Conference Program

Young children’s access to play has decreased significantly due to mass adoption of scripted curricula, standardized testing, and a movement away from educational experiences centered on the development of the whole child (Miller & Almon, 2009). There is also an increased need to integrate computer science (CS) learning into preschool education, something that has been overlooked by most CS initiatives (Harper et al., 2024; Smith, 2016). This presentation will focus on how play experiences implemented through PlayBots provided opportunities for rural preschoolers in the Southeastern United States to develop a sense of belonging in computer science (CS) while building social-emotional skills. PlayBots is a series of play-based experiences co-developed with educators to foster computational thinking, social-emotional competencies, and a sense of belonging in CS among young children. PlayBots embeds foundational computational thinking concepts (Bers, 2021) within unplugged and low-tech multimodal experiences (e.g., individual and cooperative play, culminating activities, project work, small group instruction, read-alouds, and daily routines). PlayBots evolved from a larger preschool computational thinking program built within a research-practice partnership funded by the National Science Foundation: Computer Science for All Program (see crraft.org; Harper et al. 2023, 2024) and is available online open access for early childhood educators.

Over ten weeks, educators in six rural preschool classrooms spent time implementing and documenting PlayBots activities and experiences. In dramatic play, children acted like computer scientists as they developed play scenarios using real CS props to solve problems. Children chose different computer scientists identification badges of important STEM figures to wear as they engaged in work tasks. They used clipboards, paper, and writing tools to represent their ideas. In the block center, children played Let’s go Code!, using foam mats and large coding cards to build programs and move their bodies. They also explored the functions and capabilities of different robots (Bee-Bot, Robot Mouse, Code-a-Pillar, etc.), developed programs with coding cards, and constructed homes and mazes for robots with blocks and magnetic tiles. Throughout different spaces in the classrooms, children collaborated as they implemented the design process to build individual and shared robot prototypes from recyclables and loose parts (Nicholson, 1971, 1972). Children worked together to identify problems their robots could solve in the school or community.

This presentation will highlight vignettes created through educators’ documentation and video clips created through 360-degree camera recordings located in six preschool classrooms. These vignettes of children’s interactions and engagement with CS-focused play materials demonstrate how integrating more intentional play-based learning and making thoughtful environmental adaptations to classroom spaces enhanced social-emotional learning and a sense of belonging in CS. Providing more play-based CS activities in rural preschools allows for more democratic participation in CS and play among young children, particularly those with limited or no access to CS education (Childs et al., 2024; Harper et al., 2024).