The best coding toys for kids 2024

Children coding

by Emily Gilbert |
Updated on

We're big fans of toys that help children learn new skills and broaden their horizons, and one trend that continues to grow is coding toys for kids. Quite simply, these toys help teach your youngster to code in some form or another while helping to teach critical thinking, spatial concepts, sequential logic and teamwork.

Although coding toys for kids won't have them create their own websites from the off-set, they do encourage your little one to think logically and to start understanding how to build blocks of code. Plus, in a world as tech-driven as ours, it's certainly no bad thing to introduce your little one to the world of coding. Who knows - they may even be the next Bill Gates!

So, if you're interested in buying your child a coding toy at Mother & Baby, we've rounded up our favourite picks to get your children learning some of the basics of coding. That way, they may even have a head start when it comes to programming and other skills they may need in the future.

The best coding toys for kids

Best robot coding toy for kids
Botley-2.0Botley-2.0

Rrp: £69.99

Price: £63.44
Alternative retailers
Walmart$63.44View offer
Wayfair$64.74View offer
Tractor Supply$69.99View offer
QVC$69.99View offer

Meet Botley 2.0, a robot that is easy to use and aims to have kids as young as five coding in minutes. Featuring a built-in light sensor, children can use the included activity set to create STEM challenges and put Botley's object detection function to the test. The gamepad-style remote has chunky buttons that are easy for little hands to use, plus the buttons are also colour-coded to make it fun and easy for young children to get going with coding.

Review: "This is a great 'learning' robot, and our kids love it. Very sturdy and able to take a good knock, it keeps them interested when learning to program the toy."

Suitable from:‎5-9 years

Best board game coding toy for kids
Galt Toys Cosmic Coding GameGalt Toys Cosmic Coding Game

This fun board game is designed to introduce kids to coding and includes a detailed guide to help your child become a Cosmic Coder and complete their mission to collect all their stars.

Review: "How nice to have a game in which players are completing their own missions, not just competing! In addition to the coding aspect of the game, memory and strategy are involved, so it's educational on many levels."

Suitable from:6-12 years

Best STEM coding toy for kids
Matatalab Home Edition Coding RobotMatatalab Home Edition Coding Robot

This easy-to-play STEM coding robot needs no screens. Children use colourful plastic blocks to represent coding commands and construct their understanding directly with their hands.

Review: "This is a very cute coding kit for kids. When thinking about coding, it is really about problem-solving and programming. This set starts kids thinking in that way earlier, which will make it easier for them to pick up coding languages as they grow up."

Suitable from:4-9 years

Best advanced coding toy for kids
Wonder Workshop Dash RobotWonder Workshop Dash Robot
Price: £179.99
Alternative retailers
Walmart$177.16View offer

Dash the Robot can do everything, from talking to your kids about code to following their programming instructions. You can even connect to compatible apps to unlock even more interactions, such as making them dance, make sounds and avoid obstacles in their path.

Review: "My 6-year-old loves Dash, he often grabs Dash and his fire tablet and is greatly amused every time. Really positive toy that brings many a smile, loads of fun and a great learning experience."

Suitable from:6-11 years

Best sequenced coding toy for kids
Think and Learn Code-a-PillarThink and Learn Code-a-Pillar

Introduce your little one to the world of beginner's coding with this snazzy little caterpillar. It comes with eight segments that can be easily rearranged to make it go forwards, left, and right and play music and sounds. Your little love will have tons of fun whilst experimenting and developing important skills like critical thinking, planning and sequencing, and problem-solving.

Review: "The four-year-old loves it – and so does her little brother! While I'd like for it to have a volume control (it really is very loud), the sounds it makes are fun and engaging for the kids. They love watching this little guy wiggle his way across the room, and the four-year-old is already starting to understand the cause and effect of which codes she inputs and which obstacles are in the way."

Age suitability:3-6 years

Best coding toy for kids involving tech
Osmo - Coding Starter KitOsmo - Coding Starter Kit

You'll need an iPad or Fire Tablet for this product. Children are encouraged to use colourful blocks and coding commands to control a character named Awbie on a fun-filled adventure which involves music and puzzles.

Review: "This is a great product, my 5-year-old likes playing with it, but she hasn't quite mastered the coding concepts yet. I think it'll be better when she gets a bit older."

Suitable from:5-12 years

Best dinosaur coding toy for kids
Learning Resources LER3082 Coding Critters: Rumble & BumbleLearning Resources LER3082 Coding Critters: Rumble & Bumble

Rrp: £45.99

Price: £43.11
Alternative retailers
Walmart$25.88View offer
Kohl's$45.99View offer
QVC$45.99View offer
Wayfair$46.16View offer

This adorable dinosaur-themed play set consists of 23 pieces which help your child create their own endless coding challenges and adventures. They'll adore caring for clumsy Rumble the dinosaur and his little friend Bumble. Other characters are available.

Review: "It is super easy to program and use. Imogen soon understood how to make it move. It has a simple mode of just pressing the arrow buttons (forward, left, right and backward). It is a little hard to visualise the distance travelled with the forward and back movements, but with a little practice, you soon get the hang of making the cat move where you want to. It is a fun novel toy!"

Suitable from:4-8 years

Best Frozen coding toy for kids
Kano Disney Frozen 2 Coding KitKano Disney Frozen 2 Coding Kit
Price: £11.77
Alternative retailers
Walmart$11.89View offer

One for the Frozen fans out there, this kit provides step-by-step guides to help your child build sensors while teaching them the basics of coding. Soon they'll be able to build Olaf, create rainbow snowflakes, throw snowballs and with much-loved Frozen characters like Anna and Elsa.

Review: "My daughter loves this even though she is a bit young for it, we have done all the challenges, though, and she isn't really ready to make her own creations yet. There seems to be a whole extra set of challenges unrelated to frozen on the Kano site as well, though, so we are doing these as well. I am happy that my daughter is showing an interest in coding, and it makes me smile when she asks if she can do Elsa Anna coding."

Suitable from:6 years+

Best practical coding toy for kids
Learning Resources STEM-Extra Robot MouseLearning Resources STEM-Extra Robot Mouse

Rrp: £29.99

Price: £26.45
Alternative retailers
Walmart$26.45View offer
Macy's$29.69View offer
QVC$33.99View offer
Wayfair$34.28View offer

How sweet is this little fella? All your child has to do is create a step-by-step path for Jack the mouse using the 30 double-sided coding cards. Each card features a direction or 'step' (such as forward or reverse) to program into Jack. He can be programmed up to 40 steps and features two speeds.

Review: "Overall, it's proved to be durable, having been played with by 3-year-olds (boys and girls), so it's great value for money and a good replacement for the more expensive coding bee that's also recommended."

Suitable from:4-10 years

FAQs

What is coding?

Coding is the process of using a programming language to get a device to do what you want it to. Their favourite apps, smartphone operating systems, web browsers, websites and more are all written in code that enables them to function.

How can I get my child to learn code?

With the help of coding toys - especially the ones on our list!

These toys will allow them to grasp the basics of code, so a coding starter kit is always a good idea. Coding toys for kids may often have a companion app where your child can program commands. Then, watch in amazement as the device does exactly what they've instructed it to do. Not only are they great for learning code, but they also teach cause and effect, as well as many other essential skills.

How we test and choose recommended products

Our product recommendations are based on a combination of real-world testing from our burgeoning army of mum testers and the extensive knowledge of our experienced editorial team and product specialists. Where we can, we also consult experts who specialise in that field to ensure you get the right advice along with the right product, and we listen to what you say as well.

Our thriving mum community on our Facebook group #mumtribe consistently provides great insights into which products mums like best and why, helping us highlight the products that will meet your needs.

For essential products, our annual Mother&Baby Awards shortlist the top products tested. Full reviews from our mum testers can be found on our product pages. The winners and runners-up for each category will also appear in our top picks article for that product, along with other products that were rated highly by our team.

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