Year 1 computing: what your child learns
In Year 1, children aged 5 and 6 learn that a computer only does what it is told. They give a character instructions one step at a time, find out that the order of the steps matters, spot the step that went wrong and fix it, and learn simple rules for staying safe online. Most of it is pressing, dragging and watching what happens: there is no typing of code yet.
Year 1 and Year 2 coding lessons can be tried with no account. The full platform is £15 a month for up to two children after 7 days free.
The six Year 1 coding courses
Each course is a set of short, step-by-step lessons your child works through at their own pace. This is what each one covers.
1.Make Something Move
Press, click and tap, and watch things happen on screen: the first link between what you do and what the computer does.
- Input and output
- Cause and effect
The 6 lessons
- Click → Something Happens
- Press a Key → Control It
- Make It Move Automatically
- Change What Happens
- Add Interaction (Game Feel)
- Build Your Own Mini Creation
2.Give the Instructions
Tell an animal partner exactly what to do, one step at a time, to steer it round hazards, collect stars and reach the flag.
- Algorithms
- Sequence
- Planning a route
The 7 lessons
- Choose Your Partner
- One Step at a Time
- Which Way?
- More Steps, More Fun
- Watch Out!
- Collect the Stars
- Plan the Whole Path
3.Fix What's Broken
Spot which instruction caused the wrong result, put steps back in order, add a missing step and predict what will happen before pressing run.
- Bugs and debugging
- Predicting
The 6 lessons
- What Went Wrong?
- Put It Back in Order
- Missing Step Mission
- Wrong Button, Wrong Result
- Fix the Robot Routine
- Build and Break
4.Spot the Pattern
Help CryptoCat notice, predict and copy patterns of instructions, find the part that repeats, repair broken patterns and make new ones.
- Patterns
- Repetition
- Debugging
The 6 lessons
- What Comes Next?
- Copy the Code Pattern
- Find the Repeating Bit
- Pattern Runner
- Fix the Broken Pattern
- Build Your Own Pattern Program
5.Make Something Cool
Draw a one-of-a-kind character, build its world, choose simple game rules, then test it, improve it and save a playable creation.
- Creating digital content
- Testing and improving
The 6 lessons
- Imagine Your Game
- Draw Your Hero
- Build Your World
- Make It Work
- Test and Improve
- Finish and Show It
6.Stay Safe Online
Join the Safety Squad: keep personal information private, make kind choices online, look after devices and learn that AI can help but can be wrong.
- Private information
- Telling a trusted grown-up
- Using AI safely
The 6 lessons
- Meet Your Safety Team
- Protect Private Things
- Safe and Kind Online
- Look After Your Device
- Meet the AI Helper
- Save Shield City
Words your child will meet in Year 1
If your child comes home using these words, this is what they mean.
- Instruction
- One thing to do, such as “move forward one square”.
- Algorithm
- A list of instructions in the right order to get something done.
- Sequence
- The order the instructions happen in. Change the order and the result changes.
- Bug
- A mistake in the instructions that makes something go wrong.
- Debug
- Find the mistake and fix it, then try again.
- Private information
- Things like your full name, address and school, which you keep to yourself online.
What the National Curriculum asks for
England's computing curriculum is written for each key stage, not each year. Year 1 is in Key Stage 1 (Years 1 and 2), and each school decides what to teach in which year, so your child's class may cover these topics in a different order. The Year 1 courses above support these statements:
- “Understand what algorithms are; how they are implemented as programs on digital devices; and that programs execute by following precise and unambiguous instructions”
- “Create and debug simple programs”
- “Use logical reasoning to predict the behaviour of simple programs”
- “Use technology purposefully to create, organise, store, manipulate and retrieve digital content”
- “Use technology safely and respectfully, keeping personal information private; identify where to go for help and support when they have concerns about content or contact on the internet or other online technologies”
Free to try now, no account
Year 1 coding lessons can be tried free on our Start Learning page, alongside these games.
Free Year 1 and Year 2 coding lessonsPick Year 1, then any course. No sign-up, no download.Start learning →
🗺️ Path Finder
Plan Foxy's whole route with arrows, then run it and debug.
Ages 5–7
🤖 Robot Routine
Copy a dance pattern command by command; order matters.
Ages 5–7
🐞 Build-A-Bug
Design a bug, then program a routine of up to 20 dance moves.
Ages 5–7
🦘 Kangaroo Keys
Press the letter you see to make Kiki jump. Easy starts with a to e.
Ages 5–8
How to help with Year 1 computing at home
Be the robot
Ask your child to give you instructions to walk to the door, and follow them exactly, even the wrong ones. When you bump into the sofa, ask which step needs fixing. That is debugging.
Predict before you press
Before your child presses Run in a coding game, ask: where do you think it will end up? Saying it first turns guessing into reasoning.
Agree who to tell
Decide together which grown-up your child tells if something online worries them, and practise the Year 1 rule: stop, close it and tell.
All six Year 1 courses, and every other year
The membership includes every course on this page and the other five years, so your child can go back over something or move ahead when they are ready.
- 36 coding courses, six for each year from Year 1 to Year 6
- A live online lesson with a teacher, Wednesdays 5–6pm UK time
- Daily Maths & English practice
- A parent dashboard showing what your child has done
£15 a month, up to two children
7 days free, then £15 a month for up to two children (£7.50 a month for each extra child). Card needed; cancel any time.