Pocket Arcade: Build for iOS and Android

What you will make

Original Pocket Star grid game inspired by the family BOUNCR mobile port

• Separate model from platform rendering.
• Build touch-friendly controls.
• Implement a solvable feature.
• Explain progress lifetime and preview versus distribution.

Settle in together

Laptop or desktop for editing; phones can read and try the browser interaction. This is a browser rehearsal. Native iOS or Android work needs separate adult-prepared tools and actual device testing.

Allow about 10 minutes to get ready. Six missions in order. Try one or two 5–12 minute activities, take a break, and resume at the next activity. Plan several short sittings per mission; the full 75–90 minute lesson remains the detailed reference. End each sitting with a saved copy and one sentence: next time we will… Times are estimates awaiting family pilots.

• For ages 9–12, work beside a parent on a computer with a keyboard. A phone can read the guide and watch; use a computer for editing. Older learners may try the full lesson's stretch task after the core checks.
• Open the first mission's browser workspace and press Run before installing anything. No payment, child account, or AI key is needed for that introduction. If the runtime reports unavailable, keep your files, read its error, and use the course-specific fallback below with adult help.
• Before ANY local trace, model test or build, use this course’s full reference handoff: Save and Export backup, retain the JSON backup, extract the matching ZIP into a new folder, copy every current source file with transfer-workspace.mjs, and run verify-workspace.mjs with your actual edited value from that extracted folder. JSON is a source backup, not an executable ZIP; Import backup does not update disk files. Keep results beside the exact source version tested. If you skip transfer, label downloaded checks baseline-only.
• The browser introduction rehearses the real Pocket Star model through index.html and main.js, not App.js. Edit browser instructions in index.html and cell rendering in main.js; App.js instructions below apply to the downloaded Expo/native project. Keep the original model/star coordinates for shared tests. It is a browser preview, not an iOS or Android emulator. Native execution remains pending until a prepared native environment is actually run. A workspace Run/Stop also reinitializes browser session best; game Restart is a different action.
• Download fallback: /lab-starters/mobile-games.zip. A parent follows README.md and package.json: npm install, npm test, npm run web. App.js uses React Native Views and Pressable; model.js uses plain JavaScript. For native work a parent prepares Xcode/iOS simulator on macOS or Android Studio/emulator with a compatible JDK, then npm run ios or npm run android.
• Start is (0,0); stars are (4,0), (2,2), (0,4). The baseline route is Right×4, Down×2, Left×2, Down×2, Left×2. Best is session-only, recorded when Restart follows a win; closing/reloading clears it. Workspace file saving does not add score persistence.
• Keep the original starter unchanged as a reference. Export a working copy before a risky edit or reset. Work and the optional progress checklist stay on this device; an export is your portable backup. A checked box records your own report, not a verified assessment.
• Use invented names, notes and records. The parent handles accounts, optional AI and sharing. Predict together, let the child make one choice, change one thing, test it, then explain what happened. An assistant is optional; the supplied code and a partner work too.