🧸 Early learning (ages 2-6) · 🎮 Learning games and sites · 💻 Coding
codeSpark (Begin Learning)
By Begin (Conscious Content Media, Inc.). Visit codeSpark (Begin Learning)
Desk research from the maker's own pages. Not yet tried by us. Checked 2026-10-24.
A coding app for ages 3 to 10 that needs no reading. Kids solve picture puzzles with characters called the Foos, learning to think in steps, find patterns and put commands in order, then use creation tools to build and publish their own games and stories. Published games are reviewed before others can see them. It is now part of Begin, which also sells HOMER and Learn with Sesame Street.
Our take: A well-made first coding game for ages 3-7; families should set a reminder before the free trial renews and compare with free ScratchJr.
| Ages it suits | 3-10 |
|---|---|
| What its terms say about age | Only a parent or legal guardian may hold the account; the terms say the services are not designed for anyone under 18, and children use the app under the parent's account. (terms) |
| Price | Paid. 7-day free trial, then monthly or annual subscription; the US App Store lists codeSpark Academy enrollments from $7.99 to $99.99 (Oct 2026). The maker's page shows no price before the trial. |
| Works on | iPhone and iPad |
| Account | A parent's account |
| Ads | None |
| In-app purchases | Yes |
| The AI in it | No AI |
What's good
- Works for pre-readers
- Ad-free, with reviewed sharing
- Kids can make and publish their own games
- Up to 5 child profiles on annual plans
Watch for
- Auto-renewing subscription after the trial
- Price not shown on the maker's page
- Parent email used for marketing
- Shared games go to a public community
Data and privacy
Says it does not share children's activity data for marketing or advertise to children. The App Store label lists email, gameplay content, photos and audio linked to the account, with email used for the developer's marketing; the website uses ad and tracking cookies. Read the privacy policy.
Does it work?
The maker's own claims only: Begin hosts small studies (a 2015 Foos efficacy study and a 2016 Thai classroom case study) reporting gains in problem-solving and sequencing.
- https://www.beginlearning.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/codeSpark_Teaching-computational-thinking-with-iPads-in-Thai-primary-schools_-The-Foos-case-study_The-Mobile-Computing-Lab_2016.pdf
- https://www.beginlearning.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/codeSpark_Efficacy-Study-of-The-Foos-Game_Denniston-et-al._2015.pdf
In the Big Index
- On the list 19 best coding games for kids
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Where these facts come from
- https://www.beginlearning.com/codespark/pdp
- https://www.beginlearning.com/terms-of-use/
- https://www.beginlearning.com/privacy-policy/
- https://www.beginlearning.com/parent-resources/research/
- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/codespark-coding-for-kids/id923441570
Prices, terms and features change. Nobody paid to be listed, nothing here is an affiliate link, and Peabody never rates itself. Where we and the maker disagree, the maker's own pages are the ones to trust.