Computer science classes may be popular on college campuses, but what if someone in elementary school wants to learn how to code? If children can learn foreign languages at a young age, they can learn coding language too.
So what exactly is coding? It’s basically computer language. When you code, you’re telling a computer to create something. Code creates things such as websites and mobile apps.
According to Ocado research, more than 70 percent of kids would rather learn to program a robot than to speak a foreign language. Technology will keep advancing, and new gadgets will keep surfacing, which means coding isn’t going away. With President Barack Obama’s new initiative, Computer Science for All, students from K-12 will now have the tools they need to help them succeed in our digital-first world.
A kid can probably figure out how to play with a new toy or use a computer on their own, but they should also understand how a toy or computer is put together.
“Learning to code is more than just learning the language,” Alex Klein, the CEO and co-founder of Kano, a DIY computer kit, tells SheKnows. “It’s important to introduce kids to the fundamental concepts that power the devices they use every day.”
Klein says that coding is not only preparing kids for their futures, but it empowers them to be creative and think about the things that exist in the world.
Coding is educational, so how do you get a kid to code? Check out these coding toys that are so fun your little one might just forget for a second that they’re learning important skills.
-
Kano Computer Kit
Image Credit: Kano Kids can build computers too with the Kano Computer Kit. (Kano, $150)”We made Kano in a way that feels like a toy but acts like a teacher, with vibrant characters and practical projects,” Klein said. “It allows children to figure out everything on their own and continue to learn from a computer that they built.” Kano also has a community called Kano World, where your kids can share their creations with other kids who are coding around the world.
-
Sphero
Image Credit: Amazon Sphero (Amazon, $153) is a robot in a ball that your child can control with an app. You can make the ball roll, spin or change colors.
-
Makey Makey
Image Credit: Makey Makey Makey Makey (Makey Shop, $50) is a DIY kit that lets you make almost anything, from a banana keyboard to a self-drawn joystick or a Play-Doh game pad.
-
LEGO Mindstorms
Image Credit: LEGO Have you ever wanted to build and control a robot? Now you can with LEGO Mindstorms (LEGO, $350). You can control your robot with the infrared sensor remote control or download the robot commander app.
-
DIY Gamer Kit
Image Credit: Technology Will Save Us Step away from the computer screen, and get your hands on this DIY Gamer Kit (Technology Will Save Us, $110). Use your hands to put parts together to code games to play!
-
Hackaball
Image Credit: Hackaball Encourage your child to play with a Hackaball (Hackaball, $85). This toy will let them invent their own games they can play with their friends.
-
Robot Mouse Coding Set
Image Credit: Amazon Teach your kids a STEM lesson the fun way with the Robot Mouse Coding Set (Amazon, $52). Learn how to program a mouse to follow a track to find the cheese!
-
Bitsbox subscription
Image Credit: Bitsbox Subscription boxes are all the rage, so why not purchase one for your child? Bitsbox (Bitsbox, ranges from $20-$30/month) teaches your child how to code with monthly app development projects. Check out more subscription boxes for moms and kids!
-
SAM Inventor Kit
Image Credit: SAM Labs Your kid can call himself or herself an inventor with the SAM Inventor Kit (SAM Labs, $139). This is a wireless electronics kit that lets you become a Morse code master, make songs and protect your creations with an alarm system.
-
Little Bits Gizmos & Gadgets kit
Image Credit: Little Bits Get your friends together, and start building gadgets. With the Little Bits Gizmos & Gadgets kit (Little Bits, $200), you can make a bubble bot, a wireless doorbell, a bumper ball game and even a spy kit.
-
Code Master
Image Credit: Amazon Is your child fond of board games? Get him or her the Code Master Programming Logic Game (Amazon, $20). It’s a real board game that you don’t have to connect to an app or computer. Learn to code with family and friends on game night!
-
Dash and Dot robots
Image Credit: Make Me Wonder Robots are great but even better when they talk to you. Dash and Dot robots (Wonder Workshop, $200) can move, light up, talk and interact with you and each other. Watch Dash dance and turn Dot into a hot potato!
-
Coding toys guide
Image Credit: Gabriela Arellano/SheKnows A perfect gift list for kids who want to code! Pin it!
More Stories from Parenting
Leave a Comment