Great Coding Toys for 7 - 11 Year Olds
In the opening chapter of ‘The Inevitable: 12 technological forces that will shape our future’, Kevin Kelly stresses how we are all currently ‘Newbies’ and will be for the foreseeable future.
The lesson, Kelly implores us to learn, is that we need to get comfortable with constantly having to learn new tools, since the ones we’re using now will soon be obsolete.
It is certainly something I can relate to since starting <Think> Big almost 2 years ago. Amazing and engaging new tech hardware and software is constantly being introduced and updated.
So, for all us 'newbies', and with my email box currently inundated with requests for advice on good coding and tech toys that can also offer good learning, I thought it wise to update my post from last year on great toys for primary age children.
Low priced
BBC MicroBit (~ £15)
Still on my list from last year are these amazingly powerful mini-computers - more powerful, in fact, than the computers that got Neil Amstrong to the moon almost 50 years ago! Ideal for children in UKS2, the MicroBits have an advantage over, say, the Raspberry Pi, in that they are ‘self-contained’ and don’t need any add-on displays, etc.
In our Clubs, we use them for animations, badges, pocket games, as well as more challenging projects such as motion-controllers. The radio feature is great for connecting two microbits and they now have the added benefit that will be an add-on device for the new Scratch 3.0 being released in January (available now in Beta).
Stop Motion Animation (~ £25 - £50)
Whilst not coding in the most discrete sense, stop motion animation is great for developing children’s computational thinking skills – in particular, decomposition and pattern seeking. It is a fantastic present for creatively minded children and is also great in improving children’s perseverance (my daughter can spend hours on a project when she really gets into it!).
We use Zu3D in our clubs. This company also provides home licenses for PC’s or tablets. There are lots of alternative software/hardware packages on the market but, whichever software you go with, I would suggest you make sure it has the ability to do Green Screening (Chroma Keys) and live screening. These really add to the challenge for children and widen the application and uses.
Medium Priced
Ozobot bit (~£50)
Still my favourite coding toy and one of our most popular after-school/lunch clubs. The Ozobots are miniature robots that are packed with sensors and we are still using the same ones we bought almost 2 years ago – so they are quite tough and durable!
The best aspect of them is how accessible they are to different abilities and ages. For children in Year 3/4, and younger too, they can be controlled using drawn lines and coloured algorithms. For older children, the Ozobots are programmed direct from a web-based blockly-editor on either computers or tablets.
As a child’s coding confidence progresses, they can move from sequences and loops, to variables and selection/conditionals. I still haven’t accessed their full potential in any of our clubs, even with high ability Year 6 children, and they certainly are toys that could be used over a number of years.
A (more expensive) variation is the Ozobot Evo (~£90). While I haven’t used them directly, I have heard mixed reviews on them from other teachers and some of the social aspects probably aren’t suitable for primary age children.
Sphero mini (~£50)
These are mini (and cheaper) versions of the Sphero SPK+ and Bolt which I have included in my ‘High Priced’ suggestions and are new to my list. An alternative to the Ozobots, they are ping pong sized balls which can be driven using either code or by remote control using a phone/tablet app. While they offer largerly the same functionality of their larger siblings, they are not as durable or waterproof and are more for ‘play' rather than ‘coding and play’, hence we only use the larger versions in our clubs.
Makey Makey (~£40)
Also new to my list is the amazing Makey Makey which we started in clubs this last year. A Makey Makey is essentially just an extension to a keyboard and does need a computer/laptop when used. Once connected though, its use is only limited by your own imagination and we have used them for musical fruit instruments, ‘Operation’ games, interactive posters and friendship bridges.
Seeing a group of 12 children touching each other’s cheeks just with a finger tip and using that conductivity to play music on a banana is quite something to watch!
The Makey Makey would suit those in the ‘Maker’ fraternity. Even if you’re not though, they can be accessed by children very easily, though Year 3 children will probably need a bit of initial support.
High priced
Sphero Bolt (~£150)
The Bolt has just been released and is a (more expensive) alternative to the SPRK+ (~£120) that has been around for the last couple of years. Both options, are super durable and waterproof and can be used in a variety of settings – including the bath or outside in the forest!
Children compare it to BB8 in star wars and it's lots of fun! It does need a tablet or phone with a free app installed and, ideally, a reasonable amount of space to play with it.
We started using the SPRK+ this year in clubs, having used them for our Robotic Workshops on-board P & O cruises in the Summer, and children have found them very engaging. Yes, the Bolt does offer more coding opportunities and, if I was purchasing them for the clubs now, I would probably choose this version, albeit with the extra £30 price tag.
Lego Boost (~£130)
Lego Boost is a more accessible and lower priced alternative to the Lego Mindstorms range. The toy has 2 basic aspects – the ‘maker’ part (building one of their 5 alternative designs), and the ‘coding’ part to program and control it. While it is targeted at children in all KS2, I feel that the coding blocks are quite basic and more akin to that used in Scratch Jnr – aimed at Children in, say, Years 2 and 3.
I don’t have much experience with the Boost (we don’t currently use it in any of our clubs) but feel it would be suitable for those younger children who love Lego and building objects and would like an introduction to basic coding concepts.
Parrot Mambo Drone (~£130)
My final inclusion in this list is the Parrot Drone. Drones are getting cheaper and cheaper and whilst loads are available by a simple google search, we have started using the Parrot Drone as it can be coded directly from an app using child-friendly blockly style coding. They can also be controlled using the app by simple remote controls.
Beware, battery life is quite limited and you might want to purchase some extra spare batteries that you can have charged and ready!
A little note on computers. Recently, I’ve had a number of parents chat to me about wanting to upgrade computers for children – often to enable them to play fortnite or other games. As some of you will know, I am not a fan of fortnite for primary age children and trying to upgrade a computer to keep match with new games coming out will be an expensive and thankless task. Personally speaking, I feel that Chrome books can be a good, fairly economical first laptop for a child and, while some games will not be viable with it, I would see that as a good limiting factor! Also, as the internet is required for most functions with a Chrome book, parental control is quite easy by switching off your home wi-fi!
I hope this post is useful and please feel free to add any of your own suggestions in the comments below.
[Originally published 28th November 2018 by <Think> Big on Facebook]
