Exploring Computational Thinking in Early Childhood: A Game-Based Approach Between Skills and Thinking

Current early childhood computational thinking interventions focus mainly on isolated coding activities, leaving foundational cognitive constructs underdeveloped. This study presents a pedagogical framework for children aged 3-7 years integrating narrative-driven instruction with hands-on manipulation to reinforce six computational thinking constructs: Abstraction, Decomposition, Algorithmic Thinking, Pattern Recognition, Error Evaluation and Resolution, and Generalization. Drawing from Bruno Munari's laboratory pedagogy, the intervention employs the SixBricks tool within the adventures of a friendly machine character. Pilot implementations across formal educational settings and informal contexts demonstrated high engagement levels, pedagogical alignment with early childhood practices, and enhanced student performance with subsequent plugged tools. Results show the framework's effectiveness in developing comprehensive computational thinking foundations without requiring digital infrastructure. This provides an accessible alternative to fragmented coding approaches currently prevalent in early childhood education and supports the future Randomized Control Trial to evaluate its impact.