If your child could design their own game, what would be in it? Sharks? Planets? Doughnuts with unicorn horns?
In this free code-along for Years 1 and 2 (ages 5 to 7), your child designs a game where things float up the screen and you tap them to pop them. You build it together using Gemini, Google’s free AI. There’s no coding and nothing to install.
What happens
Your child is the game designer. They decide what it looks like, what floats up the screen and what the rules are. You type their ideas in, and the AI builds it.
The AI will build whatever you describe. And by the end they’ll have a game they can keep playing, and you can share it with family if you’d like to.
Why it’s worth doing
Anything your child doesn’t say, the AI guesses, so when the game comes back with purple bubbles and they wanted orange ones, they get to work out what they need to say differently.
That’s really good practice at planning, describing things clearly and fixing one thing at a time. It’s harder than it sounds, for grown-ups too.
You’ll also get a good look at how this kind of AI works. It does what it’s told and guesses the rest.
What your child will learn
The main aim is for your child to plan what they want and describe it clearly enough for someone else to make it. Along the way:
- I can plan what I want my game to look like and how it works
- I can describe my plan out loud so someone else can make it
- I can spot what’s different between my plan and what was made
- I can say what I want changed, one thing at a time
- I can use describing words for colour, size, speed and shape
- I can say what happens first, next and last
If you’re curious how it fits with school, it links to the Key Stage 1 national curriculum in England for spoken language (describing and explaining clearly), art and design (using drawing to share ideas) and computing (computers need clear instructions).
How long it takes
About an hour, plus 10 minutes for you to get set up before you start. If you need to you can split over multiple sessions, but be aware that depending on your Google settings it might be that you lose progress.
| Step | Time | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Before you start (just you) | 10 min | Get set up and see how it all works |
| 1. You’re the game designer | 5 min | Play a very boring game and talk about what you’d change |
| 2. Design how it looks | 10 min | Draw it and pick the colours, the background and what floats up |
| 3. Tell the computer | 5 to 10 min | Describe it to the AI and see what you get |
| 4. Make it match | 10 min | Fix what’s different, one thing at a time |
| 5. Decide how it plays | 10 min | Choose the rules |
| 6. Add the rules | 10 min | Add them one by one and try them out |
| 7. Share and look back | 5 min | Save it, decide whether to share it, and celebrate |
What you need
You’ll need a laptop or computer with internet, and a free Google account. It’s your account and you do the typing. Phones aren’t great for this, because the games were buggy on mobile when we tested them.
You’ll also want paper and pencils or crayons. There are design sheets to print if you’d like them, but a blank piece of paper works just as well.
Gemini and Google Sites are both free. The free version of Gemini does have limits on how much you can use it, so if it stops for a bit, you might need to come back later.
How it works
Each step has a short video. Watch it together, pause, do the task, then carry on.
You’re at the keyboard, but your child makes the decisions, even the silly ones. If they forget to mention something don’t fill the gaps for them. Seeing what the AI does with the gaps is half the fun, and it’s where most of the learning happens.
There’s a parent guide for every step, with questions to ask and some help for when your child gets stuck.
Downloads
Questions parents ask
Is my child coding?
No. Your child designs the game and you describe it to the AI, which writes the code.
Will my child be using AI on their own?
No. You use your own Google account and you do the typing.
Is it safe?
Keep names, schools and places out of anything you type. Sharing the game at the end is up to you. Anyone with the link can open it, so it’s best to send it to family rather than post it publicly.
Does it cost anything?
No. Gemini and Google Sites are both free, although the free version of Gemini has usage limits.
Can we do it over two days?
Yes. Step 4 is a good place to stop. Download a copy of the game first so you don’t lose it.
More code-alongs
This is our first one. More on the way soon, and newsletter subscribers will hear about it first.