🤖 Coding Toys for Toddlers and Preschoolers (Age 2, 3, 4) - 2023/4 Expert Picks

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 options for toddlers and preschoolers for Christmas 2023 (and into 2024). Most of the options are 'floor robots', programmable toys that you give directional commands to so they can move around in the real world. We've also included programmable toy trains and a coding board game for this age group. In this post we'll focus on options for age 2 (LEGO Duplo Coding Express),  3 and 4 year olds (check the age rating for individual products). Many will still be suitable for 5 years but we'll cover. 

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