Top 7 Best Coding Apps for Children

Lightbot & Lightbot Jr.

Lightbox and Lightbox Jr is easily the favorite on this list. Apart from being able to cater to different age groups, it has a simple approach to learning programming. They do it in a subversive way. You won’t even notice you’re learning since it just feels like playing a game.

All you have to do is to solve puzzles and a handful of problems. Your goal is to arrange the symbols and have the robot follow your command using your programs. They also included the set of instructions on the dashboard to help you identify what needs to be done.

Kodable

Kodable isn’t just for kids, it’s also for parents and teachers who want to create curriculums on their own.  It allows both to incorporate coding and the basics of computer science in everyday life. This is done through interactive games.

It also includes mini-tutorials to help the kids understand the game. As a teacher or a parent, you’ll be able to track the child’s progress easily.  Apart from helping you plan their lessons, you’ll also be able to focus on the areas they need more help with.

Alice

Inspired by the book Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, where communication should be done entertainingly. It may be using the same type of drag and drop block method, but how it does it sets it apart. To help students learn how Java is written, the templates correspond very closely to how it interacts, not just in games.

It can be used by kids in middle school as well as by their teachers. The idea is to utilize it for different applications like language arts and visual arts. Through this app, children can learn to make video games as well as videos easily.

Hopscotch

Hopscotch is only available only on the Apple iPad. What makes this popular is how intuitive the interface is. It starts by helping you get the feel of how coding goes. The level of difficulty starts at easy to motivate its users to keep learning. Using Hopscotch, you’ll be able to develop different kinds of projects. All your child needs to do is to use the drag and drop options to create the scripts.

It’s freely available but you’ll be required to pay if you want to share your child’s projects on social media.

Scratch & Scratch Jr.

Scratch and Scratch Jr were developed by MIT programmers. They had designed this app for kids aged 8 to 16 years old. Currently, millions of kids are using it to learn the basics of programming.

Your child will be able to make the projects that they can share on the Scratch community. 

Moreover, they are easy and simple to follow. In some projects, all your child needs to do is to move and drop blocks depending on the instructions. Doing this leads to animating the cartoons icons.

Tynker

Tynker is a great app for those kids who like to play Legos. All your child needs to do is to drag and drop the functions. No need for writing codes. Since it’s aimed to help children learn, they avoided typing altogether to avoid typos. Moreover, this would motivate them to learn more. The last thing you want to do is to avoid your kids from getting frustrated.

Additionally, children will be able to create their videos and video games using the lessons from the app. They also teach Python and JavaScript, the two most popular programming languages. What makes this popular is that it also allows anyone to create Minecraft modifications using the codes from the lesson.

Robot Turtles

Board games have been a popular way for kids to have fun. With Robot Turtles, you get to play while learning how to do computer coding. All the kids have to do is to navigate the turtle through the maze using a deck of cards. Each of these cards has a written command, and it will be up to your child how the turtle should move. It helps children build the foundations for coding.

Other Apps  

We only mentioned the top 7, but some others apps are worth your child’s time too. If your kid loves to play around with cars, then they might enjoy Cargo-Bot. All they need to do is to give commands to the robot crane so it can move the blocks.

Another great app is from codeSpark Academy. What’s special about this is that it even has a course for children who still need help with their reading. Daisy the Dinosaur is also recommended for young ones. It’s simple and intuitive, making it enjoyable for kids.

How to Choose the Best Coding App for Children

While it may sound crazy, teaching kids how to code is a great way to prepare them for the future. As the world becomes more digitalized, they should be equipped so that they can get a head start on their future.

What features should you look for?

• It teaches basic syntax
• Allows simple methods like cards and games
• Helps them understand the process of programming
• Allows them to design their video games and videos

Final Words

The best program will depend on what type of learning your child prefers. Some kids prefer to learn through stories, while others learn better when they’re given a set of tasks to complete. Whatever it is, the list we provided should help your child to start learning.