TOP PICKS | 25 TOOLS
Best Coding Tools for Elementary
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Blue-Bot
Simple robot ideal for introducing programming to young learners
Bottom line: Students will develop logical and sequential thinking with Blue-Bot, creating a foundation for future coding activities.
Grades: Pre-K–2
Price: Free, Paid The app is free; the physical Blue-Bot programmable robot costs $119.95.
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.
Grades: K–2
Price: Free
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 code blocks.
Grades: K–3
Price: Free
Blockly for Dash & Dot Robots
Adorable robots teach hands-on coding skills
Bottom line: You can program robots with code blocks, with plenty of creative options and lots of fun.
Grades: K–5
Price: Free, Paid The app is free but requires $149.99 Dash or $49.99 Dot robot from Wonder Workshop.
Cork the Volcano - Puzzlets
Fun elementary coding through hands-on puzzle tiles
Bottom line: Programming that combines engaging physical puzzle tiles with digital gameplay.
Grades: K–5
Price: Free, Paid App is free, but the Puzzlets Starter Pack costs $89.99. This bundle includes the Play Tray and an educator guide. Other bundles are available on the site.
Kodable - Coding for Kids
Fun procedural reasoning for kids; great curriculum for teachers
Bottom line: Kodable is a fun way for elementary school students to understand coding and contains impressive supports for teachers.
Grades: K–5
Price: Free, Paid In the free version, eight weeks of scripted lessons and activities are available. The entire curriculum is included in the School Plan and District Plan (which includes professional development). Contact the developer for a pricing quote.
Path for Dash Robot
Impressive intro to programming and robotics grows with students
Bottom line: Fun activities will hook kids; more advanced applications will continue to challenge them.
Grades: K–5
Price: Free Requires Dash robot, which retails for $149.99.
Code.org
Popular games, big names get kids and teachers pumped to program
Bottom line: A well-planned, -produced, and -curated set of free resources bound to get kids hooked on learning to code.
Grades: K–12
Price: Free
Scratch
Jump-start future programmers with adaptive sandbox tool
Bottom line: With plenty of time and support, Scratch can help kids of all ages learn essential programming concepts.
Grades: K–12
Price: Free
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.
Grades: 1–6
Price: Paid $4.99
Itch
Full-featured tool makes teaching with Scratch easier than ever
Bottom line: Here you'll find resources for teaching with Scratch and a complete management tool to support student learning.
Grades: 1–12
Price: Free to try, Paid Free to try for two weeks. For .edu or nonprofit, $39 per year for individual teachers and 100 students. Request a quote for multiple teachers.
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.
Grades: 2–8
Price: Free, Paid Individual licenses are free; classroom licenses are $10 per month and include more lessons and premium student access. School and district licenses are also available.
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.
Grades: 2–8
Price: Free, Paid The app is free; requires Evo robot. Available individually for $89 or as classroom kit.
SAM Edu
Wireless blocks promote design, engineering, and programming skills
Bottom line: With some perseverance, SAM is a great fit for PBL and STEAM, helping students learn programming skills through invention.
Grades: 2–12
Price: Free, Paid The app is free, but the SAM Labs kits, blocks, and accessories must be purchased. Kits cost $139-$599, blocks cost $31-$45, and accessories cost $17-$71.
Tickle
Robots, Arduinos, and drones -- the block coding app to rule them all
Bottom line: Impressive tool for introducing block coding and robotics on a ton of devices.
Grades: 2–12
Price: Free, Paid Additional characters and challenges are offered as in-app purchases.
Kodu Game Lab
Open-ended game design and programming tool for visual thinkers
Bottom line: The 3D game-making environment and fun, visual logic will definitely grab some students, but others will need support the game just doesn't provide.
Grades: 3–12
Price: Free
Codesters
Differentiated text-based coding makes for truly authentic experiences
Bottom line: The well-designed Python lessons and user interface make this a great choice for serious coding instruction.
Grades: 4–8
Price: Free to try, Paid Free to try. Each additional course is $5-$10 per student. All curriculum unlocks at $20 per student. Contact Codesters for a quote on professional development.
Tynker
Cute, colorful coding platform caters to strong independent readers
Bottom line: Students will be empowered by custom-coding creations for a variety of platforms, but may need some reading support to complete lessons.
Grades: 3–8
Price: Free to try, Paid Plans and pricing vary widely. K-8 pay-per-course is $399 for 30 students; K-8 school plans for 400-800 students range from $2,600-$3,800. Quotes for district-wide plans are also available.
Hopscotch For Schools: Learn to code, make cool things, have fun.
Programming blocks give good balance of freedom vs. constraint
Bottom line: With a pinch of patience and a lot of passion, this introduction to computer science and its underlying principles is highly accessible.
Grades: 4–9
Price: $9.99
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.
Grades: 4–12
Price: Free, Paid Intro course is free. Contact the developer to get set up with purchasing a group license for the classroom version.
CodeMonkey
Puzzler's use of real code fills niche in crowded learn-to-code genre
Bottom line: A great intro to coding, with solid teacher support, gets kids using a real programming language and digging into some meatier concepts than other early coding tools.
Grades: 4–12
Price: Free to try, Paid Free to try up through level 30; individual accounts start at $39 per year. Home School subscriptions run $129 per year and allow for up to 5 students, along with opening up the teacher account, dashboard, and lesson plans. Contact CodeMonkey for classroom and school/district rates.
Made with Code
Enticing projects and inspiring videos offer anyone an intro to coding
Bottom line: Solid intro to coding with diverse projects geared toward tween/teen girls; sets foundation to explore deeper level coding and logic activities.
Grades: 4–12
Price: Free
Mozilla Thimble
Inspiring platform teaches coding through remixing
Bottom line: Thimble is an excellent, free resource for teaching students to code through experimentation.
Grades: 4–12
Price: Free
Swift Playgrounds
Brilliantly designed iOS coding app great for newbies or pros
Bottom line: If iPad devices are available, this is an inspired choice for learning how to create and tweak code.
Grades: 4–12
Price: Free
Cargo-Bot
Challenging game helps kids learn to think like programmers
Bottom line: Cargo-Bot is a simple concept that packs a challenging punch and teaches valuable programming skills.
Grades: 5–12
Price: Free
