\u003Cfigcaption>Artboard in Scratch Jr.\u003C/figcaption>\u003C/figure>\n\u003C!-- /wp:image -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:paragraph -->\n\u003Cp>Website: \u003Ca href=\"https://www.scratchjr.org/\">https://www.scratchjr.org/\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:paragraph -->\n\u003Cp>Platform: iOS, Android\u003C/p>\n\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:paragraph -->\n\u003Cp>Price: Free\u003C/p>\n\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:paragraph -->\n\u003Cp>Pros:\u003C/p>\n\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:list -->\n\u003Cul>\u003Cli>Good introduction to basic logic\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Lots of creative freedom\u003C/li>\u003Cli>The price is right (free!)\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\n\u003C!-- /wp:list -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:paragraph -->\n\u003Cp>Cons:\u003C/p>\n\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:list -->\n\u003Cul>\u003Cli>Non-profit, so limited active development\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Not as technical\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Formal curriculum is less well developed\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\n\u003C!-- /wp:list -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:block {\"ref\":17061} /-->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:heading -->\n\u003Ch2 id=\"h-kodable\">Kodable\u003C/h2>\n\u003C!-- /wp:heading -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:paragraph -->\n\u003Cp>Kodable was founded in 2012 and, along with CodeHS boasts, a \u003Ca href=\"https://www.kodable.com/schools-and-districts#k-12\">K-12 pathway\u003C/a> for kids to learn to code. Kodable offers kids the ability to create and customize characters in addition to drag-and-drop style programming that is common to all of the apps covered in this article. However, Kodable puts its own spin on drag-and-drop programming by challenging your child to use \u003C/p>\n\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:paragraph -->\n\u003Cp>loops and functions to move their character through various mazes. These challenges were the best implementation I saw in all the apps I tested for improving logic and problem-solving.\u003C/p>\n\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:image -->\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/Ozs_upt9-uyrnsz6wcX7Zbfrp7Q7dqpIxoNrxeOsAt7befiA6s-3xxKi2eP5MfFneSDnQ8rwD_tN4AN8CboH1jzYeWdbL3oFl4_Q2upo5dULVRi70CACQOJ5W9LsAXGAwNbRk9Pt\" alt=\"\"/>\u003Cfigcaption>Drag and drop programming in Kodable\u003C/figcaption>\u003C/figure>\n\u003C!-- /wp:image -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:paragraph -->\n\u003Cp>Beyond drag-and-drop programming, Kodable exposes kids to actual code even though they are not actually typing out the code themselves. In the image below, you can see an example of this. \u003C/p>\n\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:image -->\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/WlCefcLf6oe2Tg_I83DBw9SvMcEpDYx47LZnsorl748pUz4VGXnhrfhHAThXPRIo8r-khbaBBBJ7mgT6FBGiWrBixkiJJ8JCdUCNGwWpXI6WEWvg7I6NjRBzk01Zfp5fxp7GNuGi\" alt=\"\"/>\u003Cfigcaption>Getting exposed to code in Kodable\u003C/figcaption>\u003C/figure>\n\u003C!-- /wp:image -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:paragraph -->\n\u003Cp>The code is pre-filled in the text field at the top and kids drag the closing tag onto the screen below to stop the green slime from attacking their character. This is an interesting approach. My daughter enjoyed this particular game, but I’m unsure about how much the coding part of it actually sank in. However, I think the idea is that later, in more advanced lessons, kids will actually begin to use the concepts you see here like instantiating new objects and setting object attributes in code they write themselves.\u003C/p>\n\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:paragraph -->\n\u003Cp id=\"h-kodeable-also-includes-socially-conscious-themes-with-games-like-beach-cleanup-where-kids-remove-trash-from-the-beach-to-save-seals-and-turtles\">Kodeable also includes socially conscious themes with games like Beach Cleanup, where kids remove trash from the beach to save seals and turtles.\u003C/p>\n\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:paragraph -->\n\u003Cp>Kodable offers robust parental login where you can see your child's progress. You can create multiple profiles, so I created my own profile to experiment with the games and levels before my daughter reached them to be more helpful when she reached them.\u003C/p>\n\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:image -->\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/KOIYqSiUOkQRhOFJcmWOTBzIcORz7BRsioPiV4FxT1j2sJ7JU64bhAFXJRiAIpOYwQF-aIEWCrKckUtoYqEN-kdQqCQBNJ6AGIbSoVzNXeA64lFbMo9l1wWqcZYputkMKziQ_j7a\" alt=\"\"/>\u003Cfigcaption>Viewing your child’s progress in Kodable\u003C/figcaption>\u003C/figure>\n\u003C!-- /wp:image -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:paragraph -->\n\u003Cp>Website: \u003Ca href=\"https://www.kodable.com/\">https://www.kodable.com/\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:paragraph -->\n\u003Cp>Platform: iOS, Web Browser\u003C/p>\n\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:paragraph -->\n\u003Cp>Price: 7 days free/$6.99 a month/$49.99 a year/$120 lifetime\u003C/p>\n\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:paragraph -->\n\u003Cp>YouTube Channel: \u003Ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/user/kodablekidscancode\">https://www.youtube.com/user/kodablekidscancode\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:paragraph -->\n\u003Cp>Pros: \u003C/p>\n\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:list -->\n\u003Cul>\u003Cli>Full k-12 curriculum\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Good exposure to more advanced programming concepts\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Regular email promotions with code/game challenges\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\n\u003C!-- /wp:list -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:paragraph -->\n\u003Cp>Cons:\u003C/p>\n\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:list -->\n\u003Cul>\u003Cli>Learning path is not always clear\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Some challenges are to difficult with no clear solution\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\n\u003C!-- /wp:list -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:heading -->\n\u003Ch2 id=\"h-code-spark\">Code Spark\u003C/h2>\n\u003C!-- /wp:heading -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:paragraph -->\n\u003Cp>Code Spark employs the same drag-and-drop-style logic games as the other apps, but has more of an arcade feel to the games. My daughter seemed to enjoy the games in Codespark the most of all the apps I tested. More than once, I have found her playing games in Codespark without any prompting.\u003C/p>\n\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:paragraph -->\n\u003Cp>Below you can see a screenshot of one of the drag-and-drop games using loops.\u003C/p>\n\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:image -->\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/uH0qrfjNKAGs3yf_gdFK-I79gwdIeJb-yRtTD-gaxuG5AXdv_uhO--kro4GyoQKu08UQojYCUNyIDvVvw9Zmo9FzHtHQeed2obPCwbzM3W70SN6CuvPG7kkWpmlnio5MWwUq_NFA\" alt=\"\"/>\u003C/figure>\n\u003C!-- /wp:image -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:paragraph -->\n\u003Cp>The “Explore” section of Codespark introduces kids to more sophisticated programming concepts like variables and inequalities, stacks and queues, and boolean logic. Some of the games that help reinforce these concepts are better than others and, for many of the games, it will require some hand holding to help your child through the levels. I found some games in Codespark are not very intuitive, and like a lot of learning in programming, the tasks end up feeling a bit contrived. Below is an example from the “Stacks and Queues” game where you have to choose the order of animals from the platform to fill the appropriate character at the bottom.\u003C/p>\n\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:image -->\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/1ZjGCQ0hC63u6KHFEmwmMyPS5O2sbIzRl_BDzkV0F4z82fWePBOmp4XzC6wgLYQOW1o9fq0ogf00GXpo_pO5pb5SzcGsNApL3prdv-FtQseTkeblXPjfatZRt1jD37ilvoLD7ci3\" alt=\"\"/>\u003C/figure>\n\u003C!-- /wp:image -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:paragraph -->\n\u003Cp>The example above is a game that is super fun and challenging, but my daughters attention span began to wane after a short time. So again, making sure the games are fun and engaging while still reinforcing programming concepts is the line these apps are trying to walk.\u003C/p>\n\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:paragraph -->\n\u003Cp>Website: \u003Ca href=\"https://codespark.com/\">https://codespark.com/\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:paragraph -->\n\u003Cp>Platform: iOS, Android, Web Browser\u003C/p>\n\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:paragraph -->\n\u003Cp>Price: 7 days free/$7.99 a month\u003C/p>\n\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:paragraph -->\n\u003Cp>YouTube Channel at \u003Ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRDYihW5bt2bFeZZNjM6alw\">https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRDYihW5bt2bFeZZNjM6alw\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:paragraph -->\n\u003Cp>Pros:\u003C/p>\n\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:list -->\n\u003Cul>\u003Cli>Good use of gamification\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Exposure to advanced concepts\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\n\u003C!-- /wp:list -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:paragraph -->\n\u003Cp>Cons:\u003C/p>\n\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:list -->\n\u003Cul>\u003Cli>Need to sign up for teacher account to get lessons and formal curriculum\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\n\u003C!-- /wp:list -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:paragraph -->\n\u003Cp>Kodable and Code Spark have a more complete curriculum that kids can follow as they get older, whereas \u003Ca href=\"https://www.scratchjr.org/teach/curricula\">Scratch Jr’s\u003C/a> is pretty limited. Both \u003Ca href=\"https://www.kodable.com/schools-and-districts\">Kodable\u003C/a> and \u003Ca href=\"https://codespark.com/educators\">CodeSpark\u003C/a> have a curriculum for educators and offer robust parental login controls where you can see your child's progress.\u003C/p>\n\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:paragraph -->\n\u003Cp>In the end, you really can’t lose with any of these apps. However, Kodable and CodeSpark definitely offer a more well-rounded experience for kids and a lot of more features that we have come to expect in modern apps. For less than $10 per month, the bar is pretty low for giving these apps a try and see how your kid likes them. Having these apps available to your kids also gives some nuance to their screen time. So rather than screen time being an anything goes experience (which means video), you can add “educational screen time” to their options.\u003C/p>\n\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph -->\n\n\u003C!-- wp:paragraph -->\n\u003Cp>I hope you found this article useful and, if there are programming apps your kids are using, let us know about them in the comments below.\u003C/p>\n\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph -->","html","2021-01-12T14:16:13.000Z",{"current":618},"want-to-teach-your-kids-to-code-here-are-three-apps-that-can-help",[620,628,633],{"_createdAt":621,"_id":622,"_rev":623,"_type":624,"_updatedAt":621,"slug":625,"title":627},"2023-05-23T16:43:21Z","wp-tagcat-code-for-a-living","9HpbCsT2tq0xwozQfkc4ih","blogTag",{"current":626},"code-for-a-living","Code for a Living",{"_createdAt":621,"_id":629,"_rev":623,"_type":624,"_updatedAt":621,"slug":630,"title":632},"wp-tagcat-learning-to-code",{"current":631},"learning-to-code","learning to code",{"_createdAt":621,"_id":634,"_rev":623,"_type":624,"_updatedAt":621,"slug":635,"title":637},"wp-tagcat-tech-for-kids",{"current":636},"tech-for-kids","tech for kids","Want to teach your kids to code? Here are three apps that can help.",[640,646,652,658],{"_id":641,"publishedAt":642,"slug":643,"sponsored":12,"title":645},"370eca08-3da8-4a13-b71e-5ab04e7d1f8b","2025-08-28T16:00:00.000Z",{"_type":10,"current":644},"moving-the-public-stack-overflow-sites-to-the-cloud-part-1","Moving the public Stack Overflow sites to the cloud: Part 1",{"_id":647,"publishedAt":648,"slug":649,"sponsored":608,"title":651},"e10457b6-a9f6-4aa9-90f2-d9e04eb77b7c","2025-08-27T04:40:00.000Z",{"_type":10,"current":650},"from-punch-cards-to-prompts-a-history-of-how-software-got-better","From punch cards to prompts: a history of how software got better",{"_id":653,"publishedAt":654,"slug":655,"sponsored":12,"title":657},"65472515-0b62-40d1-8b79-a62bdd2f508a","2025-08-25T16:00:00.000Z",{"_type":10,"current":656},"making-continuous-learning-work-at-work","Making continuous learning work at work",{"_id":659,"publishedAt":660,"slug":661,"sponsored":12,"title":663},"1b0bdf8c-5558-4631-80ca-40cb8e54b571","2025-08-21T14:00:25.054Z",{"_type":10,"current":662},"research-roadmap-update-august-2025","Research roadmap update, August 2025",{"count":665,"lastTimestamp":666},33,"2024-01-11T14:49:43Z",["Reactive",668],{"$sarticleModal":669},false,["Set"],["ShallowReactive",672],{"sanity-Nnn7iLqraSLsDd30PCHHKmgWAjkId6Xn759cPjS5giw":-1,"sanity-comment-wp-post-17194-1756387907629":-1},"/2021/01/12/want-to-teach-your-kids-to-code-here-are-three-apps-that-can-help"]