7 Gift Ideas for Kids Who Want to Code
Tags: Coding, Kids, STEM, Gifts, Technology

Buying gifts for a budding software engineer? These are some of the best coding toys and games to get your kids interested in STEM and spark their inner geek.

By Carol Mangis & Jake Leary

Kids are constantly glued to their devices: texting friends, playing games, watching (or creating) videos, and sharing selfies. But most children—whether or not they know it yet—are thrilled to have a more hands-on, under-the-hood experience with digital technology.

Parents who want to encourage and inspire their kids to stretch their science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) muscles probably already know this, but there are plenty of toys and kits claiming to provide just that. Here’s a roundup of products that give kids a real, creative experience of electronics, robotics, and coding and to build interest and confidence in the most neophyte techies.

Elenco Snap Circuits Discover Coding

A new kit from the venerable kit-maker Elenco offers another way to introduce kids to coding. Once they learn the basics, they’re able to control Snap Circuits projects’ lights, sounds, and motors via a phone or tablet. True beginners can start with graphical coding; once they’re ready, they can move up to Blockly coding. The kit comes with more than 30 Snap Circuits part s— colorful, rugged electronic components that snap together. Ages 8 and up.

Piper Computer Kit 2

Piper’s Computer Kit 2 includes all the components you need to build your own computer: a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B, mouse, battery, blueprint, and set of screws, plus nuts, wood boards for the chassis, and a screwdriver to put the case together. The kit also comes with wires, buttons, switches, LEDs, and breadboards to use with post-build coding projects.

Parents and teachers should be on standby throughout the build process, especially for kids at the low end of Piper’s recommended 8-and-up age range. Once it’s built, you can play games in a special Minecraft mod that shows you how to build hardware projects you can use, in turn, to accomplish goals within the Minecraft universe. Even better, the Piper computer also serves as an actual computer; it goes online, has a word processor, and so on. The Piper Computer Kit remains a clever smart toy and, despite its steep price, is worth every screw-turning, breadboard-wiring, code-writing second.

Kano PC

The Kano PC kit is a great launchpad that can get kids ages 6 and older interested in computers and software coding. The kit contains the hardware components you need to create a working Windows 10 tablet — including an Intel Atom x5-Z8350 quad-core processor clocked at 1.44GHz, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, and 64GB of storage, as well as a MicroSD card slot and detachable keyboard.

You connect everything together by following storybook instructions. Projects include coding and making art, music, and games, and kids will learn about the inner workings of a PC and how to code through onboard apps.Your DIY tablet will also work with Windows apps such as Word and Excel, along with many others. And you can visit Kano World online to safely share projects with the Kano community. Ages 6 and up.

Robo Wunderkind Starter Kit

Young coders will have everything they need to build their own little bots, as well as code and operate them, with the Robo Wunderkind Starter Kit. You get several types of motors and sensors, wheels, a programmable button, an RGB light, and a main block with a speaker, mic, and battery; everything snaps together easily. You use two apps: Robo Code, to set your robot’s behaviors; and Robo Play, which lets you remote-control your bot. The former has tutorials and guides you through building projects — and eventually, you can create your own robots. Even better, Lego adapters are included, so you can augment your creations exponentially. Ages 6 to 12.

Microduino Itty Bitty Buggy

A builder kit that’s compatible with Lego blocks as well as with other kits from the company, the Microduino Itty Bitty Buggy comes with a base buggy to build on, as well as more than 50 snap-together mobiles with varying functions. Kids can build four fun projects with the kit: a Sloth, Ladybug, Dodo bird, and Alien. They can then code behaviors for their creations using either simple drag-and-drop coding (based on Scratch 3), more sophisticated Python, or even higher-level text-based Arduino IDE (C++). For those who want more, the Microduino Creative Expansion Kit ($19.99) features components for three more projects — or just invent your own. Ages 8 and up.

LittleBits Code Kit

We’re fans of LittleBits modular electronics kits; we’ve awarded them several Editors’ Choice awards, including the second-edition Gizmos & Gadgets Kit. The LittleBits Code Kit is designed to be used in educational settings to introduce kids from third to eighth grades to programming principles, by creating games through coding. LittleBits encourages parents to urge their schools to buy the kit. But if you really want to get your kids involved in coding and are willing to take an active role in the process, you can purchase the kit yourself. It may be overkill for some, but it’s a robust solution and an effective tool. Ages 8 and up.

Lego Boost Creative Toolbox

For kids who are a bit too young to handle Lego’s venerable MindStorms robotics kits, look no further than its Boost Creative Toolbox. Designed to introduce children to coding and robotics, the Boost kit provides building blocks with sensors, motors, and app-based coding to help them build a variety of robotic toys that can respond to stimuli. It’s a simple, fun, and relatively affordable approach that teaches the principles of programming, making it worthy of our Editors’ Choice designation. Ages 7 to 12.