Best
Coding Games, Toys, & Apps for Kids
For kids 10 and under,
there are many games and toys that help them understand the building blocks of
computer programming. For example, Bitsbox delivers a physical box to
your home every month containing a kit of projects, and then your young child
can login to Bitsbox’s online platform to program their own version of these
projects. The apps are selected based on difficulty and interests - they offer
anything from interactive birthday cards to Tetris-like games. The apps can
then be easily shared onto phones and tablets.
The Osmo
is an iPad-based programming game system that incorporates physical blocks to
write code. Using a set of magnetic blocks, your child controls Awbie, a cute
character who must navigate the different levels of the Osmo universe. The
physical blocks must be connected together logically so that Awbie can move on
screen, using commands like “move,” “turn,” and “repeat.” The Osmo is ideal for
kids as young as five years old because they don’t need typing skills to learn
the basics of programming logic and to practice their critical thinking skills.
After your child has mastered Awbie, they can move onto Osmo’s other products
like Coding
Jam, which uses a similar block system to generate digital
music, and Coding Duo, a more advanced version of
Coding Awbie with multiple players.
Cubetto
is a completely screenless coding toy for kids 6 and under. Cubetto is a wooden
robot that is programmed by placing colored blocks onto its surface, which
instructs it where to move. The Cubetto is placed on top of different maps,
mazes, and books. For example, in one challenge Cubetto must navigate around a
big urban city. In another, he is in ancient Egypt, learning about pyramids,
hieroglyphics, and the Sphinx. This is a great toy that encourages active play
and critical thinking without any screens.
Coding Games for Older Kids
For older kids who
love robots, the Anki Cozmo is a palm-sized robot,
built with facial recognition, self-maneuvering capabilities, and an “emotion
engine” to respond to real-world situations. It comes with a Code Lab app for
users to program the Cozmo’s movements and responses to different environments.
Code Lab is built on Scratch, a visual programming language. For example, you
can use Code Lab to program Cozmo to move around and write his name, or to
approach a human and Cozmo recognizes his or her face. There is even a more
extensive software development kit to tap into the Cozmo’s computer vision
capabilities and third party integrations (like with Google Assistant and Android).
Kids can also play games with Cozmo like Memory Match and Keepaway.
If your child is
interested in building hardware, the Kano might be the best toy for them.
With the Kano, you follow a storybook to build a simple computer. The kit comes
with a power supply, Raspberry Pi (the chip that powers the computer),
keyboard, SD card, and optionally a microphone and an HD touchscreen. Once
built, the touchscreen version allows you to program your own art, games and
music. The coding starts with a block-based environment, but for more advanced
students, there are projects available in Python and Javascript programming
languages.
Many kids this age
love Minecraft, an open-ended game where
users can build their own worlds and experiences using the resources they
acquire. Building in Minecraft is very Lego-like, where the pieces are varied
and fit together in infinite combinations. Given the nature of Minecraft, “modding”
the game is extremely popular, where you create new items, resources, and
functionality by programming extensions to Minecraft’s code. The most popular
mods, for example, add new animals, crops, and furniture pieces to the game;
allow you to monitor and control your inventory more efficiently; and even
introduce magic and wand-making into the game. While modding Minecraft was not
designed for beginning programmers, there are sites dedicated for helping kids
learn how to mod with online tutorials like LearnToMod
and books like Coding with Minecraft.
Online Coding Games and
Platforms
There are also many
online-based games and platform for students to start learning programming. CodeCombat
offers a series of online levels in settings like the Kithgard Dungeon and the
Backwoods Forest. Students gain points by completing challenges so that they
can advance to the next level and buy power-ups. CodeMonkey
is another online game where the student moves through a series of challenges
in tracks like Coding Adventure and Coding Chatbots. The main language they
focus on is CoffeeScript.
For students who want
to take a more rigorous course, Khan Academy offers self-paced courses
in HTML, CSS, and Javascript, focusing on website and game development. These
courses include online videos, written explanations, and coding exercises.
