10 Key Benefits of Robotics in Early Childhood Education

By Michael Hilkemeijer

Download With a Difference: Robot Lesson Plans for Preschool

 

 

 

2. Bee-Bot as a School Bus

Activity: Build a street circuit with blocks. Children program a Bee-Bot as a school bus to collect and drop off passengers.

Early Learning Goals:

• Problem-solve and reflect through play (EYLF 4.4).

• Explore directions with a programmable toy (EYLF 4.5).

• Make meaning through role-play (EYLF 5.5).

Extension: Redesign the streets to encourage children to problem-solve new routes.

ICT Resources: Bee-Bot, floor mat, building blocks, toy figures.

Key Learning Area: Language & Literacy — children use positional language (“forward,” “turn left,” “backward”) while sequencing.

💡 Membership impact: Members save planning time with a ready-to-use circuit map and gain ideas from the community on adapting the route for literacy links like storytelling or phonics.

 

 

 

3. Bee-Bot Butterfly Game

Activity: Children design flowers with counters on them. The Bee-Bot (disguised as a butterfly) must collect the counters as if gathering nectar.

Early Learning Goals:

• Problem-solve with a programmable toy (EYLF 4.4, 4.5).

• Engage with ICT through imaginative role-play (EYLF 5.5).

Extension: Add storytelling — e.g., “Our butterfly must visit three flowers before flying home.”

ICT Resources: Bee-Bot, counters, craft flowers, floor mat.

Key Learning Area: Science – Biological Sciences — children learn about pollination while coding.

💡 Membership impact: With the Wisdom Tool, members can instantly find adaptations for diverse learners — from non-verbal children to those needing extra challenge — ensuring the activity is inclusive and effective.

 

 

 

 

4. Abstract Art With Bee-Bot

Activity: Attach multiple coloured markers to a Bee-Bot and let it create abstract lines on cardboard while music plays.

Early Learning Goals:

• Use robotics for play, reflection, and investigation (EYLF 4.4, 4.5).

• Explore art and design with digital tools (EYLF 5.5).

Extension: Children can finish the drawing with paintbrushes and discuss shapes and patterns.

ICT Resources: Bee-Bot, cardboard, markers, paint.

Key Learning Area: Creative Arts — children experiment with technology and music to inspire design.

💡 Membership impact: Each lesson plan is linked to a CPD workshop that explains why activities like this develop higher-order thinking and creativity. Teachers not only save planning time but also log professional learning hours.

 

 

 

5. Bee-Bot Alphabet Hunt

Activity: Place letters of the alphabet around a circuit. Children program Bee-Bot to visit the letters in sequence to spell their name or simple words.

Early Learning Goals:

• Use ICT to problem-solve (EYLF 4.5).

• Engage in language play and communication (EYLF 5.3).

Extension: Create themed hunts (numbers, shapes, or sight words).

ICT Resources: Bee-Bot, floor mat, alphabet cut-outs.

Key Learning Area: Language & Literacy — early spelling and phonics through robotics.

💡 Membership impact: Members share variations in the community — like using Bee-Bot for phonics hunts — building a growing library of literacy-rich robotics ideas.

 

 

 

6. Coding With Nature & Programmable Toys

Activity: Guide Bee-Bots through an outdoor obstacle course made of leaves, rocks, or sticks. Children use coding sequences to navigate.

Early Learning Goals:

• Explore sequencing and problem-solving with ICT (EYLF 4.2, 4.5).

• Collaborate and share discoveries with peers (EYLF 5.1).

Extension: Children design new nature-inspired mazes with extra obstacles or storylines.

ICT Resources: Bee-Bots or Blue-Bots, coding cards, outdoor mats.

Key Learning Area: Science & Technology — children learn direction, prediction, and cause-effect in real environments.

💡 Membership impact: Members link outdoor robotics to professional growth prompts in the workbook, reflecting on how extending learning beyond the classroom builds children’s curiosity and persistence.

 

 

 

 

How Teachers Grow With Robotics Lesson Plans

The same robotics lesson plan grows with you as you progress in your teaching:

• Start small: Download a ready-to-use plan, save time, and gain confidence trying robotics with your class.

• Adapt with confidence: Use the Wisdom Tool and community to adjust the activity for your context — indoors, outdoors, or linked to different subjects.

• Expand into new areas: Build on lesson extensions to integrate robotics into art, literacy, and science, logging CPD hours as you go.

• Inspire others: Share your adapted versions in the community library, becoming a leader who helps other teachers succeed.

This journey is what makes our robotics lesson plans more than activities — they are a pathway for both teacher growth and student learning.

 

 

 

 

24/7 Support Through the Wisdom Tool

The Wisdom Tool gives you answers whenever you need them. Preparing an activity late at night? Searching for adaptations for mixed-ability groups? The tool delivers solutions instantly — often strategies contributed by other members.

• For you: less stress, more confidence, always supported.

• For your activity: more inclusive, adaptable, and effective robotics lessons.

 

 

 

Robotics With a Difference

Free activity ideas are everywhere. But in the ICT in Education Teacher Academy, robotics lesson plans come with a difference:

• A growing database of classroom-ready robotics lesson plans.

• Workshops and CPD hours that explain the “why” behind each activity.

• A community of peers that helps you reflect, adapt, and create new ideas.

• The Wisdom Tool for 24/7 answers and support.

• Observation & Assessment templates to help you track progress and plan next steps.

• Classroom-ready resources that save hours of planning time.

With these layers of guidance, robotics activities move beyond novelty. They become meaningful, adaptable, and transformative for both teacher and child.

 

 

 

Robotics in the Classroom: Insights From Robokids

A few years ago, I interviewed Michelle Miller and Melissa Clarke from Robokids Australia, an award-winning provider of hands-on robotics programs for schools. While some time has passed, the insights they shared remain highly relevant for teachers today. Educators are still grappling with the same challenge: how do we make robotics meaningful in the classroom, rather than letting equipment sit idle on shelves?

 

During our conversation, Michelle and Melissa explained how Robokids began as a school-based program and grew into a national service offering incursions, teacher training, and STEM partnerships. Their story highlights why robotics professional development for teachers is essential — without training, schools often struggle to move beyond novelty and ensure robotics supports real learning outcomes.

 

 

 

What We Learned From Robokids

Here are some of the key learnings from the interview that remain vital today:

• Robotics should connect to the curriculum: Robokids align every module to the Australian Curriculum and STEM outcomes, ensuring robotics isn’t an “extra,” but part of core learning.

• Hands-on and inquiry-based works best: Students are paired with a robot kit and device, encouraged to design, code, and experiment. No two solutions are the same — which makes lessons engaging and student-centred.

• Early childhood robotics builds foundations: Tools like Bee-Bots and Botzees can introduce counting, sequencing, storytelling, and collaboration in developmentally appropriate ways.

• Persistence and confidence are core outcomes: Children thrive when encouraged to keep trying different approaches. Teachers are often surprised to see reluctant learners shine through robotics.

• Robotics can extend literacy and numeracy: Bee-Bots can be coded along number lines for maths, or moved through story sequences for literacy, reinforcing core skills through play.

• Teachers need support as much as students: Expensive robotics kits often go unused because teachers are time-poor and lack training. Robokids solves this with incursions, PD, and assessment rubrics that reduce workload.

 

 

 

Why This Matters for Teachers

The interview underscored that robotics is not just about owning the equipment — it’s about having the confidence, strategies, and professional learning to use it well. That’s where robotics professional development for teachers makes the biggest impact.

For schools, the benefits are clear:

• Robotics lessons can be integrated across KLAs like science, maths, and literacy.

• Students develop both hard skills (coding, sequencing) and soft skills (collaboration, resilience, problem-solving).

• Teachers gain confidence, reduce planning time, and know their activities are curriculum-aligned.

 

 

 

Connecting the Interview to Your Professional Growth

The full Robokids interview recording is available in the Members’ Library of the ICT in Education Teacher Academy. As with every resource, it fits into your professional growth journey:

• Starting out → Learn how robotics can be introduced simply with Bee-Bots. Trial your first robotics activity with support.

• Building confidence → Use the strategies discussed to adapt and extend robotics activities across subjects, and share your reflections in the community.

• Expanding practice → Connect robotics to literacy, numeracy, and STEM outcomes, logging CPD hours with workshops and reflection tools.

• Inspiring others → Share your robotics projects in the community, mentoring colleagues and leading initiatives in your school.

This shows how even a single resource, like this interview, becomes part of your Technology Integrator’s Learning Journey to Transformation.

 

 

 

Robotics With Purpose

Robokids has delivered robotics experiences to more than 120,000 students and teachers across Australia. Their programs show that robotics can build creativity, resilience, and critical thinking when supported by teachers who feel confident in their practice.

 

For members of the ICT in Education Teacher Academy, access to this interview is just one part of a much larger professional learning pathway. Lesson plans, workshops, recordings, and reflection tools work together to make robotics in the classroom both practical and transformative — for teachers and for students.

👉 Join today and explore how robotics can transform your classroom and your professional growth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6 Key Benefits of using Robots in the Early Learning Environment today

 

With the promotion of STEM in early childhood education, robotics for preschoolers brings coding into the early learning environment. A number of benefits of robotics in education associated with this include:

 

1. Coding teaches the literacy of the 21^st century

Coding with robots shows children that they can create with technology.

 

2. Coding develops computational thinking

Children use code to create algorithms and develop their sequencing ability: a foundational skill for reading and mathematics.

 

3. Technology becomes the playground

Children can move and explore in addition to inventing games and stories.

 

4. Robotics makes coding tangible 

With robotics, children’s code affects the physical world.

 

5. Using technology breaks down engineering stereotypes

By engaging young children in coding and robotics activities before these stereotypes begin to take root, you can help them build positive associations with technology and engineering and a self-image as a creator with technology.

 

6. The engineering design process develops grit and perseverance

This process encourages children to identify a problem, imagine and plan a solution, build and test their creation, and share their work with peers.

(Education.com)

 

Further benefits that come with integrating robotics in early childhood education is that it helps close the gender and SES-based gaps in STEM fields.

 

Research has also indicated that social robots such as NAO significant role in teaching children social and emotional skills (Griffith University).

 

Incorporating technology in preschool such as robotics can enhance learning as young children are motivated and engaged in problem solving. It also facilitates group and collaborative work.

 

Young children learn by doing and programming in early childhood education through robotics education enables them to make and test things out as they go. There are many benefits of robotics in education today.

 

How to use robots in Education?

As a teaching tool, robots are very valuable but only if they are used in the proper way. The following guidelines will help you when planning the use of robotics in early childhood education. Each one emphasises the way as to how to use robots in education today.

 

• Have clear objectives – as with any planning to do with technology in preschool, you do need to identify the specific learning objectives that you want the robot to help you achieve and then only use the robot for that purpose.

 

• Use the robots to help with repetitive tasks – repetitive tasks can often become boring for young children so while today’s robots are becoming very good at this why not take advantage of them to do all the repetitive tasks required. This will help you to focus more of your time and attention as an early childhood teacher or practitioner such as educating the children in your care.

 

• Make sure children don’t become too attached to the robot – young children need a lot of human social interaction so it is important to make sure that they understand that like any other technology in preschool, a robot is a tool for learning and not a friend or social companion.

 

• Follow ethical guidelines – any use of technology in preschool needs to stress the ethical use of it and robots are no different. You need to ensure that you follow the ethical guidelines and adhere to the eight guiding principles outlined by DATEC. Children will continue to be exposed to technology in their lives so it important that they do understand the ethical considerations associated with the use of a robot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to Choose the right robot for you?

There is over 59 million Google search results for the term “educational robots” so how do you choose classroom robots that are right for your learning environment?

 

Four categories of robots for classrooms are available and include:

• Physically coded robots;
• Introductory programmable robots;
• Computer programmable robots and;
• Kit-based robots.

 

Physically coded robots

These robots use a physical means of coding instead of screens and therefore are perfect for robotics in early childhood education as they are toy-like in appearance which makes it good for introducing coding basics such as sequence through play-based learning.

 

This type of robot is, therefore, ideal as part of your technology in preschool and kindergarten learning environments.

 

Examples of developmentally appropriate robots include ones that have push buttons such as Bee Bot or Pixie where children can press the buttons to code in directions. There are other types of physically coded robots too, such as robots that are coded using physical ‘coding blocks’. Cubetto is such an example of this type of technology in preschool.

 

The benefit of physically coded robots is that they require children to understand and do less. This is because the robots have their own coding method and do not need a secondary device. They also encourage young children to get down and play with them. Such robots are easier for young children to grasp.

 

 

Introductory programmable robots

These robots introduce children to the idea of software and foundational coding concepts in age-appropriate ways. They have toy-like exteriors, coding applications that feel like games and educational approaches that mix play-based learning with progressive pathways.

 

Examples of this type of robot include Dash robots.

 

Such robots are a mix of play-based and activity-based learning yet still fun to use. Children can transition towards more structured tasks and activities. In order for this to occur, the apps used may contain some form of learning pathway with progressive activities to build a child’s familiarity with the devices plus build up their coding skills.

 

It will be important that you explicitly teach the coding concepts and point them out as children encounter them.

 

 

 

 

10 Practical Science and Technology Activities for Preschool

In early learning, children’s natural curiosity makes every discovery an opportunity for growth. When science and technology are combined, that curiosity transforms into meaningful learning. Teachers often look for STEM technology activities for preschoolers that are easy to set up, engaging for children, and purposeful for outcomes. The activities below are drawn directly from our membership. Each one is classroom-ready, with downloadable lesson plans that connect to your professional growth while giving children experiences they will love.

 

 

1. QR Code Nature Hunt

Place QR codes around your outdoor area, attaching them to trees, rocks, or flower pots. Children are given tablets to scan the codes, which reveal fun facts, short riddles, or images that link to the object they’ve found. You can adapt this activity by hiding different types of clues — from simple numbers for counting to animal pictures for classification.

This activity combines digital exploration with environmental science. Children practice observation, problem-solving, and classification while building confidence with technology. Teachers can record how children respond to clues and work in pairs to share devices.

📘 In the membership, you can download the full lesson plan with EYLF-linked goals, observation templates, and reflection prompts for your professional growth.

 

 

2. Digital Nature Walk and Photography

Take children outdoors with tablets or digital cameras to photograph objects like leaves, stones, or insects. Provide clipboards so they can sketch their observations alongside the photos, then return to the classroom to sort images into categories such as colour, size, or shape.

This activity blends science and technology while building research and classification skills. It encourages teamwork and develops descriptive language as children explain their findings. Teachers can use photos as evidence for portfolios or group reflection.

📘 The downloadable lesson plan in the membership provides assessment templates and professional reflection prompts to connect this activity to CPD hours.

 

 

 

3. Augmented Reality Outdoor Activity

Using an AR app on a tablet, children explore their outdoor environment while digital overlays appear on screen — such as animals, weather patterns, or even planets in the sky. Prepare a few “stations” for children to rotate between, with each one revealing a new AR element.

This creates immersive, inquiry-based learning where children connect play to scientific observation. It builds questioning, curiosity, and discussion. Teachers can track how children respond to digital overlays and link them back to real-world knowledge.

📘 Members can download the full lesson plan, which includes learning goals, assessment tools, and reflection prompts to deepen teaching practice.

 

 

 

4. Sorting Animals With Digital Tools

Display images of animals on an interactive whiteboard or tablet. Ask children to sort them into groups such as land, water, or air. As they refine their groups, encourage them to explain their reasoning and use photos or digital cards to reorganise categories.

This activity strengthens scientific classification while also building digital skills. Children practise making predictions, testing ideas, and explaining their reasoning, which develops vocabulary and confidence. Teachers can observe how children justify their decisions.

📘 The membership version includes a downloadable lesson plan with rubrics for assessment and prompts for adapting the activity to different learning levels.

 

 

5. Taking Apart a Computer

Provide old but safe computer parts such as keyboards, circuit boards, and mice. With supervision, children explore the pieces, discuss what they might do, and compare them to parts of everyday devices they use at home.

This activity builds early technology literacy and sparks curiosity about how machines work. It encourages questioning and develops problem-solving skills as children connect parts to functions. Teachers can observe how children use descriptive language and test their ideas.

📘 The membership download includes observation tools, EYLF links, and reflection prompts to support both planning and professional growth.

 

 

 

 

 

6. Digital Storytelling Outdoors

Take children on a short outdoor adventure and encourage them to capture photos or short video clips along the way. Back inside, help them sequence the images to create a digital story, adding narration or captions.

This activity integrates science, literacy, and technology, encouraging collaboration and oral language skills. It gives children ownership of their learning while building sequencing and narrative skills. Teachers gain authentic documentation of learning to share with families.

📘 Members can download the full lesson plan, complete with professional learning links, reflection prompts, and EYLF-linked goals.

 

 

 

7. Plant Growth Time-Lapse

Plant seeds in transparent containers so children can observe root and stem growth. Each day, children take a photo of their plant using a tablet, then compile the photos into a time-lapse video to review as a group.

This activity makes scientific processes visible and helps children understand change over time. It supports prediction and descriptive language skills, while technology enhances reflection. Teachers can document how children notice and discuss growth stages.

📘 The membership download provides observation tables and CPD-linked reflection tools, helping you connect classroom science directly to professional growth.

 

 

8. Magnet Exploration Station

Set up a tray with magnets and a mix of materials: coins, paperclips, plastic blocks, wood pieces, and fabric scraps. Ask children to predict which items will attract, then test and record results using drawings or a photo tally.

This activity connects physical science with technology for documentation. Children expand their vocabulary and reasoning skills, learning words like “attract” and “repel.” Teachers can track persistence and problem-solving in small groups.

📘 In the membership, this activity comes as a full lesson plan with EYLF links, assessment rubrics, and professional reflection prompts.

 

 

 

9. Shadow Tracing With Tablets

Provide torches, objects, and large sheets of paper for children to create and trace shadows. Encourage them to move objects to change the shadows and then use a tablet to photograph their work for comparison.

This introduces children to the science of light and angles, while technology helps them document and share results. Teachers can observe curiosity and descriptive language as children explain shadow changes.

📘 The membership lesson plan includes reflection tools and CPD workshop connections, giving you practical ways to improve and extend this activity.

 

 

10. Coding With Nature and Programmable Toys

Create obstacle courses from sticks, leaves, and rocks. Children use Bee-Bots or Dash Dots to navigate, testing and refining their coding sequences until the robot completes the course.

This activity blends coding with environmental science. It develops persistence, teamwork, and reasoning, giving children a chance to problem-solve in creative ways. Teachers can document sequencing and collaboration during play.

📘 Members can download the full lesson plan, with EYLF-linked goals, observation tables, and CPD connections to professional growth.

 

 

Why Membership Makes the Difference

These activities are more than fun ideas. In the ICT in Education Teacher Academy, every activity comes as a detailed lesson plan with:

• Clear learning goals linked to EYLF.

• Observation and assessment tools.

• Reflection prompts that guide professional growth.

• CPD workshops connected to classroom practice.

• Access to the Wisdom Tool and community for support and inspiration.

 

 

Your Next Step

These activities are designed to help children explore science and technology while supporting your growth as a teacher.

👉 Trial the membership for $20 AUD per month — cancel anytime, risk free.
👉 Or switch to the annual plan for $200 AUD and save $40 instantly (2 months free).

Are you ready to start downloading detailed STEM lesson plans that save you time and grow your confidence?

 

 

 

 

Why Robotics in Education Needs More Than Free Ideas

The conversation about robotics in education is no longer about whether robotics belongs in classrooms. The real question is how teachers can use it effectively to save time, meet curriculum requirements, and give children learning experiences that build confidence and problem-solving skills. Free activities may spark interest, but they rarely provide the structure, assessment, and professional growth that teachers need.

 

 

What Teachers and Children Gain

• A robot lesson plan for preschool gives teachers a ready-made activity with goals, resources, and assessments already included. This means less time planning and more time observing how children learn.

• Robotics activities for preschoolers link play to purposeful outcomes such as sequencing, collaboration, and persistence. Children learn through experimentation while teachers gain confidence in their ability to guide the process.

• Robotics in early childhood education ensures tools like Bee-Bots and Dash Dots are used meaningfully for counting, storytelling, and teamwork. These experiences are engaging and developmentally appropriate.

• Educational robots in primary classrooms introduce children to coding languages that progress from block-based programs to Python. Teachers can see a clear pathway of skills building year after year.

• Robotics professional development for teachers turns every lesson into CPD. Members log professional learning hours while they teach, making professional growth practical and directly connected to classroom practice.

• Robots in education have the greatest impact when paired with reflection, observation, and community support. Teachers are never left to figure it out alone.

 

Why Membership Makes the Difference

The ICT in Education Teacher Academy provides more than activity ideas. It offers a complete professional learning journey where every lesson plan, workshop, and recording is part of a pathway that helps teachers grow in confidence while children thrive in their learning.

Inside the membership you will find:

• Classroom-ready robotics lesson plans that save hours of planning.

• Workshops that connect directly to CPD hours you can log.

• Reflection prompts and assessment tools that make tracking progress easier.

• A supportive community where educators share, adapt, and create new ideas.

• The Wisdom Tool — a 24/7 resource for instant answers and inspiration.

With these supports, robotics stops being an occasional novelty and becomes an integral part of teaching and learning.

Take the Next Step

Membership is risk-free and designed to work for busy teachers.

👉 Try it for $20 AUD per month — cancel anytime if it’s not right for you.
👉 Or switch to the annual plan for $200 AUD and save $40 instantly (2 months free).

 

Are you ready to move beyond free activities and make robotics a powerful part of your professional growth and classroom practice?