Celebrating 10 Years of micro:bit: 10 Ways We Bring It to Life at Jam Coding

The micro:bit is turning 10, and at Jam Coding we’re celebrating a decade of this brilliant little piece of technology inspiring young people to create, experiment and code.

But for us, the micro:bit isn’t just something we’re celebrating on its birthday. We celebrate what the micro:bit can do every day of the year, using it throughout our computing curriculum to bring digital learning to life.

From building recycled musical instruments to creating games and programming robots, here are 10 ways our pupils learn with the micro:bit.

1. Turning recycled materials into musical instruments

What happens when computing, music and creativity come together?

In our Physical Systems – Recycled Musical Instruments unit, pupils design and build their own musical instruments using recycled materials. They then bring their creations to life by programming a micro:bit to play different notes when parts of the instrument are pressed.

It’s physical computing with plenty of room for imagination, and a fantastic way for children to see that code can have an impact beyond a screen.

2. Exploring inputs and outputs

Those musical instruments aren’t just fun to make. They also introduce children to some important physical computing concepts.

As pupils programme their micro:bit, they explore inputs and outputs and discover how an action can trigger a programmed response.

Instead of simply being told what these terms mean, children get to see them working in something they’ve created themselves.

3. Discovering sensors and circuits

The micro:bit also gives pupils the opportunity to investigate how sensors and circuits work together within a physical system.

By building, testing and adapting their creations, pupils begin to understand the relationship between hardware and software, developing their computing knowledge through practical experimentation.

4. Creating their own games

Who says learning programming concepts has to feel like learning?

In our Physical Computing – Gaming unit, pupils apply their coding skills to design and create interactive physical games using the micro:bit.

From Rock, Paper, Scissors and Hide and Seek to Space Shooter, Egg Catcher, Buzz Wire and Ghost Buster, the emphasis is on learning through creating, playing and experimenting.

5. Learning how radio signals work

Some of our micro:bit games allow pupils to explore radio signals, introducing another element of physical computing.

Children can discover how micro:bit’s communicate and use that functionality within their games, turning an abstract computing concept into something they can interact with and understand.

6. Putting the accelerometer into action

The micro:bit’s accelerometer gives pupils another way to interact with the programs they create.

Rather than everything relying on a keyboard or screen, movement itself can become part of the experience. Pupils explore how the micro:bit can detect movement and then use that capability as part of their coding and gaming projects.

7. Experimenting with sound and LEDs

Lights, sound and code make a brilliant combination.

Pupils use features including sound and LED plotting when developing their micro:bit projects, allowing them to see and hear the results of their programming.

It helps make coding tangible: change the code, test it, see what happens and keep improving it.

8. Learning computing vocabulary through doing

Inputs. Outputs. Sensors. Circuits. Radio signals. Programming.

There’s a lot of computing vocabulary involved in these projects, but pupils aren’t simply learning a list of definitions.

By encountering these concepts while making instruments, building games and solving challenges, children learn what computing terminology means because they’re actually using it, often without even realising how much they’re learning along the way.

9. Bringing coding and robotics together

Our use of the micro:bit extends into robotics too.

In our Robotics unit, pupils explore how motors, LEDs and sensors can be programmed to make robots move, detect and respond to their environment.

This introduces new programming and engineering concepts while giving pupils opportunities to revisit and apply skills they’ve already developed.

10. Using code to solve robotics challenges

Once pupils understand the fundamentals, it’s time to put that knowledge into action.

They apply their programming and engineering skills to challenges such as simulating a police car or navigating an obstacle course.

These activities encourage children to think, test, problem-solve and adapt. The focus isn’t simply on getting something right the first time; it’s on working out how to make their code and physical creation do what they want it to do.

And it doesn’t stop at our computing curriculum…

These are just 10 examples. At Jam Coding, we use the micro:bit in even more ways, both within our computing curriculum and across our extracurricular workshops.

In our AI Just Code Dance workshop, for example, pupils use a micro:bit to capture dance movements such as dabbing and flossing, then use that data to train a machine learning model and ultimately create their own AI-powered dance game. Incredible, right?

Happy 10th birthday, micro:bit!

From making music and designing games to exploring AI and programming robots, the micro:bit gives young people so many different ways to experience computing.

That’s why it’s such a valuable part of learning at Jam Coding. It helps us take digital skills beyond the screen and gives children opportunities to create, communicate, collaborate and build confidence while putting their learning into practice.

As the micro:bit celebrates its 10th birthday, we’re excited to celebrate everything young people can create with it, and all the digital skills, ideas and possibilities still to come.

Happy 10th birthday, micro:bit!