BILLUND, Denmark--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, LEGO® Education announces Coding Express, the newest early learning solution in its hands-on LEGO learning portfolio. Coding Express is an intuitive and versatile solution based on a LEGO® DUPLO® brick train set that comes to life when children use the five new action bricks. The concept builds foundational coding and transferrable skills, including collaboration and problem solving, for the youngest learners through activities that introduce concepts of sequencing, looping and more. The new solution brings together physical and digital play with the addition of a child-directed app that allows children to explore emotions, journeys, music and math, inspiring their physical play with the LEGO® DUPLO® brick set.
“With the launch of Coding Express, we are excited to further extend our education portfolio and introduce fundamental coding and STEAM concepts to the youngest learners,” said Esben Stærk Jørgensen, president of LEGO Education. “The launch of Coding Express comes on the heels of the 10th anniversary of LEGO Education WeDo 2.0 and the 20th anniversary of LEGO MINDSTORMS which have been used in classrooms around the world to promote essential STEAM and coding concepts in primary and secondary schools. There is no better time than today to ensure the youngest learners also have access to a relevant, fun, and engaging way to learn these foundational skills and to develop 21st century skills which we know will prepare them for a lifetime of successful learning.”
Coding Express is accompanied by the LEGO Education Coding Express Teacher Guide, which features eight lessons for classroom use and created with national standards and guidelines. Action bricks and switches are used to make the train go to exciting places or react in certain ways. The children work in groups interacting with the train as they place the action bricks around the tracks to sound the horn, turn the lights on and off, pause and refuel, change direction, plan a route and stop the train wherever they like.
While teachers and students benefit from LEGO Education’s hands-on learning solutions, including Coding Express, parents also recognize the benefits. According to a new study from the LEGO Group that surveyed almost 13,000 parents and children on the role of play, parents rank playful learning as the number one education technique, and children agree they learn better when play is involved. Four in five children agree they learn better when play is involved. Almost all surveyed parents (95%) believe play is essential for children’s wellbeing, and four in five (82%) think that children who play more will be more successful in future studies and work. Further, while parents agree that spending time playing with their children makes families happier, they admit to struggling to prioritize playtime with their children due to hectic daily schedules. Because of this, maximizing playful learning opportunities in the classroom is extremely important.
Each Coding Express set is designed to be used for up to six children at a time. Coding Express will be available in US and China by October 2018. For all other markets it will be available through spring of 2019.
Visit LEGOeducation.com/CodingExpress or contact your local LEGO Education distributor to learn more.
About LEGO Education
LEGO Education provides hands-on,
playful learning tools that engage every student's natural curiosity,
and helps them develop the critical 21st century skills and
confidence they'll need in the future. Discover more at LEGOeducation.com.
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