Robby is coming to nurseries in Jena: discovering the digital world through play

14 nurseries in Jena are taking part in the Robby project run by the Thuringian State Media Authority – Smart City Jena is strengthening early childhood media education and establishing a new network of specialists

What do a robot vacuum cleaner, an electric circuit and brushing your teeth in the morning have in common? They all help to explain to children how the digital world works. With the little wooden robot ‘Robby’, pre-school children in Jena will soon be able to discover exactly that – in a playful way, through their own experimentation and largely without a screen.

On 10 November 2026, the Robby learning materials from the Thuringian State Media Authority (TLM) were officially handed over at the Volkshaus Jena. Fourteen Jena childcare centres are taking part in the scheme. The STEM education partner witelo e. V. is also receiving a Robby kit. The handover of the learning kits is part of the ‘Smart Kitas’ smart city project, through which the city of Jena aims to strengthen the digital skills of early years staff and promote collaboration between the centres.

Eine Frau und drei Männer lächeln in die Kamera und halten einen Holzroboter in die Kamera.

Offizielle Übergabe der Robby-Lernkisten in Jena: Andrea Bätzig (links) und Dr. Martin Ritter (rechts) von der TML mit Bildungsdezernent Schleußner und Bürgermeister Koppe.

Understanding how technology works with Robby

Robby is a handcrafted wooden robot that is being introduced to the nurseries alongside a wide range of learning and experimentation materials. The concept, developed by the Thuringian State Media Authority (TLM), is aimed at children aged between five and seven. The aim is not to teach children to use computers or tablets as early as possible. The aim is first for the children to understand basic principles.

For example, by putting instructions in the correct order, building an electric circuit themselves or finding out where they encounter robots in everyday life. Movement games are also part of the programme: when children guide each other like little robots through an obstacle course, they experience first-hand why clear instructions are important.

“Digital education doesn’t just start at the screen. Children can also discover the logic behind digital processes through movement, play and experimentation. With Robby, we make abstract concepts understandable whilst deliberately linking them to the children’s everyday lives,” explains Andrea Bätzig, media educator at TLM.

Two days of training for everyday use in nursery schools

To ensure that Robby can be used independently in the settings in future, the participating early years practitioners will receive training at the Volkshaus Jena on 10 and 11 November. They will familiarise themselves with the concept and the materials and try out the methods for themselves. The aim is to subsequently integrate these learning activities into their educational work with pre-school groups.

“Children today grow up in a digital world as a matter of course. Our task is to support them in this in an age-appropriate way, not too early, and also with child protection in mind. To do this, we need well-qualified staff and programmes that tap into children’s curiosity. Robby demonstrates that digital education can be successful even without a screen at all,” says Johannes Schleußner, Head of the Department for Education, Youth, Culture and Sport for the City of Jena.

The concept has already been trialled and further developed by TLM in Thuringian childcare centres. It combines staff training with a comprehensive methodological guide and appropriate learning materials. “It was important to us to develop a programme that is not only pedagogically sound but also actually works in the day-to-day running of a nursery. That is why the staff do not simply receive a box of materials, but a tried-and-tested programme that they can implement independently after the training,” explains Dr Martin Ritter, Head of the Citizens’ Media and Media Education Division at TLM.

The Robby resource packs are produced at the Christophoruswerk in Erfurt in a workshop for people with disabilities, funded by the Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe Hessen-Thüringen.

Media education should have an impact beyond the project

For Jena, Robby is more than just a single learning programme. As part of the ‘Smart Kitas’ smart city project, early years professionals have been trained as media coaches since 2025. They are expected to bring their knowledge into the settings and support colleagues and families with questions relating to digital media.

The Robby project also marks the start of building a network of media experts. In future, qualified professionals will use this network to exchange ideas regularly, share experiences and jointly address new topics in early childhood media education. “With our ‘Smart Nurseries’ smart city project, we have been running a comprehensive programme of professional development for early years staff in Jena since September 2025. Our primary aim is to build up knowledge and skills that can subsequently be passed on and utilised within the centres. To this end, we are, amongst other things, training media coaches to support their colleagues in using digital media. The Robby learning kits now add another practical resource to this programme. At the same time, we want to ensure that the results of our work are preserved even after the Smart City funding comes to an end. “With the new network of media experts, we are therefore creating an opportunity to continue collaboration between the organisations, exchange experiences and jointly develop the programmes further,” explains Mayor and Head of Digitalisation Benjamin Koppe.

Experimenting and sharing experiences

The practical implementation is supported by witelo e. V. Together with Jena’s STEM education partner, supervised experimentation days are planned for the participating nurseries, during which the children can deepen their learning experiences. Another Robby box is available to borrow from witelo so that other centres can also get to know the programme. By combining practical learning materials, qualified staff and a lasting network, the City of Jena aims to further develop early childhood media education in the long term.

Further information:

Robby Kisten ziehen in Jenaer Kitas ein