{"id":444,"date":"2022-07-22T09:28:29","date_gmt":"2022-07-22T09:28:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jellyquest.com\/?p=444"},"modified":"2022-08-18T21:01:28","modified_gmt":"2022-08-18T21:01:28","slug":"best-coding-sites-games-for-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jellyquest.com\/best-coding-sites-games-for-kids\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Coding Sites & Games for Kids"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Programming and computer science essentially brings together the four pillars of STEM education<\/a>, as the the process naturally involves science, technology, engineering and mathematics. As such, learning coding can drastically improve a child\u2019s knowledge across a wide range of subjects, due to it\u2019s use of maths and science concepts, the requirement for problem solving, and the involvement of art and design (for a game, for example!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best part about learning to code is that children often don\u2019t realise they are are expanding their knowledge across these areas, as it can be such a fun and rewarding experience. Thanks to the internet there are an abundance of resources available geared specifically towards children, leveraging their natural ability to maintain information to teach them skills that can last them a lifetime. After all, tech jobs are plentiful and lucrative, and according to Code.org there are currently 695,077<\/strong> open computing jobs in America<\/a> at the time of writing, and it\u2019s a similar story elsewhere around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To help you find a starting point we\u2019ve scoured the internet and collated the best coding sites and games for kids, both free and paid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CodeMonkey<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Free trial \u2013 $6 per month – $20 per month<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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CodeMonkey<\/a> offers pricing packages for parents and teachers alike, with the former offering good value if you\u2019re looking to introduce your child to coding. It teaches children using real programming languages, with comprehensive challenges and characters that children will find cute and entertaining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The challenges and puzzles are enjoyable to overcome, and children will pick up core programming principles quick, and probably without realising it. If you\u2019re serious about introducing your children to programming, CodeMonkey is a solid starting point, nurturing their natural creativity and helping them to refine their logic and critical thinking skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tynker<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Self-paced plans start at $20 per month, 1-on-1 courses for $199<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Tynker<\/a> is a great introduction to coding for kids, due to it\u2019s intuitive visual code blocks that are simply dragged and dropped, linking together to create functions. The learning process is very slick, with rewarding gamification and guided learning and engaging problem solving. When confidence is built up, children can leave the visual blocks behind and move to real coding, or switch seamless between both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They have some great courses around Minecraft, making it easy for kids to make their own mods or create games within Minecraft that they can play with their friends. Pricing starts $20\/month billed quarterly, with larger discounts if you sign up for a year or lifetime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scratch & ScratchJr<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Free! <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Scratch<\/a> and ScratchJr<\/a> are free coding resources exercises created by MIT, aimed at 8 \u2013 16 and 5 -7 year old respectively. While slightly dated when compared to other sites in this article, the core teachings are still spot on, and like Tynker it masks confusing lines of code behind drag and drop blocks that act like virtual Lego.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Code.org\u2019s Hour of Code<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Free!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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The Hour of Code<\/a> is an initiative by Code.org, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to increasing the presence of computer science in schools. As the name might suggest, it eases people into coding with a one hour course, suitable for ages 4 to 104 (!), available in over 45 languages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Minecraft Adventures<\/a> are a fantastic starting point, where kids must adventure through the world of Minecraft and overcome challenges using blocks of code. Best of all, it\u2019s completely free!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Codecademy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Free basic courses \u2013 Paid membership at $19.99 per month<\/strong> – Ages 13+<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Codecademy<\/a> is one of the most well known websites for learning coding, and while it\u2019s aesthetics aren\u2019t as geared towards children, the content is extremely high quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s best suited for children aged 13+, as the content is slightly more mature and can be trickier to follow. They have career path courses which is a great starting point, with lots of free content to pickup afterwards, with a pro subscription starting at $19.99 per month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CodeCombat<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

All core levels free \u2013 $99.99 per year for self-paced learning, $219 per month for live private sessions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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CodeCombat<\/a> is hands down the best looking platform when it comes to teaching kids coding. It feels like a highly polished game, with character customisation, rewarding progression, and even the ability to join clans with friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their curriculum is incredible in-depth, and they even have a competitive eSports league <\/a>where you can win prizes and scholarships through coding. It is on the more expensive side, $99.99 per year for self-paced learning, and $219 – $399 for live private weekly lessons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Code Avengers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Free \u2013 Further courses from $29 per month<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Code Avengers’ \u2018JR\u2019 section<\/a> preps kids for later on in life with engaging courses around programming, problem-solving, mathematics and computer skills. The ages range from 5 to 16, starting off with visual drag and drop block based code, before progressing to full languages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s free to try, with membership starting at $29 per month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Code Club<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Free<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Code Club<\/a> is a global initiative where volunteers across the country host free coding clubs for children. Ages range from 9-13 and it\u2019s completely free to join, with volunteers being thoroughly background checked before their approved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re an adult and interested in becoming a volunteer or starting a club near you, only very basic programming knowledge is required, and you\u2019ll learn plenty alongside your younger club members! More information is available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kodable<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Free to try \u2013 $7.99 per month<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kodable<\/a> is another great looking coding site, with over 160 levels covering everything from JavaScript to problem solving. Kids will learn real life and actionable JavaScript, presented in easy to digest chunks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pricing is incredibly accessible, starting at just $7.99 per month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hopscotch (Apple only)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Free \u2013 Paid content through in-app purchases<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Geared specifically for Apple products, Hopscotch<\/a> gets kids making games for their phones and tablets right off of the bat. The tools are incredibly kid-friendly, with the ability to share creations in a safe and moderated environment. The tool is very open-ended, meaning if a child wants to focus solely on the art side of things, they can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The app is free to download, with additional content accessed through in-app purchases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bitsbox<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Subscription box service \u2013 From $24.95 a month<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Bitsbox<\/a> is great because it marries great looking physical products, and productive screen time. Each month, the child will receive a collection of Supercards with new projects, and a binder to store them in. Bitsbox teaches real code, from simple apps to full scale games, and it\u2019s refreshing to receive something physical through the post each month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pricing starts $24.95 per month, with a \u2018deluxe\u2019 box containing lots more goodies for $37.95 per month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what\u2019s the best coding site for kids?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Based on our experience with the sites mentioned, CodeCombat<\/a> is the best full-featured coding platform, but it is pricey. It has amazing aesthetics and heavy gamification that will keep children engaged for longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re looking solely for a free coding site for children, Scratch<\/a>, ScratchJr<\/a> and Code.org\u2019s Hour of Code<\/a> are the perfect sites for dipping your toes into.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Thanks to the internet, there’s so many great resources for learning how to code. Here are the best places to start.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":464,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/jellyquest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/coding-for-kids-best-sites.jpg",1030,400,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/jellyquest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/coding-for-kids-best-sites-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/jellyquest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/coding-for-kids-best-sites-300x117.jpg",300,117,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/jellyquest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/coding-for-kids-best-sites-768x298.jpg",768,298,true],"large":["https:\/\/jellyquest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/coding-for-kids-best-sites-1024x398.jpg",1024,398,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/jellyquest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/coding-for-kids-best-sites.jpg",1030,400,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/jellyquest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/coding-for-kids-best-sites.jpg",1030,400,false]},"post_excerpt_stackable":"

Thanks to the internet, there’s so many great resources for learning how to code. Here are the best places to start.<\/p>\n","category_list":"Learning<\/a>","author_info":{"name":"Mark","url":"https:\/\/jellyquest.com\/author\/jqmark\/"},"comments_num":"0 comments","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jellyquest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/444"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jellyquest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jellyquest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jellyquest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jellyquest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=444"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/jellyquest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/444\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":469,"href":"https:\/\/jellyquest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/444\/revisions\/469"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jellyquest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/464"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jellyquest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=444"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jellyquest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=444"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jellyquest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=444"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}