Bottom line: Provides teachers with the best choice for a full unit or class on game design, and gives students a tool to help them realize their game-making dreams.
Enticing projects and inspiring videos offer anyone an intro to coding
Common Senseis the nations leading independent non-profit organization dedicated to empowering kids to thrive in a world of media and technology.
Cute, colorful coding platform caters to strong independent readers
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.
One of the best creation tools available for aspiring game developers
Bottom line: A great way to help motivated students create real apps, though others will need more support.
Bottom line: Thimble is an excellent, free resource for teaching students to code through experimentation.
Robots, Arduinos, and drones — the block coding app to rule them all
Bottom line: Solid intro to coding with diverse projects geared toward tween/teen girls; sets foundation to explore deeper level coding and logic activities.
Codecademy Pro accounts include all content from free account plus access to real-world scenarios to solve, online assessments, and advisors who will answer questions and guide your progress.
A free version has limited features. Educational licenses range from $30 per seat per year for desktop creation to $130 per seat per year for UWP and mobile.
Dungeon-crawling adventure where code is king
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.
teach students safe and responsible technology use.
Bottom line: A fantastic and complete introduction to Android app programming concepts and methods.
Bottom line: A superb programming tutor, well worth the effort to keep students going.
3 Great Ways to Get Students Coding in the Classroom
Bottom line: Cargo-Bot is a simple concept that packs a challenging punch and teaches valuable programming skills.
Puzzlers use of real code fills niche in crowded learn-to-code genre
Emoji-based coding tool demystifies web design and animation
Bottom line: The well-designed Python lessons and user interface make this a great choice for serious coding instruction.
Best Picks for Early Childhood STEM Learning
Middle school CS platform offers stellar resources, organizing tools
Differentiated text-based coding makes for truly authentic experiences
Bottom line: A novel way to learn programming that will require student collaboration and extra adult support.
Bottom line: A well-planned, -produced, and -curated set of free resources bound to get kids hooked on learning to code.
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.
Bottom line: Here youll find resources for teaching with Scratch and a complete management tool to support student learning.
Inspiring platform teaches coding through remixing
Bottom line: With plenty of time and support, Scratch can help kids of all ages learn essential programming concepts.
Bottom line: Hub for Sphero robots draws crafty kids who love making into coding, and it empowers them to be collaborators.
A little robot with big personality brings code to life
Bottom line: Engaging interface and tutorials will empower budding game designers, but the price tag could be a deal-breaker for tight school budgets.
Single Education license (teacher or student) is $149 per year; Classroom license for 30 students and 1 teacher is $1699 per year. Custom quotes are available for schools and districts.
4 Fresh Approaches to Coding in the Classroom
Bottom line: Challenging programming game best for motivated learners.
Middle school is a perfect time to get students coding, but by then, students might be at different levels of familiarity. Weve hand-picked these tools so that students at every level of knowledge and achievement will find something useful, from more visual, building block-style coding tools great for beginners to advanced courses and tutorials that get students learning and using real languages to make apps, websites, and games. Whether students are playing a simple logic-based game or writing scripts to create the next big app, these tools are sure to get students thinking about what sort of language goes into the technology they use every day.
Families, educators, and policymakers turn toCommon Sensefor unbiased information and trusted advice to help them learn how to harness the positive power of media and technology for all kids.
Bottom line: While not the first to blend coding with play, CodeCombat offers a stable, engaging, and accessible model.
Fun, intuitive iOS-coding app great for newbies or pros
Cool robots and creative play make programming irresistible
Terrific hands-on coding practice with live feedback
Comprehensive resources including lesson plans, digital games, assessments,
Bottom line: If your middle school doesnt have a CS program or club, now you do!
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Simple design, but challenging fun for budding programmers
Bottom line: Students will be empowered by custom-coding creations for a variety of platforms, but may need some reading support to complete lessons.
Get tips for using these tools in the classroom
Challenging puzzles teach with real code; best for more advanced kids
Challenging game helps kids learn to think like programmers
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Addictive, unique way to supplement coding instruction
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.
Remix tool reveals code, can strengthen kids understanding of the web
Bottom line: Impressive tool for introducing block coding and robotics on a ton of devices.
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Jump-start future programmers with adaptive sandbox tool
Bottom line: From Cozmos engaging personality to endless programming possibilities, this little robot will capture your heart and spark imagination.
Bottom line: If iPads are available, this is an inspired choice for learning how to create and tweak code.
Great mobile app creation site has solid teacher resources
Great interface, flexible publishing options make game-making a snap
Full-featured tool makes teaching with Scratch easier than ever
Most Reliable and Credible Sources for Students
How to Introduce Students to Coding with Mozillas X-Ray Goggles
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.
Bottom line: In this excellent coding application, in-game practice and real-time guidance crack open the world of programming and turn your students into whiz kids.
professional development for teachers, and family education materials to
Popular games, big names get kids and teachers pumped to program
Bottom line: Its a blast to use and an easy way to get experimentation and prototyping going with plenty of student choice — kids are really in the drivers seat!
If youre looking to begin coding lessons in your classroom, check out our Teaching Strategies for how toGet Started with Coding in Your Classroom.
Build a working iOS or Android app, even without coding experience
Bottom line: Emoji-based lessons engage and empower kids to explore web design and animation, with instant website creation.