19 best coding games for kids

A board game where kids play cards to steer turtles to a jewel, while a parent acts as the computer. Coding ideas with no screen at all.

A free app where young kids snap picture blocks to make characters move, talk and dance. No reading required. Kids can record their own voices for characters.

Puzzle levels where you program a robot to light tiles, teaching procedures and loops. There is a free Hour of Code version and one for ages 4-8.

Watch for: The full apps are paid; the newest updates are years old.

A K-5 coding path where fuzzy creatures roll through mazes, then kids move on to JavaScript basics. It also has unplugged activities that work away from the screen.

Watch for: School and home plans differ; the full home version is paid.

Wordless puzzle games and a game maker starring the Foos. It has moved under the Begin learning brand. Kids make their own levels and games once they know the basics.

Watch for: Subscription after a free trial; check current pricing.

The world's most popular kids' coding tool. Build games and stories with blocks, then share and remix in a moderated community. Thousands of free tutorials help kids start.

Watch for: Public sharing; teach kids not to post personal details.

Free courses and one-hour games, including Minecraft, Dance Party and new Hour of AI activities. Renamed from Code.org in June 2026. Kids need no account to try the one-hour games.

Free browser puzzles that move from blocks to real JavaScript, no account needed. It covers mazes, birds, turtles and music, and is good for kids moving from blocks to typed code.

Kids type simple code to help a monkey grab bananas, then move on to Python and game building. Its puzzles teach the idea of fewer, better lines of code.

Watch for: Paid subscription after the free starter levels.

Block and Python courses, Minecraft mods and game making, all in one paid platform. Kids who love Minecraft can make mods and skins, which often pulls them deeper into coding.

Watch for: Subscription, with frequent upsell prompts to parents.

An iPad app for making and sharing games with blocks. Popular with kids who love making platformers. Kids can open others' projects and see how they work.

Watch for: Subscription for full features; public community.

Make retro games with blocks or JavaScript and play them in the browser or on small handheld kits. It also works with low-cost handheld game kits.

Nintendo's guided course in visual programming: kids wire up little creatures called Nodon to build working games. ESRB: Everyone. Kids finish it able to build their own games.

Watch for: Online sharing of games uses codes; Nintendo Switch Online needed.

Apple's free app for iPad and Mac that teaches Swift with puzzles, then lets kids build real apps. It is a real step toward app making for curious tweens.

Watch for: Runs only on Apple iPads and Macs.

A fantasy game where you type real Python or JavaScript to move your hero and win fights. Many middle schools use it in class, and levels start very gently.

Watch for: Free early levels; subscription for the rest.

A one-player logic puzzle with a map and action tokens. Kids plan a path the way a programmer plans a program. Sixty levels grow from easy to hard.

Office workers move boxes by following your instructions, which are basically assembly language. Funny and clever. ESRB: Everyone 10+. Kids learn how a computer really works.

The sequel: program a crowd of workers at once, which teaches parallel thinking. ESRB: Everyone on Switch. It is funny and light in tone, too.

Build a working computer from logic gates up, then program it. For teens who ask how computers really work. Teens who finish it understand computers from the inside.

Watch for: Hard; meant for teens and adults.