Chapter 3 - Learning to Loop

Have you ever done something more than once—like clapping your hands three times or brushing your teeth every morning? When we repeat something over and over, we call that a loop in computer science.

Loops help us write code that repeats steps without typing the same thing many times. Instead of saying “walk, walk, walk,” we can say “walk 3 times.” That’s what a loop does—it saves time and keeps our code neat and smart!

3.1 What is a Loop?

A loop is a command that tells the computer to do something again and again.

For example, when we sang “Happy Birthday,” we repeated “Happy birthday to you” many times. That’s a loop!

Or think about brushing your teeth:

• You squeeze the toothpaste
• You wet the toothbrush
• Then you brush your teeth 10 times
• Spit and rinse

That brushing part? It’s a loop!

In computer science, loops help us repeat actions without writing them over and over.

3.2 Playing with Loops

In the game Tool Trouble in the codeSpark Academy app, we met a new character named Woz, who builds things in Fooville. He needs help finding tools like wrenches, and you help him by giving him commands.

At first, you might write:

• Build, Build, Build

But that takes a lot of space. Instead, we can say:

• Loop (Build x3)

That tells Woz to build 3 times using just one loop block!

We use the Test and Learn steps to solve puzzles:

• Understand: What’s the problem? What does Woz need to do?
• Plan: What steps do we want him to take? Can we use a loop?
• Test: Try the code!
• Learn: Did it work? If not, let’s find and fix the mistake!

Using loops helps make our code smaller, smarter, and easier to understand.

3.3 Loops in Real Life

Loops aren’t just in games—they happen all around us! Think about things you do over and over:

• Jumping rope
• Playing a drum
• Walking to school step by step
• Singing a chorus in a song

All of those actions repeat—just like loops in code!

We even practiced with a friend: One person gave loop instructions, and the other acted them out. It was fun to say “Walk right 3 times, jump left, walk right 2 times” instead of every single step.

And just like in coding, we had to think carefully—what comes first? How many times should it repeat? That’s how we learn to be programmers!

3.4 Why Use Loops?

Loops help us:

• Save time
• Use fewer blocks or commands
• Make our code easier to read
• Solve puzzles faster
• Think like real computer scientists!

We also learned that we can even use more than one loop in a single program. That means we can repeat different parts of a task and keep everything nice and neat.

3.5 Let’s Reflect

• What is a loop in coding?
• Why do we use loops instead of repeating steps one by one?
• Can you think of something you do every day that repeats like a loop?
• How do loops help Woz in Tool Trouble?

You did a great job learning loops! Remember: Coding is like solving puzzles, and loops are one of your smartest tools.