in the form of dials, switches and buttons.

The bases, on the other hand, get the instructions from the pucks and deliver them to the brain board, which would then execute the command. These are equipped with haptic motors and LEDs that give the user visual and real-time look of the actions taking place.

By combining the pucks, bases and the brain board, children can then use his model to control another toy such as the Lego WeDo 2.0 robot.

While Google has made it clear that the company does not intend to enter the toy market soon, it hopes that toy manufacturers would find the technology behind Project Bloks beneficial for future toys and games that aim to teach children about coding and programming.

Google is not the first company that has developed a toy system that combines play with learning. Wonder Workshop's Dash, for example, is a robot that teaches users how to code. Israel-based Brixo has also incorporated innovative technology into building blocks to provide children with a more fun, educational and interactive experience.