Coding – using flowcharts and timers to create computer programmes
In our computing lessons, Year 3 have been learning about coding. To begin with, the children used flowcharts to develop their understanding of how programmers plan and organise ideas. Flowcharts help to show the order of steps in an algorithm and understand how computers follow instructions.
The children then wrote simple processes to make objects move on screen. Through this, they learned that programs only work properly when instructions are clear and in the correct order. As they experimented, they discovered that many actions in coding depend on other actions happening first. For example, an object might only move after something else has taken place or once a certain condition has been met.
The children then explored how timers help programmers control both when and how often things happen. They used “after” timers to trigger an action once a set amount of time had passed, and “every” timers to make actions repeat at regular intervals.
As part of learning coding, the children also focused on the importance of debugging. Debugging is when coders spot and fix mistakes in the code. They learned that errors are a normal part of programming and that testing, checking flowcharts, and making small changes to the code helps improve their work. Debugging encouraged resilience, problem‑solving, and careful thinking as the children had to work out why something didn’t behave as expected and how to correct it.
By working through the different challenges, the children built upon their skills to create and refine their own simple programs. The children really enjoyed writing and testing code and this learning builds strong foundations in computational thinking, reasoning skills and creativity in a fun and engaging way.
