The 10 Best Kid's Coding Toys
This wiki has been updated 31 times since it was first published in January of 2017. What do your smartphone apps, social media channels, and the website you’re browsing right now have in common? They’re all built using code. With these educational kids' toys, not only will your children be having fun, but they’ll be teaching themselves the language of the future. We've included options for a wide age range, each of which is sure to impart valuable technical knowledge. When users buy our independently chosen editorial selections, we may earn commissions to help fund the Wiki.
1. Microduino Itty Bitty City
2. Learning Resources Botley
3. Sphero Bolt
Editor's Notes
July 25, 2019:
Looking over our previoius list of coding toys, we wanted to ensure that this iteration included the most modern examples possible, which is one of the reasons we said goodbye to one or two of our old selections, like the Dash & Dot bots previously holding the number one spot. They were great toys capable of teaching kids a lot about coding, but they were getting a little long in the tooth. The ability to customize the build of a coding bot seems to be much more popular among kids, with something like the Robo Wunderkind models offering more design flexibility.
We also got rid of the offering by Thames and Kosmos due to some connectivity and performance issues in its controller, but found some excellent new products in the process. One is the Learning Resources Botley, which skews a little younger than some other options, and is a great choice for parents of curious kindergartners.
4. Piper Computer Kit
5. Robo Wunderkind Starter Kit
6. Osmo Awbie
7. Ozobot Bit
8. WowWee MiP Robot
9. Code Master
10. Fisher-Price Code-a-Pillar
Daniel Imperiale holds a bachelor’s degree in writing, and proudly fled his graduate program in poetry to pursue a quiet life at a remote Alaskan fishery. After returning to the contiguous states, he took up a position as an editor and photographer of the prestigious geek culture magazine “Unwinnable” before turning his attention to the field of health and wellness. In recent years, he has worked extensively in film and music production, making him something of a know-it-all when it comes to camera equipment, musical instruments, recording devices, and other audio-visual hardware. Daniel’s recent obsessions include horology (making him a pro when it comes to all things timekeeping) and Uranium mining and enrichment (which hasn’t proven useful just yet).