Coding is steadily becoming a sought-after skill. And the best part is, there is no age restriction involved. It opens endless prospects for adults, teens, and kids alike. So, introducing programming basics early might be a good idea, and these specially designed coding apps and games for kids on iPhone and iPad could help.
What I love about them, and surely you’ll love them as well, is that they simplify and gamify coding. So, your child is not studying, they are just having fun, and the learning follows.
1. Sololearn: Learn to Code – Editor’s Choice
- Age recommendation: 12 years or older
- Extensive collection of free programming courses: Swift, C++, JavaScript, Machine learning, and more
- Community support
Contrary to the ‘solo’ in its name, Sololearn boasts a massive community to help you learn to code. And whether you are a beginner, intermediate, or expert, there is something for everyone here.
Sololearn inculcates learning with over 15,000 questions, 2,000+ quizzes, DIY assignments, Code Coach challenges, and more. The community also builds fresh content daily, great for practical-based learning.
Plus, the curriculum is highly personalized and is based on your progress, preference, and current market trends. Another perk is that it’s free.
Yes, the constant adverts can be irritating. And some advanced tools are locked under the premium hood, but the free version is sufficient for the introductory phase.
Price: Free (Pro at $6.99/month)
2. codeSpark Academy Kids Coding
- Age recommendation: 4 – 9
- Unique no-words interface
- Range of computer science concepts from sequencing to conditionals.
codeSpark camouflages learning activities into interactive puzzles and games. The award-winning app uses a patent-pending “no words” interface, i.e., it communicates with audio and visuals.
And since no reading is required, pre-readers could jump on the wagon without much difficulty. A cute, fuzzy companion called The Foos keeps the kid entertained while doubling as their teacher.
As for the curriculum, it is developed by researchers from MIT, Princeton, and Carnegie Mellon. The daily activities are based on the child’s progress, ensuring well-stimulated learning.
Price: Free (Enrollment starts at $7.99)
3. Tynker: Coding for Kids – Best iPhone app to teach kids coding
- Age recommendation: 5 years and above
- Offers coding games, physical computing, Minecraft coding, robotics programming, and more
- Got something for all age groups
The USP of Tynker is that it caters to a wide range of age groups. For the younger ones, it boasts building-block programs with voice instructions. And advanced learners can learn to code with Python, Javascript, and more.
Furthermore, it incorporates real-world use cases. Kids can code drones and robots, build apps, games, or websites, modify Minecraft, control micro: bit, and explore STEM.
What’s more? The app takes them through all this with step-by-step instructions, ensuring the child is grasping the concept. Remarkably, it even works without Internet access.
Price: Free (In-app purchase starts at $24.99)
4. Hopscotch-Programming for kids
- Age recommendation: 7-16
- Object-oriented programming language
- Step-by-step, play along with tutorials
I have tinkered with Hopscotch for a whole week while reviewing it for a particular series. Instead of teaching codes strings, the app uses a gamified, drag and drop interface to teach the fundamentals of coding.
The idea is to help kids explore, learn and create games, art, or stories and showcase it to the app’s community. In the process, they learn the basic principles, build interest in coding, and spark their creativity.
Agreed they are not learning a particular programming language. But after a few weeks of playing with Hopscotch, they’ll grasp any new language much quickly.
Price: Free (Subscription starts at $7.99/month)
5. Kodable – Best coding app for beginners
- Age recommendation: 4 – 10
- Wide variety of language support, from Swift to JavaScript
- Features age-appropriate games and activities
Targeted at kids from kindergarten to fifth graders, Kodable breaks down programming into bite-size fun games. Its motto is to teach coding aptitude from early on.
The step-by-step instruction games and an array of fuzzy friends make even the stringent concepts like sequencing, syntax, conditional logic statements, and algorithmic operations a breeze.
Kodable takes them on a journey, inspiring them to think like a programmer to write custom codes. The best part? It has unique plans for teachers and parents to help them teach and guide their kids better.
Price: Free (Subscription starts at $9.99/month)
6. Coding for Kids: Code Games – Best for preschoolers
- Age recommendation: 4-9
- Teaches basic programming concepts
- 200+ fun games and 1000+ levels
Learning coding at a young age is not only beneficial for a future career graph but also helps kids develop logical thinking, problem-solving skills and boosts their memory.
Coding for Kids is an award-winning app that aims to do exactly that by introducing the coding basics via 200+ fun games like popping balloons, firefighting, playing a dentist, etc.
These interactive games instill pattern recognition, logical sequencing skills, and concepts like loops, sequences, coordinates, arrays, functions, debugging, and more.
Price: Free (In-app purchase starts at $29.99)
7. Hopster Coding Safari for Kids – Best game to teach coding basics
- Age recommendation: 2 – 6
- Animal themed mini-games
- Teaches pre-coding logic to create a solid base
Hopster is an educational puzzle game wherein kids guide animals to their homes or parents. The players are introduced to pre-coding logics such as grouping, repetition, algorithm, etc.
Whether the tiger is looking for the den or the monkey wants a banana, each puzzle is designed to engage, entertain and infuse coding aptitude into their systems.
As the game advances, the puzzles become increasingly complex, further fueling their passion for puzzles, computational thinking, and problem-solving.
Price: Free (In-app purchase starts at $1.99)
8. ScratchJr – Best open world coding app for kids
- Age recommendation: 5 – 7
- Novice version of the popular Scratch programming language
- Designed by leading experts MIT Media Lab
A kid-friendly version of Scratch programming language used by millions of people around the world. ScratchJr allows players to bring different graphical programming blocks together and animate characters.
They can use a paint editor to edit/draw their characters, insert photos, voices, and sounds to create unique projects. Overall the children can express themselves creatively, learn to solve problems, and design projects.
The app also incorporates math and language concepts to introduce early childhood literacy and numeracy. I just have one bone to pick with this free app; it is only available for iPad.
Price: Free
9. Programming Hub: Learn coding – Best for advanced learners
- Age recommendation: 13 years and older
- Covers multiple languages – HTML, Javascript, Swift, Python, C, C++, Artificial Intelligence, CSS, and more
- Massive collection of over 5000 code examples
With 20+ programming languages and 5000+ pre-compiled programs (coding examples) in its arsenal, Programming Hub is a perfect tool for someone serious about coding.
The app offers bite-sized interactive courses, concept-based illustrations, quick search, and regularly updated programming examples to make learning easy and fun.
Moreover, the app offers certification courses to add to your resume and tips to crack your coding interview, right from the iPhone app.
Price: Free (In-app purchase starts at $9.99)
The fact that the iPhone and iPad App Store is brimming with a list of coding games and apps shows how popular the skill is. And if your child shows an aptitude for programming, do help them hone their skills with an appropriate app or game.
I hope my list helps you and your child. And if they create something beautiful, do tag us in your Instagram or Twitter profile, so we can marvel and share their creations with other parents as well.
Want more kid-friendly apps? Check these out:
- Find My Kids app review: Track your kids in a non-crazy way
- Best iPhone and iPad science apps for kids
- Math apps for your kids will love
- Super cool interactive iPad game apps for kids
