5 Most Popular Websites for Your Kids to Learn to Code
on September 28, 2020
When you search for a website for your kids to learn to code, I bet that you will be overwhelmed by the number of websites of that kind.
Today, we introduce 5 most popular websites for kids ages 6-12 to learn to code.
1. Scratch
Price: Free
Scratch is a block-based coding language developed by the MIT Media Lab and the coding environment. It is currently the most popular block-based coding language.
The language is intuitive for kids and great for kids to bring out their imagination and creativity.
Contrary to that, their website lacks the fixed curriculums which kids can follow. So, I recommend you to learn how to teach Scratch through Udemy or other courses or hire instructors.
When they enter the coding environment, they will see many blocks. Then, the student can combine those blocks and the character images to create a program that can be a storytelling app, games, etc. Students can also upload their own images for their projects. It makes Scratch a unique and excellent platform to express their imagination and creativity.
Here are some of the projects made by kids.
/ triangle \ a collection minigame
2.Code.org
Price: Free
Code.org is a non-profit organization supported by many companies like Facebook, Microsoft, and Amazon. They offer a full-stack coding curriculum for kids.
As you can see in the image above. Unlike Scratch, they have several prebuild courses by age groups. So, they can learn things gradually by go through the lessons.
In their curriculum, they use a block-based coding language called Blockly, developed by Google. Currently, Scratch is the most popular language for kids, but they are actively developing new programs and catching up fast.
For example, here’s a screenshot of the lesson page targeting 3rd-grade kids on Codeorg.
In this activity, the student would move the angry bird by using the blocks. Yes, they are also sponsored by Rovio, the game maker behind Angry Birds. Kids can also control Disney characters like Elsa, Moana, etc. It would surely attract your kid’s attention.
In their Playlab, students can also create a mobile app and release it on Google Play Store. This is possible because Blockly’s developed by Google.
Here are some projects kids created on the Code.org platform.
3. CodeCombat
Price: $3.99 per month, $39.99 for lifetime access
CodeCombat is also an excellent website for kids to learn to code. They offer a coding curriculum for learning Python language, which students can learn through their coding games.
Your kid can start learning with their core modules for free. You can then subscribe to one of their plans or buy the lifetime access plan if it works for your kid.
Here are the screenshots of the service and how it works. FYI, This the free trial part, and the experiences of other games might be different.
1. Students will pick an activity from the map
2.Students select a character
3. Use Python language functions to complete the activity
4. When you complete a mission, you can gain points like an RPG game
As you see, the experience is like playing a video game. It will attract many kids who are into games! Adding to that, their lifetime access plan is affordable.
4. Tynker
Price: $10/month for the yearly plan, $180 for lifetime access
Tynker is offering several courses for kids of various ages. According to their website, they have 60 million students around the world.
Their coding environment is a similar look and feels as Code.org and Scratch.
You can select a course from the 40+ courses they offer.
Some courses are free to unlock. Here are screenshots of one of the courses they offer.
1. You will select a stage at first
2. With a fun animation, they will explain some concepts of coding
Each course has different kinds of instructions and videos. Some courses teach with Minecraft, some courses are teaching JavaScript, Python, or other programming languages.
5. CodeMonkey
Price: $15/month for the monthly plan, $8.25/month for the yearly plan
CodeMonkey is another excellent choice for your kids. Like Tynker and CodeCombat, students will learn coding through games. The service is mainly targeting elementary school students. If your kid is between 4 to 6 years old, you can use CodeMonkey Jr, which will enable kids to learn the basic concepts through a block-based coding environment.
After you register their service. You can see 26 courses currently. (Sep 2020)
Kids can start learning the coding concepts starting from a simple activity with fun animations.
When you complete the activity, you will go to the next exercise.
It looks fun, right? Your kids will love it! Some of their starter courses are free.
Conclusion
Today, we introduced the 5 best websites for kids to learn to code. As you see, many of them are teaching block-based coding languages. Scratch and Code.org are entirely free to use, and other websites are offering free trials. So, you can try them before settling on one or two of them. If you are trying to find a coding instructor, Scratch and Code.org would be the best choices since they are the two most popular sites.
At CodeGrit Jr, we offer live 1:1 coding classes from professional instructors online. Our curriculum is based on Blockly language and the coding environment of Code.org, which is crafted by industry experts. If you are interested, you can request an invitation for a free trial session.
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