Kids Code

Whether it stems from a school project or just natural curiosity, computer programming (coding) has become a major draw for many kiddos. Unfortunately, many popular coding resources are aimed at adults; however, there are plenty of options for children as well! Here are just a few to help your kids and teens along on their coding journey:

• Code.org – This is an organization that focuses on bringing more coding to schools and students—particularly young women and underrepresented groups. In addition to the Hour of Code and other related events, Code.org has tons of learning activities for kids and teens to learn the tools used in coding as well as some of the languages.

• Scratch – Created by MIT, Scratch is the largest free coding community for kids! Users can create stories, animations, games, and more using coding fundamentals. The complexity of each project is up to the creator.

• Blockly Games – This is a simple website that uses drag-and-drop and puzzle-solving techniques to learn the fundamentals and logic of programming. As the player progresses, they are introduced to actual JavaScript language, which is used to solve puzzles.

• CodeCombat – Adventure awaits! In this game-based system, you navigate your avatar though a series of adventures, all while using coding logic and creating small programs in JavaScript or Python. The game is free to play, but there is a premium option that unlocks more content.

• App Inventor – This actually has two sites to choose from—the first was created to help use the second. AppInventor.org created a learning space to help students learn how to better use MIT’s App Inventor to create Android apps. Both use drag-and-drop boxes and traditional programming (usually Java) for kids to learn and create games and other apps.

In addition to these websites, there are even more resources available through mobile apps like Kodable, Tynker, Hopscotch, and CodeSpark Academy.

This is far from an exhaustive list of resources! If you’d like to learn more about these resources (and a few more), check out MCPL’s video on YouTube. As always, you can also find some excellent resources from the Library, including books and eBooks from OverDrive.

Paige L.
Consumer Technology Specialist