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What are Conditional Statements?

Learn how conditionals—code that follows an if-then structure—help kids write programs that change based on what’s happening.

Danielle Schulte avatar
Written by Danielle Schulte
Updated this week

What are Conditionals?

Conditionals are if-then statements that tell a program what to do in different situations. They help students build flexible, decision-based code:
“If this happens, then do that.”

Think of it like this: If it’s raining, then we stay inside for recess. That decision depends on a condition. In coding, we use conditionals to let programs respond to changes in the game or environment.

Where Students Use Conditionals in Kodable

Conditionals in Kodable Basics

Students are introduced to conditionals in the Smeeborg course. They use colored tiles as the conditions to change how their Fuzz moves through the maze.

When they encounter a tile, they can:

  • Check for a specific color

  • Trigger a different command based on the color

  • Reach stars and the goal more efficiently

Example:
In the maze below, the code reads: “If the tile is green, then turn left.” This helps the Fuzz turn at just the right moment to collect two stars before reaching the end of the maze.

Conditionals in Kodable Creator

Students explore more advanced conditionals in the course—Key Quest. Here, they use true/false logic to decide what happens in their game.

Students can:

  • Check if something is true (like having a key)

  • Choose between two outcomes

  • Add variety to how the game reacts

Example:
In the game, a student might write: “If the player has a key, open the door. If not, show a message.” These choices help students make more interactive, responsive games.

Why It Matters

Conditionals help students:

  • Build smarter, more responsive code

  • Practice logic and decision-making

  • Understand how real programs make choices

From guiding a Fuzz to unlocking doors, conditionals give students more control over what their code can do.

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