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The Sphero Indi Robot is a hands-on robotics tool designed for early learners to explore coding, sequencing, and problem-solving without using screens. Students program the robot by placing color-coded tiles that tell the robot how to move, helping them learn computational thinking through play and exploration.
Best for
Best for
Grades: PK–2 (can extend into Grade 3)
Subjects: STEAM, Math, Coding, Problem Solving
📚 Ready-to-Teach Lessons
📚 Ready-to-Teach Lessons
Complete lesson plans include Oklahoma Academic Standards, teacher directions, differentiation, assessment, student printables, and an Indi planning/debugging activity.
Pre-K
📖 Drive the Story
📖 Drive the Story
Reading • 30–40 minutes
Students retell major events from a familiar read-aloud by programming Indi to travel through story events in order.
🔢 Color Pattern Road
🔢 Color Pattern Road
Math • 25–35 minutes
Students recognize, duplicate, and extend repeating patterns while creating a colorful road for Indi.
Oklahoma Academic Standard: PK.A.1.2
Kindergarten
Kindergarten
📖 Beginning, Middle, End Road
📖 Beginning, Middle, End Road
Reading • 35–45 minutes
Students sequence the beginning, middle, and end of a familiar story and program Indi to travel through the events in order.
Oklahoma Academic Standard: K.2.R.3
🔢 Number Road to 10
🔢 Number Road to 10
Math • 30–40 minutes
Students connect numerals to quantities by programming Indi to visit number stops and representing each number in different ways.
Oklahoma Academic Standard: K.N.1.6
1st Grade
1st Grade
📖 Plot Path
📖 Plot Path
Reading • 40–50 minutes
Students sequence and retell the beginning, middle, and end of a story while programming Indi to travel through important plot events.
Oklahoma Academic Standard: 1.2.R.3
➕ Solve It and Drive It
➕ Solve It and Drive It
Math • 40–50 minutes
Students solve addition and subtraction problems within 10 and program Indi to travel to the correct solution.
Oklahoma Academic Standard: 1.N.2.1
2nd Grade
2nd Grade
📖 Story Summary Route
📖 Story Summary Route
Reading • 45–55 minutes
Students identify the most important plot events and create an Indi route that helps them develop a concise beginning-middle-end summary.
Oklahoma Academic Standard: 2.2.R.3
➕ Answer City
➕ Answer City
Math • 45–60 minutes
Students solve two-digit addition and subtraction problems and program Indi to reach the destination displaying the correct answer.
Oklahoma Academic Standard: 2.N.2.5
What This Tool Helps You Do
What This Tool Helps You Do
Introduce coding and computational thinking
Teach sequencing and cause-and-effect relationships
Develop problem-solving and logical thinking
Support hands-on STEAM learning
Encourage collaboration and teamwork
How to Use This Tool
How to Use This Tool
Step 1
Turn on the Indi robot.
Step 2
Place the color coding tiles on the floor or table.
Step 3
Arrange tiles to create a path or challenge.
Step 4
Place the robot on the starting tile.
Step 5
Observe how the robot follows the programmed path.
Classroom Ideas
Classroom Ideas
Coding pathway challenges
Maze navigation activities
Problem-solving challenges
Collaborative robot obstacle courses
Sequencing activities connected to math or reading lessons
Math
Math
Students practice counting, sequencing, and patterns by designing robot paths.
STEM
STEM
Students explore computational thinking and problem-solving through robot challenges.
Materials Needed
Materials Needed
Indi robot
Color coding tiles
Charging cable
Optional coding challenge cards or mats
Helpful Tips
Helpful Tips
Start with simple straight paths before adding turns and challenges.
Have students predict the robot’s movement before testing their coding path.
Use tape or mats to create coding challenges and mazes.
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