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Ask HN: Toys to help children aged 3-7 learn the basics of coding?

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Ask HN: Toys to help children aged 3-7 learn the basics of coding?

#1

Post by hermanschaaf »

Do you have any recommended toys (preferably physical, touchable objects, not software) for teaching young children the fundamentals of coding? I understand that at this age they may be too young to grasp all of it, but if it lays the foundations for understanding how you can use basic building blocks and rules to solve problems, that would be a great start.

The only toy I'm aware of is the Cubetto by Primo Toys, and I'm not sure how effective it is. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Re: Ask HN: Toys to help children aged 3-7 learn the basics of coding?

#5

Post by hermanschaaf »

dpeck wrote: post #3

Robot Turtles seems to be thought well of, I did the kickstarter for it (so far my only one) and I think my son is just about old enough to play it. For practicals, Shoots and Ladders may be the most like day to day coding :)

Robot Turtles looks great, thanks!

Re: Ask HN: Toys to help children aged 3-7 learn the basics of coding?

#7

Post by stuaxo »

fratlas wrote: post #2

Just my 2c and not coding related; I cannot recommend LEGO enough. Creative and logical, it was a huge influence on my desire to build things that are greater than the sum of their parts.

Yup, and way better than staring at a screen.

Re: Ask HN: Toys to help children aged 3-7 learn the basics of coding?

#8

Post by imarg »

dpeck wrote: post #3

Robot Turtles seems to be thought well of, I did the kickstarter for it (so far my only one) and I think my son is just about old enough to play it. For practicals, Shoots and Ladders may be the most like day to day coding :)

I have also bought Robot Turtles just a few months before my son turned 4 (we are now a few months past 4). He liked it but it seems he was still too young for it. That is why I have sort of "forgotten" about it (on purpose) until he is a bit older.

Re: Ask HN: Toys to help children aged 3-7 learn the basics of coding?

#9

Post by wslh »

I know I am not answering your question but having played with my daughters (almost 4 and 7) I found http://www.scratchjr.org/ one of the best options. Yes, it is a mobile application but it is much easier than Scratch where the kids have a lot of different blocks, need to use the keyboard and mouse instead of a touch interface and must read. ScratchJr also motivates the story telling side of programming making stories and characters.

Personally, I am rather skeptical of coding toys for very young kids, or to say it in a different way: you can spend one year pushing a 3 year old kid to learn something that at 6 can learn in a few hours and with much more insight.

Re: Ask HN: Toys to help children aged 3-7 learn the basics of coding?

#10

Post by tmaly »

dpeck wrote: post #3

Robot Turtles seems to be thought well of, I did the kickstarter for it (so far my only one) and I think my son is just about old enough to play it. For practicals, Shoots and Ladders may be the most like day to day coding :)

Robot Turtles is great, I bought it for my niece, she loved playing it with her dad.
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