Robot Turtles

About this board game

Robot Turtles is a programming-themed board game for 2-5 players, ages 3-8, with games lasting about 15 minutes. Children guide turtles through mazes by playing instruction cards, while a grown-up carries out their commands on the board.

Each player becomes a Turtle Master and takes a turtle along with its matching deck of cards. Players build a maze using walls and a jewel, then place their cards face up in piles so they can create a program as the game progresses.

The youngest Turtle Master goes first by playing the first card and moving, or having a parent move, the turtle accordingly. Players continue adding instructions as they work toward the jewel. If a command does not produce the expected result, they can call “Undo!” and debug their program.

• Play instruction cards to direct a turtle through a maze.
• Build programs step by step on the table.
• Use “Undo!” to correct mistakes and explore debugging.
• Let children take control while grown-ups execute the commands.

Behind the playful turtle theme, Robot Turtles introduces the fundamentals of programming in a hands-on way. The cards represent instructions, the grown-up acts as the computer, and the child learns to think through commands and corrections.

At its heart, Robot Turtles is a game about bossing around adults. Its simple play makes programming concepts approachable while giving children the fun of directing turtles through a maze toward a jewel.