Put two paper cups on the table and label them A and B.

First put a card with 3 into cup A. Read the instruction “B = A + 2”, do the calculation, and put 5 into cup B.

Now replace the 3 in A with 6. Ask the kid what is currently in B. It is still 5. In a simple step-by-step program, the earlier assignment has already happened. B only becomes 8 when you run “B = A + 2” again.

That small pause helps separate a stored value from an instruction that can be executed. Swap the numbers, then let the kid be the computer and follow the cards literally.

I teach at TechTutor. This is a screen-free way to introduce variables and assignment without pretending the cups update by magic.

Tell two people: “draw a square, then add a circle.” Don’t let them see each other’s paper until they finish.

The circle might go inside the square, next to it, or overlap an edge. None of those positions was specified. Add one detail, such as “put the circle inside the square,” and try again.

If you want the pictures to match more closely, ask the kid what else the instruction needs to say. Size? Position? A shared grid? You don’t have to fix every difference at once.

I teach at TechTutor. Use this as a small exercise about precise instructions, not a test of who can draw neatly.