The application of coding and programming can be seen everywhere, and not just in the IT industry. Every app or software that we use works with some kind of coding or programming. Coding is everywhere. Coding in schools has become a key element of education in today’s digital and tech-savvy world. Teaching coding to children right from a young age makes them future-ready for coding apps. Schools, teachers, and even parents are looking at different ways of teaching coding to children, especially the basics to kids as young as three years old.
There has been a huge demand for coding apps that help introduce various coding concepts to kids and help them learn to code. There are many apps for teaching coding to young minds.
Here are the top 5 apps for coding that can help elementary-aged children learn coding in schools and at home as well.
Hopscotch
- It is an open-world coding app for kids who don’t have any knowledge or experience of coding.
- It is a highly intuitive, interactive, and engaging coding app for teaching coding to children and developing creative thinking skills.
- It helps kids learn the basics of coding, problem-solving approach, and logical thinking ability.
- Also, it helps to teach STEM concepts and artistic skills to children.
- The Hopscotch app has numerous tools which kids can use to command and control various virtual characters.
- Hopscotch makes use of a drag and drop interface, where students can drag blocks into a workspace.
Ideal for: Children ages 7 – 17
Available for: iPad
Cost: Free
ScratchJr
- It is an open-world mobile app for coding, specially designed and developed for young children to make coding fun and easy.
- With the ScratchJr coding app, children can program their own stories and games using the drag and drop code.
- Kids can also create animations by recording and using their own voice.
- This coding app allows kids to be creative and artistic, and at the same time learn about various sequences and patterns.
- Using the graphical programming blocks, kids can make the characters jump, sing, dance, walk, and move about where they like.
- The programming blocks can be used to modify the characters and bring them to life.
- Kids can also add their own picture, voice, and sounds for the character.
Ideal for: Young children (ages 5 – 7)
Available for: Android tablets, iPad, and Chromebook
Cost: Free
Daisy the Dinosaur
- From the makers of Hopscotch, Daisy the Dinosaur is an amazing coding app for children.
- With this coding app, young children can drag-and-drop commands in a simple interface to make an adorable dinosaur jump, move, and even dance.
- The interface of this app resembles that of Hopscotch, but is much simpler and easy to understand.
- The female dinosaur is charming and appeals to young kids.
- This coding app is useful for teaching coding concepts like sequencing and conditionals to young kids in the form of small fun challenges.
Ideal for: ages 4 – 7
Available for: iPad
Cost: Free
Tynker
- This extensive coding app allows children to introduce coding concepts to kids through drag-and-drop puzzles.
- The interface of Tynker is similar to that of Scratch.
- With Tynker, children can create their own apps, animations, games, mods, and even art forms. It also allows them to compose music and solve puzzles as well.
- Kids can share their creations with the online community as well.
- The Tynker Junior helps pre-readers to learn coding through voice instructions and fun and interactive picture block-coding.
- It also features flying drones, controlling robots, and programming connected toys.
- The Tynker app is an ideal way to introduce children to block coding.
- It offers 16 exciting, fun, and interactive courses for children to learn block coding.
- Children can even work offline without internet connectivity on Tynker.
Ideal for: Tynker Junior (ages 4 – 7) ; Tynker (ages 7-13)
Available for: iPad and Android tablets
Cost: Joining is free. In-app purchases are paid.
Lightbot: Code Hour
- It is a puzzle-based programming app.
- Using Lightbot, children can learn programming skills with the help of a cute and animated robot.
- With Lightbot, children use programming skills to solve puzzles.
- The Lightbot has different puzzle levels, starting with the easiest for young kids, and it becomes harder for older children and teenagers.
- This puzzle-based game secretly teaches children programming logic as they play the game.
- As children proceed through the game, they learn valuable coding skills, including conditionals and loops.
Ideal for: Ages 4 – 13+
Available for: Android and iOS platforms
Cost: Trial game is free.
Apart from these top 5 apps for coding, there are many other coding apps available for children to learn coding. Some of them are:
- Code Karts
- Spritebox
- Box Island
- Kodable
- Osmo
- Lego Boost
- Move the Turtle
- Cargo-Bot
- Gamestar mechanic
- Coding Safari
Coding apps are great tools for teaching coding in schools and at home. These are designed for various skill levels of children and to keep them engaged. The different coding apps can give rise to the next generation of coders.
