Coding Games for Kids

As technology slowly dominates the future, the next generation has to prepare themselves for the inevitable fact that they will lead in tandem with it. From medicine to law to engineering, computers will slowly take over every aspect of daily life.

All technology needs to be programmed well to be relevant and functional, so there is going to be a high demand for computer programmers in future. Not only that, every child needs some understanding of how programs and computers work as a part of their digital literacy. It will help them navigate the ever-changing world.

Keeping this in mind, parents should consider training their children in the fundamentals of computer science as well as coding. So how to get children involved in coding? What is the starting point?

The best way to get children to engage with coding is through a fun and interactive game. Every child cannot easily grasp the details of coding. To smoothly bring children to the understanding of elementary concepts of programming, games are the best way to proceed.

While having fun, kids also get to learn something. There are plenty of such coding games for kids where children can learn and play. These games are suited for elementary as well as middle school children. Mostly, these target algorithm building and concepts like sequential programming.

Here is a list of ten coding games for beginners in this article. Take a look!

1. Minecraft

Minecraft is still ruling as one of the most popular children’s games in the market. With over 100 million registered users around the world, it is hard to imagine any flaws for this game except maybe its low-quality graphics.

The game is a perfect coding game for beginners because it involves the creation of a new world where users have to intelligently and conceptually create their shelters and survive. There are two modes of playing - Survival and Creative.

In Survival mode, players can build anything they want, mostly a shelter, with supplies, and they have to find their food. The purpose of the game is to explore and survive. Minecraft helps children to create and implicitly teaches coding since the 1x1 sized building blocks can be equated to 0 and 1, which are the fundamentals of any coding language. It stimulates creative thinking and logic formulation.

2. RoboZZle

Igor Ostrovski developed the game RoboZZle, which is a robot-programming coding game for beginners. The game introduces a robot that has to be programmed to move in specific directions and thus complete its tasks. After learning the primary way to proceed, one can move on to more complicated decisions like conditional operations and angle changing.

Each operation in the game introduces some fresh coding constructs like conditions, loops etc. So children are introduced to programming the robot in the shortest possible steps. The language also cleverly brings in the programming idea of recursion. With these concepts, children can quickly start writing more complicated code.

3. Roblox

For children above the age of seven, Roblox coding games for kids can prove enjoyable. With the help of this app, children can make their own games as well as play the games made by others. The programming language that is used to develop these games is Lua.

Start on Roblox and then move onto game programming. The problem solving and critical thinking skills of the kids is visibly challenged with this useful programming platform.

4. CodeCombat

The best way to learn to code while having all the fun in the world is through this wonderful multilevel game called CodeCombat. You can learn Python and HTML code through the challenges that are posed here. Every level has its complexities that you have to manoeuver. With the imaginative use of code, you can move your character through various situations.

As you type in a line of code, your character will do the commanded action, and you can learn computer fundamentals. CodeCombat, one of the best coding games for beginners, is fascinating because it merges fantasy worlds with real-life programming constructs.

5. LightBot

LightBot is a great game that also doubles up as a coding tutor. You can use it as coding games for kids to teach sequencing, looping, overloading, procedures and conditionals. The user is given various puzzles, and the way to solve the puzzles is through code. The code comes in a drag and drop format.

The interface of LightBot is pretty clean, and it is worth its price point. The game involves a robot, and you have to code the robot to accomplish some given tasks. You achieve this task by running some code.

6. CodeMonkey

CodeMonkey is an excellent website for teaching coding to youngsters. It is entirely free, and children can utilise the fun, guided way of coding to learn while they play. As suggested by the name, the game has a Monkey which wants to eat bananas. The bananas are quite obviously put out of reach from the Monkey’s path. So how does the Monkey get to the banana? The user has to write lines of code and program the Monkey to move. CodeMonkey is one of the most straightforward coding games online.

7. Tynker

One of the best free coding games online is Tynker. Tynker’s website is fun, simple to use, and children from ages four upwards can start using it. You can use it from your browser or download the app over android and iOS. Through Tynker, you can learn Javascript, robotics and Python.

Kids can also hone their critical and problem-solving skills with the app. The app interface is not very easy, so parental guidance is advised. However, once someone gets started, children will gravitate towards it. Mixing fun games and learning Tynker is an online resource that can be used for fun as well as educational purposes.

8. Kodable

Starting from ages of four and going up to age ten, Kodable is one of the coding games online. You can use it through a browser or download the app on iOS devices. Kodable teaches children to code using drag and drop coding constructs. Also, it teaches Javascript and Swift programming for older children from the ages of seven onwards.

The games and challenges posed by Kodable are appropriate for children as they develop critical thinking. Children from third to fifth-grade can make a transition into writing real code. Kodable also makes an introduction into the all-important object-oriented programming. With these credentials, Kodable is a trusty online platform to have fun while coding.

9. Bee-Bot

Bee-Bot was developed for small children under the age of eight to teach them coding. The app makes use of a cute Bee that also doubles up as a robot. The Bee aims to pollinate a flower or flowers in a garden. Children have to use simple directions like left, right, up and down to develop the code to help the Bee pollinate the flower.

There are different scenarios under which this game can be played, but each one teaches children from the elementary level the sequential features of coding. Bee-Bot is a beneficial coding game for kids at the elementary level.

10. Code Karts

Code Karts takes the fun concept of Go-Karting and uses it to teach kids in the elementary level the fundamentals of coding. The premise of the game is a car that must clear the finish line. The player has to make this happen with some instructions. These instructions must be given in a drag-and-drop format that helps children to understand sequential programming.

As one of the best coding games for kids around, Code Karts comes in both iOS and Android platforms, and the interface is comfortable for most children to find their way.

With these coding games online, your child will benefit vastly in making his or her coding journey an eventful and lively one.

Why has Coding Become Important for Kids?

Through the use of coding games for beginners, your children will bloom in the field of programming. There are plenty of reasons why coding has become so necessary. Coding is the way of the future. Every aspect of a business is soon going to have some part of it as a web application or an app. So people will be thrown in with computer applications more than before.

Also, coding helps in the all-round mental development of a child. Children that are nurtured with computer games are more likely to have their logical and critical thinking skills honed to cope with mathematical constructs as well as concepts in Physics. Even the language skills of children are tested and developed through computer coding.

Coding enhances and promotes creativity in children. Through exploring new ideas, children are essentially finding fresh ways to solve the same problem. Creativity and invention will be the watchword of the future since many new problems beset our world. The person that can creatively cope with fresh challenges will be the individual that can thrive.

Most of the world’s top programmers who are in high demand started coding when they were children. What started out as a hobby soon turned into a career for them. That has impacted lives beyond their expectations. To give your child an edge in the world, he or she should start coding as a hobby instead of a lesson or a chore. When children see the fun aspect of coding, they enjoy it as a pastime that can lead them into a productive career as well.

Coding is also useful for children as they can use it to change the lives of others. They can create something through their coding skills. So do encourage your child to participate in coding games online and hone their coding skills! Doing so will not only benefit him or her it will positively impact the world as well.