You may have heard it’s important for your kids to learn how to code. You may also be wondering how to actually teach your kids coding. One of the easiest ways to help them is using toys – and we’ve found 3 that you might like.
“Why toys?” you may ask. Well, the answer is simple – if kid’s see what they’re doing as playing and having fun, they’re much more likely to stick to it!
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Puzzlets
Puzzlets are an excellent way to teach kids age 6+ the fundamentals of coding.
You sync the puzzle board with their app on an iPad or tablet via Bluetooth. Then, instead of controlling the video game character with a controller or touching the screen, it’s controlled by putting the “puzzle pieces” on the board in the order you want your character on the screen to move.
While it doesn’t teach them the actually coding language, it teaches them how codes execute, which is important to understand before your children can learn how to code.
The other great lesson of this game is the importance of testing your code. When learning to code, it’s important to be able to test your program to see where edits are needed, then look at the code to find the source of the problem.
Your kids will build the code the way they think it needs to be done to beat the level, then play it to see if they did it right. If they made a mistake, they can change the puzzle piece to a different coded action, and repeat until they get it right.
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Sphero SPRK
Sphero SPRK edition is great for kids age 6-10 or so. What’s great about Sphero is the ability to adapt to your child’s skill level, as well as being able to see the actual coding language behind the program once you get more familiar with it.
Sphero SPRK works by giving you a free app, similar to Puzzlets, which lets you give commands to the ball. Your kids can tell it to move in any direction, do flips, and change colors.
They can also set up mazes for Sphero to navigate. If they get bored of coding, they can flip their phone and manually control it for a while.
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Dash and Dot
The third and final toy on the list is Dash (right) and Dot (left).
Similar to Sphero, they have difficulty levels that can adapt to your child’s skill level.
What I particularly like about this toy, however, is the challenges presented to kids. They can go through “levels”, similar to a video game, and try to beat the challenges by coding the robots. This is great because challenges make kids more motivated to learn more and stick with things.
Now you know of 3 toys made to help kids learn to code. They will certainly help.
However, if you’re serious about teaching your child to code and want to take the next step, take a look at the robotics programs we have available.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this article! If you found it helpful, please share it with other parents who want the best for their kids.
If you have any questions or know of other cool toys, let us know in the comments below!
