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.
Brief Round Up
There's info below on the research into kids coding toys. But if you're in a hurry, here's a quick round up of the highlights for 2023.
Things to consider: Batteries vs Charger. Screen vs Screenless (or both). Will the character appeal to your child? Does it come with activities and accessories to retain interest? Home school education resources available? Does it work with the other toys your child enjoys (LEGO or wooden train tracks). Are there other coding toys in the brand - great for progression and matched gifts for older siblings. What budget do you have available? Are there likely to be more kids in your family that would enjoy the toy?
These are all great products with excellent reviews. The important thing is to choose an option that works for your budget and will appeal to the child you are buying for.
- Budget value, choice of designs: Learning Resources Code and Go Robot Mouse and Coding Critters. It's worth checking out the whole range as the accessories vary between characters and the unicorn has a remote control for programming.
- Quirky snail: Robobloq Qobo Coding Robot. We like the different design of the Qobo snail. It's something a bit different. It's also suitable for toddlers with a starting age of 3. Qobo is programmed with physical cards that the snail, um, slides over. No screen needed. It's chunky, has lights and sounds and gets great reviews.
- Comes with lots of resources: Sphero Indi at Home Sphere is a very well-established brand for kids coding toys with it's spherical Sphero programmable robots. Sphero Indi at home is a new addition to the range and lowers the starting age to 4. Instead of a ball, Indi is a blue vehicle. Sphero Indi comes in a kit with loads of accessories and has been designed for home use. You can use Indi with or without an app which makes it versatile.
- Storytelling focus: Matalab Talebot Pro is a chunky floor robot for toddlers and preschoolers aged 3-5. It comes with mats with squares that the Talebot can recognise to activate actions including storytelling. The robot can be programmed using physical buttons. There are also accessories for drawing and adding LEGO Duplo blocks.
- Cute and Clever: Makeblock mTiny is a seriously cute programmable panda for kids aged 3-5. It can be programmed from a remote control and is screen free. We really like the buildable map tiles that allow lots of different configurations and the physical coding cards that can be scanned with the remote control. A lot of thought has gone into the design of this robot and Makeblock have a whole range of robots for older kids too.
- Sturdy design, classroom credentials: Blue-Bot is the Bluetooth-enabled version of the popular Bee-Bot from TTS in the UK. This is a tried and tested design with lots of accessories and lesson plans available. The Blue-Bot has the added feature of being programmable from an app. The manufacturer recommends it from age 5 but it's feature set is comparable with floor robots aimed at a younger audience.
- Works with wooden train tracks: The Robobloq Coding Train Set works with standard wooden train tracks and can be programmed by sticking coloured stickers on to the track. It's a bit more limited than other options but for kids who love their train tracks this might well be the one! It's recommended for kids aged 3-7/
- It's LEGO! and age 2+: The LEGO Education DUPLO Coding Express is aimed at the education market but available to buy for home use too. It's a more expensive option but from a well-loved brand and with lessons and an app available. A great choice for younger kids who love LEGO Duplo where you know they'll get the value from it.
- Montessori aesthetic: Cubetto is a wooden floor robot that doesn't need an app. It is programmed using a board with wooden shapes. This is a premium product that has been well designed. A lot of the academic research on coding toys for this age group is carried out with the Cubetto robot. Cubetto is for kids aged 3+.
- Board game: There's also the option of the Robot Turtles board game for kids age 4+. We used this at our Coder Dojo and it was a hit with a mixed age range. A great option to have in your family board game rotation.
What does the research say?
This isn't a formal literature review, though I do have previous for a kids coding literature review! Floor robots, or turtles, for kids have been around a long time. Recent floor robots and coding toys for preschoolers have also been the subject of academic research. Most research focuses on slightly older children but there is some research on toddlers and preschoolers in the 2-4 age group.
Research studies include:
- The wonderful Radia Perlman was one of the first to explore 'tangible computing' with very young children. Her TORTIS research paper from 1974 is wonderful and demonstrates that very young children can develop computing skills while having fun.
- In one study, using Cubetto made 4 year olds better at programming Cubetto but didn't have a significant effect on their general cognitive skills.
- Research on the impact of coding in the learning of 4-year-olds is a very in-depth study which compares a child following instructions, following instructions given by a screen and programming the Cubetto robot. It's a very detailed paper, that is generally positive about the educational benefits of floor robots but suggests that the increased engagement of the floor robot can mean that children are less willing to takes turns and collaborate with each other.
- Further research with Cubetto again, found that children as young as three were able to successfully program the robot with some scaffolding, in particular to help with their lack of ability to use left and right directional language (I'm with the three year olds on that one!)
Coding research often tries to demonstrate that learning to code will improve other skills. We think coding itself, and the fun you have while doing it, is what's important. A quick review of the research suggests that young children can learn basic coding skills and enjoy doing it, but they won't necessarily learn other skills, coding toys are really engaging and immersive but young children are not brilliant at sharing their coding toys with other children!
Summary
Basically, don't buy a coding toy for a toddler or preschooler because you think it will turn them into a genius. Or even because it will put them on the path to a tech career. Do it because coding toys are a fun way for families to get down on the floor and interact. Do it because it's cool to program a robot to deliver an object to another person. Do it because it creates that 'flow state' where kids are utterly absorbed and engaged by an activity.
Definitely consider how a coding toy fits with your budget, family life and your child's interest/obsessions!
Here's a reminder of our top picks for 2023/24:
- Budget value, choice of designs: Learning Resources Code and Go Robot Mouse and Coding Critters. It's worth checking out the whole range as the accessories vary between characters and the unicorn has a remote control for programming.
- Quirky snail: Robobloq Qobo Coding Robot
- Comes with lots of resources: Sphero Indi at Home
- Storytelling focus: Matalab Talebot Pro
- Cute and Clever: Makeblock mTiny
- Sturdy design, classroom credentials: Blue-Bot
- Works with wooden train tracks: Robobloq Coding Train Set
- It's LEGO! and age 2+: LEGO Education DUPLO Coding Express
- Montessori aesthetic: Cubetto
- Board game: Robot Turtles

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At Tech Age Kids we've been testing and writing about kids coding toys for over 10 years. This post is our round up of the current optio...
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I asked my kids what they wanted to do, other than playing Minecraft, over a long weekend. Not that I didn't want them playing Minecraf...
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/fa-dice/ RANDOM$type=blogging$m=0$cate=0$sn=0$rm=0$c=3$va=0$src=random-posts
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- accessories
- activities
- adafruit
- advent calendar
- adventure games
- amazon
- amazon fire
- amazon prime
- android
- angry birds
- animation
- anki
- app
- app toy
- app toys
- appcessories
- apple
- apps
- arcbotics
- architecture
- arckit
- arduino
- art
- artificial intelligence
- astronauts
- astronomy
- augmented reality
- automaton
- awards
- battle bots
- battling robots
- bedtime
- big kids
- big tablets
- bigtrak
- bike
- binary
- birthday
- bitsbox
- black friday
- blockly
- blogging
- bloxels
- bluetooth
- board games
- book
- books
- boolean box
- breadboard
- bricks
- brixo
- buying guide
- camera
- cameras
- card game
- careers
- catroid
- celebration
- cellphone
- ces
- chemistry
- chess
- christmas
- circuit cubes
- circuit playground
- circuit scribe
- cleaning
- climbing
- code clubs
- code-a-pillar
- codebug
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- coding
- cognitive learning
- communication
- comparison
- competition/challenges
- computational thinking
- computer
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- computer science
- computer vision
- computers
- computing
- conductive playdough
- connected toys
- construction
- conversational ai
- cozmo
- craft
- craft cutter
- creative thinking
- creativity
- crochet
- crowdfunding
- css
- cubs
- curiosity
- curious chip
- cyber monday
- dads
- data
- deals
- dens
- design
- design process
- design thinking
- digital parenting
- digital skills
- disability
- disney infinity
- dog tech
- dolls
- drawing
- drones
- duinokit
- earth day
- Easter
- ebooks
- eco
- edblocks
- edison
- edtech
- education
- egypt
- electricity
- electronic pets
- electronic toys
- electronics
- electronics kit
- electronics kits
- electtronics
- elementary
- elenco
- energy
- engineering
- entertainment
- ereader
- ereaders
- esafety
- escape the room
- event
- ewriter
- exercise
- family
- family tech
- fathers day
- Festival of Code
- fiction
- fire
- fitbit
- fitness
- fitness tracker
- flotilla
- flow charts
- flutterbye fairy
- flying
- force awakens
- force friday
- future
- gadgets
- games
- games console
- games consoles
- gaming
- gift guide
- gifts
- girls
- giveaway
- glow in the dark
- grace hopper
- grove
- hackaball
- hacksoton
- halloween
- halloween costumes
- hardware
- headphones
- health
- 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
- innotab 3s
- internet access
- interviews
- invention
- ios
- IoT
- ipad
- ipad mini
- iphone
- jacquard
- japan
- 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