Top Brands: Sphero - Wonder Workshop - Makeblock - Amazon Kids
BLACK FRIDAY: Amazon Fire Kids Pro 10"
BLACK FRIDAY: Amazon Fire Kids Pro 10"
NEWS$show=/search/label/news
Here's where you'll find all the latest news about technology for children. We love to follow cool new inventions on Kickstarter and we hunt out all the latest announcements about tech toys and gadgets for the coming Christmas holidays. You'll also get our take on children's technology stories in the media.
REVIEWS$show=/search/label/review
Our kids technology product reviews are intended to help you work out whether a toy, gadget or kit is a good fit for your child or family.
There's lots of cool stuff available, but is it the right choice for the child or teenager that you are buying for?
We'll help you make the right choices and get the best value for money.
GIFT GUIDES$show=/search/label/gift%20guide
Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends assemble. We create gift lists to help you make good choices for kids technology which helps them develop the right skills for the future. We research the best in Coding Toys and Games, Making / Craft Tools and Kits, STEM/STEAM related gifts, Programmable Robots, Electronics Kits and Gadgets for Tech Age Kids and Teens.
PROJECTS$show=/search/label/project
Get crafty with technology. Here we'll post all our ideas and projects using technology to get creative and making with kids. You'll find anything from making a lemon battery to a glow-in-the-dark Minecraft sword. Our projects are tried and tested on our own kids or at events we run, so we are sure you can have a go at home with your kids. Some of our projects use specific tech gadgets which we provide links for you to purchase.
STEM$show=/search/label/stem
STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. In recent years there is an increased focus in these areas of study. We like to include Art and Design too, so we often talk about STEAM (A stands for Art). At Tech Age Kids we believe Coding is a new literacy and children need to understand how technology works, practice making skills and grow in their curiosity to make a better future for us all.
CODING$show=/search/label/coding
Coding is increasingly being recognised as an important skill for children to learn. Some will learn to code at school or at a coding club, but it's brilliant if they get support at home too.
ELECTRONICS$show=/search/label/electronics
We think it's really important for kids to get hands-on with electronics and learn how to make circuits and write code to control hardware.
Younger kids can start with conductive playdough. For kids who like to combine craft and tech, littleBits are fab. And we love SAM Labs wireless electronics components for making it easy for kids to make Internet of Things inventions.
Lots of electronics kits for kids have support for the Arduino microprocessor environment. The DuinoKit Jr is one of our favourites. Arduino is a fab skill for older kids and teens to develop.
ROBOTICS$show=/search/label/robotics
We love robots at Tech Age Kids, especially programmable ones. We've got lots of them and write reviews and projects that use them.
Our programmable robots for kids buying guide is a good place to start if you're not sure what's available.
Roby the mBot Meccano robot dog is one of our popular projects and has been with us to lots of events. Our Ozobot LEGO trailer is fab for kids who love LEGO and robots.
MAKING AND CRAFT$show=/search/label/making
We're advocates of the creative use of technology, but this needs to be balanced with developing physical skills such as papercraft, woodwork, clay modelling, technical drawing and soldering. If children don't develop these skills as they grow up then physical making projects can become frustrating rather than fun.
The Maker Community uses the term 'making' as a broad term to include all sorts of artisan skills or craft activities. Being able to make things can lead to life-long hobbies or even careers. It's a great feeling to be able to take a project from an idea in your head to a real object that does something.
We're particularly interested to explore products that combine maker skills with tech skills such as electronics but others focus purely on the physical making skills that are still important to modern making.
I'll focus on home use here rather than use in schools or clubs. We'll start with coding websites suitable for younger children and move up through the age groups.
You'll need a desktop computer or a laptop (Windows or Mac) to access the websites in this article. Most will run on a Chromebook or a Linux machine. Some will also work from tablets, we'll cover apps for coding in a separate article. I'll also cover websites where kids can write code to control hardware separately.
Code.org
Age: 4-18
What I really like about Code.org is that parents don't have to know a lot about coding to get kids started, the structured approach means that children can independently progress through the lessons. They might ask for help if they get stuck, but parents can just read through the instructions and talk it through with them.
Code.org is structured into courses for different age groups and abilities so it works well for beginners of all ages.
Code.org is structured into courses for different age groups and abilities so it works well for beginners of all ages.
A lot of schools use Code.org so you might want to try something different if your child will be using the same material at school.
No sign up is required so Code.org is really quick to get going with (sign up is available to save progress.)
Tynker
Age: 4-15
Tyker Hour of Code example level |
Tynker is great for keeping children engaged and is a good option if you've exhausted the free stuff available for your child's age range and they still want more coding.
Tynker is quite resource heavy and we have found it to run a little slowly at times so make sure you have a good internet connection and a reasonably fast computer to run it on.
Scratch
Age: 8-16
Scratch is a very popular graphical programming language designed for children and the latest version runs in a web browser. There are some getting started tutorials available when you open Scratch but it's a environment for children to create and explore rather than a structured course.
Example Scratch starter project |
Scratch is very open ended and it may be tricky for younger children to know where to start without some parental guidance. There are lots of resources available online but it can be tricky to find the right ones.
If you are willing to site with your child then Scratch is fabulous from a very young age. I've used Scratch with my children since they were around 3 - they just told me what they wanted to happen and I dragged and dropped the blocks and then as they got older they began to take over.
Scratch is the website that my children return to. They love to try new things but they always go back to Scratch. Remixing existing Scratch projects is a great way to learn new techniques.
If you're not confident in helping your child and they're not ready to use Scratch on their own then try Code.org or Tynker first and come back to Scratch. The approach is similar enough that they will be building the right skills.
Code Monkey
Age 9-14
Code Monkey is teaches children from around age 9 to code through a series of online lessons. Children must solve puzzles using a textual language that can be generated by clicking on buttons. The early levels are available for free but there's a subscription for full access.
Code Monkey example puzzle |
Code Money is fully guided so it's a good option for children to work through independently. It uses cute animal characters which will appeal to girls and boys, and there's plenty of humour and character in the puzzles.
S2jS is a very cool concept. It takes children who have learned Scratch and builds on their knowledge to teach them JavaScript in an interactive way. I'm often asked what children should learn after Scratch and my answer is usually JavaScript (it depends what else they are interested in.)
S2jS explains new JavaScript concepts by comparing them to the Scratch concepts that children are already familiar with. It uses a graphical canvas to allow children to create games that can be played in a web browser (including on a phone or tablet.)
S2jS starts off by teaching the basic HTML that is needed and then introducing JavaScript concepts in a structured way. Kids write real code in a the web browser and see the results.
S2jS is a free resource. If children have an account they can store and share their work (parents should be aware of this and monitor usage.)
S2jS
Age: 10-18
S2jS Example Screen |
S2jS starts off by teaching the basic HTML that is needed and then introducing JavaScript concepts in a structured way. Kids write real code in a the web browser and see the results.
S2jS is a free resource. If children have an account they can store and share their work (parents should be aware of this and monitor usage.)
Code Combat
Age: 9-18+
Code Combat is a fantastic multi-player game in which kids have to code themselves through the levels defeating enemies and engaging in battles.
Kids write real code and a fantastic feature is that there's a choice of popular programming languages including JavaScript and Python. As well as teaching coding, Code Combat teaches the use of a coding environment with debugging, code completion and manuals where you can learn about features.
Code Combat is fantastic for older kids who think that some of the options mentioned above look a bit young for them and want something more grown up, but are not yet ready to code using a full development environment. My eight year old, who has quite a bit of coding experience, managed to get through quite a lot of levels on Code Combat but really had to work at it, it does get quite hard. I've played quite a bit of it myself too. There's plenty here to challenge tween and teen coders and the skills learned will be readily transferable to a proper development environment when they are ready.
There's lots of fantasy violence and RPG (role playing game) style gaming. This is a genre that I love and I'm happy for my kids to play the game under supervision.
There are multi-player features and kids can join together with friends in a Clan. A good alternative to some of the online multi-player games that older children often want to play but are more suited to adults.
Code Combat does have paid subscriptions but there's a lot of free content to get started with.
Code Monster
Age: 11-18+
Code Monster is a fabulous introduction to a real programming language. A cool monster teaches JavaScript using a graphical canvas. Children learn to make things happen in a web page using real code (there's a bit of behind the scenes scaffolding to simplify the experience.)
Code Monster provides a series of structured lessons but also encourages exploration. An excellent site for children who are ready to learn a text-based programming language in a kid-friendly environment.
There are lots of lessons and Code Monster teaches some really advanced concepts by the end. This is a good choice for children who are really interested in coding and keen to develop real world skills.
Codecademy
Age 13-20+
Codecademy offers free web based training course in real modern development languages and frameworks. Their Hour of Code resources are a good way to get a taster.
Code Academy Hour of Code |
Codecademy targets university (college in the US) aged students, but younger teens with experience or an aptitude for coding will find the web-based courses accessible.
Roblox
Age: 13-18 (for scripting, 8+ for playing games)
Roblox is an online community where children can play and build games in a web browser (there are also apps.) It is possible for kids to just play games that have been written by other people. This will help them to understand the kind of games that can be made using Roblox but they will need to use other features of Roblox to learn to code.
Roblox has tools for building 3D environments (Minecraft style) and it also has support for scripting using the Lua language. Experienced users can develop professional games that can be played by others.
To learn code with Roblox kids will need to make the move from player to game developer. Roblox does have some resources to help with this:
- Roblox game templates - starter games for popular genres which kids can modify to make their own game
- Hour of Code Lua Tutorials - video tutorials for getting started with coding in Roblox using the Lua programming language.
Users can interact with each other in Roblox but there's a restricted communication option which is the default for under 13s and all communication is filtered and users are encourages to report inappropriate content.
Children can use Roblox for free but there are additional features available to paid subscribers. It's even possible to make money from Roblox games.
More Ideas?
If you know of a fantastic website where children can learn to code that deserves to be on this list then let us know in the comments below or by contacting us and we'll take a look for the next edition of this guide.
/fa-fire/ MONTH TRENDING$type=list
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- angry birds
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- architecture
- arckit
- arduino
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- battling robots
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- big kids
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- cozmo
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- craft cutter
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- cubs
- curiosity
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- data
- deals
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- design process
- design thinking
- digital parenting
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- disney infinity
- dog tech
- dolls
- drawing
- drones
- duinokit
- earth day
- Easter
- ebooks
- eco
- edblocks
- edison
- edtech
- education
- egypt
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- electronic pets
- electronic toys
- electronics
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- ewriter
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- flutterbye fairy
- flying
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- gaming
- gift guide
- gifts
- girls
- giveaway
- glow in the dark
- grace hopper
- grove
- hackaball
- hacksoton
- halloween
- halloween costumes
- hardware
- headphones
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- hexbug
- hexbug aquabots
- hexbug project
- high school
- history
- home
- home education
- homeschool
- hot toys
- hour of code
- html
- humanoid
- ICT
- in app purchasing
- indiegogo
- industry event
- innotab
- innotab 3
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- ipad mini
- iphone
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- java
- javascript
- k'nex
- k'nex robotics
- kano
- keyboard
- kickstarter
- kids
- kindle
- kindle fire
- kit
- kits
- kodu
- kubo
- label printer
- languages
- laptop
- laptops
- last minute
- leap motion
- leapfrog
- leappad
- leappad 2
- leappad ultra
- leappad2
- leapreader
- learning
- learning resources
- learning tablet
- learning tablets
- leds
- lego
- lego boost
- lego chain reactions
- lego mindstorms ev3
- lego power functions
- lego technic
- lego wedo
- let's start coding
- lights
- lightseekers
- little kids
- littlebits
- logiblocs
- logic
- logical thinking
- loom
- machines
- magnetic
- make it
- makeblock
- makedo
- maker
- makey makey
- making
- mardles
- mars
- mars rover
- marty
- math
- maths
- mbot
- mbot ranger
- me arm
- meccano
- meccanoid
- meccanoid 2.0
- merge vr
- mews
- michael faraday
- micro:bit
- microbit
- microcontroller
- microscope
- microsoft
- middle school
- miles kelly
- mindstorms
- minecraft
- minecraft mods
- mixed reality
- mobile
- modular electronics
- monsters university
- morse code
- mothers day
- motion capture
- motors
- mover kit
- movie
- movies
- mu
- mu toys
- munzee
- music
- my first robot
- national dog day
- nature
- new
- new year
- news
- news coding
- nikola tesla
- nintendo
- nintendo switch
- ohbot
- ollie
- on the web
- opinion
- origami
- osmo
- outdoors
- ouya
- ozobot
- papercraft
- paperwhite
- parental controls
- parenting
- parrot
- pc
- people
- pet tech
- pets
- phone
- photography
- photon
- physics
- pi day
- picks
- pimoroni
- pinoccio
- pixel kit
- pixelart
- play
- playstation 4
- plezmo
- pocket code
- pocket money
- pokemon
- pokemon go
- poll
- pre order
- pre-teens
- prehistory
- preschoolers
- primary
- printable
- products
- professor einstein
- programming
- project
- projects
- puzzles
- python
- racing
- raspberry pi
- reading
- reivew
- remote control
- research
- resource
- resources
- retro
- review
- rights
- robot
- robot dog
- robot fish
- robot wars
- ROBOTERRA
- roboticals
- robotics
- robots
- role models
- role play
- romo
- romotive
- root
- rover
- safety
- sam labs
- samuel morse
- sandbox
- schools
- science
- scratch
- scratchjr
- screen time
- screenless
- screens
- sensors
- servos
- simbrix
- skills
- skylanders
- skylanders superchargers
- skylanders swap force
- smart pens
- smartphone
- smartwatch
- snap circuits
- social media
- solar power
- soldering
- sonic pi
- sony koov
- sound
- space
- sparki
- speaker
- speech sythesis
- sphero
- sphero mini
- spider
- star wars
- stars
- STEAM
- stem
- stikbot
- stop motion
- stop motion studio
- storage
- story
- strawbees
- students
- subscription
- subscriptions
- sugru
- summer
- swift
- tablet
- tablets
- tangible coding
- tech
- tech age
- tech craft
- tech is bad
- tech is good
- tech toys
- tech will save us
- technology
- technology will save us
- teens
- teknikio
- tekno
- teksta
- tenka labs
- tesla
- textiles
- thames & kosmos
- the extraordinaires
- tim berners lee
- tinkercad
- tinybop
- toddlers
- toot-toot
- top pick
- touch
- toy
- toys
- travelling
- TTS
- TV
- tween
- tweens
- tynker
- typing
- ux
- vehicles
- videos
- view-master
- views
- virtual reality
- voice assistants
- voice recognition
- vr
- vtech
- web
- websites
- wifi
- wii
- wii u
- windows 8
- wonder workshop
- wowwee
- writing
- writing. education
- xbox one
- xyzprinting