Beginner and Intermediate
Tynker Junior
Variety and creativity come together to get early learners coding
Bottom Line: Early coders will enjoy the colorful interface and variety of activities as they progress through different worlds and develop foundational programming skills.
Code Karts - Pre-coding logic
Race into coding with fun, varied puzzles, but no teacher supports
Bottom Line: Block-based coding puzzles provide a fun, surface-level intro for some; others will still need lots of additional teacher support.
ScratchJr
Drag-and-drop programming is an effective intro for budding coders
Bottom Line: With a little adult help, this is a rich platform for getting kids into programming and digital creation.
codeSpark Academy
Block-based coding with cute characters and social elements
Bottom Line: This is a great, free choice for classroom coding that empowers students to create.
Codeable Crafts
Animate stories with accessible drawing tools and coding blocks
Bottom Line: Kids get a simple peek at computer programming principles by animating stories using their own creations.
Box Island for Schools
Animated block coding app can be overwhelming for young learners
Bottom Line: Great block coding app for Hour of Code, but the large number of challenges in the main curriculum make it hard to implement in the classroom.
Code Land - Coding for Kids
Substantial subscription-based coder offers lots of levels, few supports
Bottom Line: This one app takes students from knowing nothing about coding to creating their own simple multiplayer games, but there's little help along the way.
Kodable
Fun programming logic for kids, great resources for teachers
Bottom Line: A fun way for young students to understand coding, and an impressive resource for teachers to support their progress.
CodeMonkey
Puzzler's use of real code fills niche in crowded learn-to-code genre
Bottom Line: A great intro to coding that, with solid teacher support, gets students using real programming languages.
Code.org
Popular games, big names get kids and teachers pumped to program
Bottom Line: A thoughtfully planned, produced, and curated set of free resources bound to get kids hooked on learning to code.
Tynker
Approachable and powerful coding curriculum with a lot of support
Bottom Line: Tynker empowers students of all ages and experience levels to create custom coding projects for a variety of platforms.
SpriteBox Coding
Appealing puzzle game reinforces essential coding concepts
Bottom Line: This well-designed game introduces basic coding syntax and is best used for practice.
Code for Life
Comprehensive coding platform has impressive resources for teachers
Bottom Line: This learn-to-code program has the breadth and depth required to meet the needs of almost any teacher.
Hello Ruby
Crafty, mostly screen-free approach to computer science
Bottom Line: These creative, beautifully made craft- and interest-based projects have the potential to bring students -- particularly girls -- into the world of coding and computers.
Codemoji
Emoji-based coding tool demystifies web design and animation
Bottom Line: Emoji-based lessons engage and empower kids to explore web design and animation, with instant website creation.
Pencil Code
A useful intro to block-based coding for motivated learners
Bottom Line: Teachers will need to do some scaffolding and act as tech support, but if that works for you, this can be a good beginner coding sandbox.
Scratch
Creative sandbox opens the door to coding in any subject area
Bottom Line: Scratch draws students of all types into coding and lays a foundation for future learning.
Ozaria
Coding puzzler covers a lot of computer science ground
Bottom Line: This is a program that merges games and computer science, and gives you all the tools you need to teach -- even without coding experience.
Google CS First
Middle school CS curriculum has stellar resources, room for creativity
Bottom Line: A high-quality introductory CS curriculum where students can be creative, collaborate with others, and express themselves, in the classroom or at home.
Codementum
Clear connection between blocks and coding languages in game-based platform
Bottom Line: Seamless switching between blocks and text plus easy onboarding make this coding curriculum great.
Codesters
Differentiated text-based coding makes for truly authentic experiences
Bottom Line: The well-designed Python lessons and user interface is great for serious coding instruction.
Blackbird
Cross-curricular coding swoops in with strong supports for students
Bottom Line: This cross-curricular coder supports teachers and gives students thoughtful feedback as they apply JavaScript to science, math, and games.
Zulama
Teach a vast number of CS concepts with quality, depth, and choice
Bottom Line: Zulama will help any middle or high school implement a comprehensive computer science program.
Advanced and User-Driven
Code Avengers
Challenging puzzles teach with real code; best for more advanced kids
Bottom Line: A superb programming tutor, well worth the effort to keep students going.
CodeHS
Computer science curriculum offers great feedback, fun challenges
Bottom Line: Effective tools and clear lessons teach real programming, but you'll have to spend some cash to help kids master it.
Codecademy
Excellent text-based coding site a great way to learn real-world skills
Bottom Line: For both introductory and higher skill levels, it teaches the breadth and depth of skills for programming careers.
Edabit
Tutorials, challenges, and practice in a variety of coding languages
Bottom Line: Straightforward site to learn to code lets users compare how to do the same functions in a variety of programming languages.
Treehouse
Fun, self-paced web development and coding lessons offer high value
Bottom Line: A solid learning solution for self-starting students who want to grasp the wide array of programming topics.
Game-Based
Roblox
Popular game development platform has classroom potential, pitfalls
Bottom Line: Creating games for an authentic audience encourages coding and design skills, but real risks require extra caution.
Codementum
Clear connection between blocks and coding languages in game-based platform
Bottom Line: Seamless switching between blocks and text plus easy onboarding make this coding curriculum great.
Human Resource Machine EDU
Challenging puzzles will grab the imagination of any coding enthusiast
Bottom Line: For teachers with some coding background, this is a great game-based tool for learning to code.
CodeCombat
Dungeon-crawling adventure where code is king
Bottom Line: While not everyone loves fighting ogres, CodeCombat offers a classroom-ready platform and an authentic learning experience.
Terminal Two
Engaging games teach programming concepts from blocks to code
Bottom Line: These varied games are great for introducing the fundamentals and practicing but aren't sufficient as a complete curriculum.
Algo Bot
Simple coding game a fun intro to algorithms
Bottom Line: This coding game is a fun and helpful introduction to basic algorithm development, but other resources will be needed for more depth.
Hack 'n' Slash
Zelda-inspired puzzler lets players peek behind the code curtain
Bottom Line: A great intro to variables and how algorithms work, this game would shine as a supplement to a larger unit on programming.
The Pack - NYSCI
Deceptively gentle coding game really packs a problem-solving punch
Bottom Line: This gorgeous, immersive programming game encourages novel solutions.
7 Billion Humans
Amusing puzzler challenges kids, teaches programming principles
Bottom Line: This high-quality puzzle game is a fun way for students to learn effective and efficient programming skills.
Practical and Applied
Gamestar Mechanic
Engaging manga-themed quest to become a game designer
Bottom Line: Game design quests have everything students want but perhaps not everything teachers need.
LearnToMod
Modify Minecraft with this fun, applied use of coding
Bottom Line: For students who already know and love Minecraft, this is a valuable way to hook students into coding.
Stencyl
Code-free game development tool helps kids program and publish
Bottom Line: It ups the sophistication of building block coding by connecting student work to major publishing platforms.
MIT App Inventor
Fun programming site gets kids to build their own mobile apps
Bottom Line: A fantastic, open-ended introduction to the world of mobile programming.
Construct 3
Ideal 2D game builder supports students to create, innovate
Bottom Line: Limitless game options, reasonable cost, and extensive support make this programming environment perfect for an educational setting.
GameSalad
Great interface, flexible publishing options make game-making a snap
Bottom Line: This engaging platform will empower budding game designers, but the price tag could be a deal-breaker for tight school budgets.
Machine Learning for Kids
Authentic AI-powered projects make kids' creations feel like magic
Bottom Line: It takes a topic that would be difficult to teach in any practical way and makes it accessible for the classroom.
Thunkable
Build a working iOS or Android app, even without coding experience
Bottom Line: Fun, practical way to get kids programming, though teachers will need a clear plan to support them in the process.
Unity Learn
Complete game creation curriculum gives students real-world experience
Bottom Line: It's a slick, fun, and effective way to get students building games right away, with plenty of room for depth.
GameMaker
One of the best creation tools available for aspiring game developers
Bottom Line: Great choice for a full unit or class on game design; fuels students game-making dreams.
Creativity Beyond Coding
Elementari
Storybook creation tool offers cool blend of ELA, art, and coding
Bottom Line: This is a great storytelling tool for younger kids that also offers an entry point into coding and computational thinking.
EarSketch
Song builder with coding instruction will be music to students' ears
Bottom Line: Challenging tool for students to explore coding in a meaningful way.
Vidcode
Cool coding tool tuned to teens' passions aids creativity
Bottom Line: Women-created platform expands the traditional scope of coding to visual elements students interact with online everyday.
App-Only for Older Students
Swift Playgrounds
Brilliantly designed iOS coding app great for newbies or pros
Bottom Line: If you have iPads or Macs, this is an inspired choice for learning how to create and tweak code.
Grasshopper: Learn to Code
First-class free app for learning to code with JavaScript
Bottom Line: This app will no doubt help individual, motivated learners see how coding works using real programming language.
Codea
Well-thought-out coding platform for real game programming
Bottom Line: Codea is a professional tool that has enough help features that kids can learn programming hands-on.
Hardware and Offline Elements
Unruly Splats
Game-making platform fuses coding and physical play
Bottom Line: This platform could appear gimmicky at first, but in practice it blends SEL, movement, collaboration, and STEM learning in clever, compelling ways.
Evo by Ozobot
Versatile mini robot tailor-made for teaching coding
Bottom Line: Evo encourages students to be creative, emphasizing that coding is a tool in your pocket, not the end game.
Wonder for Dash and Dot Robots
Serious robotics programming with seriously adorable robots
Bottom Line: It's the most challenging and versatile of the Dash and Dot apps and will keep engineering-savvy kids engaged.
KOOV
Robotics kit makes design possibilities virtually limitless
Bottom Line: For schools with healthy budgets, KOOV helps kids design and code interactive robots with blocks, sensors, and imagination.
Kai's Clan
Innovative STEAM package takes robot coding to the next level
Bottom Line: A nearly perfect spin on STEAM coding that combines a bunch of technologies into one, and effectively fuses the real and virtual worlds.
