Day 5: Finding Essential Details

Build Computational Skills (No Screens Required!)

Author

Ijeoma Ndu
April 05, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes

Abstraction

Hello Techies!

Welcome to our final day of computational thinking activities!

Today we're exploring Abstraction - the powerful skill of identifying what's most important and filtering out unnecessary details.

Today's Activity: Family Symbol Code

What You'll Need:

  • Paper and drawing supplies

  • 15-20 minutes together

How To Play:

  1. Challenge your child to create simple symbols that represent complex ideas:

    • Draw a symbol that means: I'm hungry.

    • Create a symbol for: Let's play outside.

    • Design a symbol that means: I love you.

  2. Create 5-6 symbols together to form your own family communication code.

  3. Practice using your symbols to communicate simple messages.

  4. Display your symbol key somewhere visible and use it throughout the week.

Make It Fun:

  • Create a family emoji board where everyone can point to symbols.

  • Send secret symbol messages to each other.

  • Create symbols for everyday routines or favourite activities.

  • For older kids: design multi-symbol sentences or challenge them to create the simplest possible symbol that still conveys meaning.

Why This Matters

Abstraction is central to computational thinking. Programmers use abstraction to manage complexity by focusing on essential information. This skill helps children develop:

  • The ability to identify what's most important.

  • Skills for communicating complex ideas simply.

  • Creative thinking and representation.

Quick Tip: Point out abstractions in daily life - traffic signs, app icons, or maps. Ask: How does this simple image tell us something complicated?

Congratulations on completing all five computational thinking activities!

These foundational skills will serve your child well in our increasingly digital world, even when practiced completely screen-free.

Your Tech Partner,

Dr. Ijeoma Ndu

This completes our 5-day Computational Thinking Without Screens series.

I hope you enjoyed these activities? Share your experiences by replying to this email.

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