Family Online Games

Many great apps teach coding to kids as young as preschool and progressing through upper elementary grades. We’ve highlighted four of these apps because they’re particularly easy to get started with and don’t require reading or, for the child or the parent, a coding background. Regardless of what app they use, parents should think of coding apps as a family activity, said Pat Yongpradit of Code.org. “You will rarely have such a rich media experience as you can when coding with your kid,” he said.

Coding puzzles for beginners: Lightbot and Lightbot Jr

Lightbot and Lightbot Jr don’t teach an actual coding language, but they do introduce kids to the basics of commands, conditionals, loops, and nested statements. Image: Lightbot

Ages: 9 to 11 (Lightbot); 4 to 8 (Lightbot Jr)

How it works: In Lightbot (iOS and Amazon), kids solve a series of simple puzzles by lining up commands that make a robot advance over obstacles and light up squares. As they master basic concepts, they add more-complex commands, such as conditionals, loops, and nested statements.

Lightbot Jr (iOS and Amazon) follows a similar structure but at a slower pace and with simpler challenges that focus on reinforcing the basics. A minimal amount of reading is required, so pre-readers may need adult help at the beginning.

Why it’s great: Project Lead The Way (PLTW), a nonprofit educational organization that promotes and develops STEM curricula and resources, told us, “The best apps for young students without previous experience are those that teach and help build logic and reasoning skills [and] critical thinking skills, and provide brain teasers.” PLTW’s curriculum writers like the Lightbot and Lightbot Jr apps as ways to get kids as young as 4 started with the basic concepts and logical structures of coding.

A creative coding app: ScratchJr

ScratchJr isn’t organized around sequential lessons or challenges; rather, kids create animations and storylines in a sandbox environment, experimenting and building skills through trial and error.

Ages: 5 to 7

How it works: In ScratchJr (iOS, Android, Amazon), kids select characters and backdrop scenes and drag graphical programming blocks, which snap together like puzzle pieces, to make animation sequences and storylines. Although the app has some written cues, the programming blocks largely use symbols (such as arrows and stop signs) to indicate what they do (such as move the character forward or make them stop). As kids become familiar with how to structure the code, they can create multi-scene stories.

Why it’s great: ScratchJr isn’t lesson-based (though you can consult a variety of curricula and tutorials for the app) but rather designed to give kids a sandbox in which to experiment, learn, and create through trial and error (the app offers sample animations as well). Pat Yongpradit of Code.org, which recommends ScratchJr among other coding apps and games, noted one particular benefit: “It’s very free-form; you’re not basically being directed down a particular path.” Younger kids will need an adult or older child to guide them as they get familiar with ScratchJr.

An app for hands-on coding: Osmo Coding Awbie

Ages: 5 to 12

How it works: The Osmo Coding Starter Kit (iOS and Amazon) comes with a base system—a stand and a mirror that attaches to the device’s camera—and pairs with the Osmo Coding Awbie app (iOS and Amazon). Kids use physical pieces marked with commands, arrows, numbers, and loops to interact with the screen-based game, creating scripts that direct a silly character, Awbie, to navigate mazes and challenges and pick up prizes such as strawberries. The Osmo base system can also work with other Osmo games. One drawback, however: We were not able to reach customer service when we ran into issues with the app.

Why it’s great: Jennifer Auten, who used Osmo games in her classroom, said the fact that it combined an app with physical pieces made kids more patient and thoughtful as they worked through the challenges: “When something is purely on the screen, kids will sometimes end up just tapping as fast as they can, randomly guessing. With the manipulatives, it slows their thinking down.” Auten also noted that the physical pieces made it easier to play the game with multiple people, fostering discussion, collaboration, and group problem-solving. Kids still get the thrill and digital feedback from the app as they successfully complete each challenge.