Coding Activities for Kids
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Do you have a kid who loves to code? Or a kid who is interested in getting started with coding? Then this is the post for you! We’ll go over our top 10 Coding Activities for Kids that can easily be done at home. These activities are fun, creative and will help your child develop their coding skills!
We’ve included links to each activity so that your child can get started quickly. Our list is a mix of individual activities your child can complete, as well as websites/apps that have several different activities, challneges and lessons they can work through. We also have a variety of free and paid options of coding activties for kids.
Without further ado, on to our top 10 Coding Activities for Kids!
Coder Kids On Demand
Coder Kids has 2 On Demand classes your child can complete from the comfort of your own home. The first class is a free Intro to Scratch class. This class is a great way for kids to get started with Scratch. It goes over how to set up an account and how to find your way around the interface. Your child will also be able to complete a Pokemon in Space project in this class. The second On Demand class from Coder Kids costs $15 and teaches kids how to make a really cool funcitoning clicker shop. Kids get to design their shop to look just the way they want and when they have completed the project, there are 3 secret challenges to make the project more fun and detailed.
Scratch Projects for Kids
If your kid loves Scratch, then these 3 projects will be just what the doctor ordered! This blog post includes step by step instructions for 3 different coding activities using Scratch. Kids will be able to Animate Their Name, create a Mega Maze game, and create a Keep It Up game. They’ll learn about logic, sequence, decomposition and patience. These activities provide instructions for kids to complete each project, but also allow for kids to use their creativity and really make each game their own.
7 Scratch Jr Projects
These 7 Scratch Jr projects are a perfect starting point for youngs kids who are just starting on their coding journey. Scratch Jr was designed for preK-2nd graders, so it works great even if your child can’t read yet. It has kid friendly graphics, simple coding blocks and wonderful options for creative design and interactivity. These 7 coding activities will help your child learn the basics of using Scratch Jr, and the basic concepts of coding like logic, sequcence and deomposition. These projects are designed for kids to do with some help from a grown up. There are hints for grown ups with each activity, as well as an added challenge to take the project to the next level.
Sphero
Sphero is a super fun coding robot that comes in a few different options with different price points. They are great for beginner to intermediate coders and super fun! You can code your robot to drive, aim, add movement, lights, sounds, and much more! The Sphero Edu app is full of different programs, activities and lessons you can complete with your Sphero robot. Sphero is a terrific hands on way for kids to learn about coding. For more information about getting started with Sphero, click here.
Create Your Own Google Logo
This is a really cool coding activity provided by Google for Education. Is this activity, kids will get to design their own animated Google logo (Google Doodle)! How cool is that? Kids will use Scratch to do the actual coding for this activity. They have a great intro video, plus 12 more videos that teach kids how to complete different types of animations (change color, say something, etc.) Kids can keep their design simple, or go all out and keep adding to it!
Code.org
Code.org is a great resource full of coding activities for kids. They have activities for kids as young as 4, and their lessons go over the basics of programming as well as classes on coding actual apps and websites. The lessons use various programming languages such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. On Code.org, kids will begin a course, focusing on a topic that interests them and is designed for their age group. They’ll work through a series of activites to master different coding skills and at the end they’ll have a completed project. We especially like Course A and Course B for kids who are just beginning their coding journey, and the App Lab for older kids who are ready to start coding their very own apps!
Hour Of Code
Hour of Code is part of the Code.org family. However, instead of a course with several activities all together, Hour of Code is a bunch of one hour tutorials kids can do at home (and for free). There are over 500 Hour of Code activites, so there will be plenty to choose from! We’ll talk about a couple of our favorites. A great coding activitiy for younger kids is Dance Party. Kids code a dance party to share with their friends. This project features music from famous artists and really lets kids unleash their creativity. Kids choose their own charatcters, dance moves, and music. Another option from Hour of Code is the Build Your Own Star Wars Game. Kids will learn to code BB8 and you can choose to use block coding (great for younger kids) or they can code the game with JavaScript (kids 11+). There are literally hundeds of more options, so your kid is bound to find an activitiy they’ll love!
Lightbot
Lightbot is a super fun app that helps kids learn to code. There are tons of levels, so this activity will give your kids a challenge and occupy some time. You can read our full review of Lightbot here. Lightbot is a paid app for tablets that also has some web functionality. In this game, kids are programming a little robot to do different things (walking, turning, jumping, lighting up a box, etc.) In order to finish a level, you have to program the little robot to get to the end of that challenge. It is a great activity for kids to learn about logic and sequence. The higher levels get challenging even for adults!
Code Combat
Code Combat combines coding and RPG gaming (Role Playing Game) to create an enjoybale coding activity for kids. There is a free and paid version of Code Combat. The free version has 39 levels, which should keep kids busy for a while. In this coding activity, kids must program their character to complete different missions by solving puzzles, mazes and other challenges. You just need the internet to participate in this coding acitivity, so kids can use it from pretty much anyhwere. Kids learn the basics of coding while having a great time!
Code Monkey
Code Monkey is full of fun, free coding activities for kids. Like Code Combat, there is a free and paid version of this coding activity. The free version has 250 challenges for kids to complete, so you’ll be good for a while. In this coding activity, kids will learn coding skills all while helping their monkey get bananas. They used a text based coding language called CoffeScript, which will make it easier for them to transition to JavaScript if they continue on their coding journey, to code their monkey to complete the challenges and get the bananas. The monkeys are super cute and your kids are sure to enjoy the games and lessons on this website.
Conclusion
There it is! Our top 10 Coding Activities for Kids! Hopefully you have found our list helpful and your kid is off having fun and coding to their heart’s content!
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