Learning code through sweets

Japanese sweet company, Glico, has created a game which encourages children to code with their products.

Here at Springwise, we don’t have enough fingers and toes to count the number of innovations we’ve covered that are designed to teach children how to code. Two recent examples are lego-style blocks which children use in combination with an app to learn code, and a bracelet with programable jewelry that encourages teenage girls to get coding. Now, backed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the Japanese snack brand, Glico, has created a game called GLICODE which encourages children to start coding.

The kids arrange Pocky (the long, thin chocolate or strawberry coated stick shaped biscuits) and other Glico sweets into patterns and formations on a mat and take a photo of their creation using their smartphone. Once uploaded, the app translates the formations into commands for the game’s cartoon figure to follow.

Growing up surrounded by technology, today’s children are so-called ‘digital natives’. Will we see more innovative ideas that tap into their skills and creativity in this way?