I currently have a 3-month old son who demands a LOT of my attention. And I absolutely love it! It is amazing to see him look at the world around him and soak everything in. He is constantly discovering new things that amaze him (like his hands, which make him go cross-eyed when he looks at them).

(Note: that’s not my kid in the picture above, I got that image from unsplash.com)

The more time I spend with him, the more excited I get to teach him new things and share my passions with him. One of those passions I can’t wait to share is my love for coding!

This got me to wondering, what sort of toys and opportunities exist to help young children develop the skills necessary to be a programmer? This led me down a rabbit hole of amazing toys that are intended to each kids logic and programming skills. Here are a few of the coolest toys I found:

Botley the coding robot

This toy is awesome because it teaches kids some very basic programming skills. You enter a series of commands using the handheld receiver and when you push the “transmit” button, the robot follows those commands in order. This teaches kids to think ahead and plan out what steps will be necessary to complete a task.

Code Master Programming Logic Game

This game also teaches kids how to think logically and plan out the steps needed to accomplish a goal. On each level, the player has a set start location and a set target destination. They are then given an assortment of colored tiles, each one corresponding to the same color path on the game board. They then have to use those tiles in the correct order to traverse the game board, accomplish certain objectives, and eventually reach the final destination.

Turing Tumble

This one is my personal favorite, Turing Tumble. I remember seeing this available on Kickstarter years ago and thinking, “Man, toys are way cooler now than when I was a kid!”

The toy comes with an illustrated comic book that presents the player with a series of challenges. As the player solves each challenge, the protagonist comes one step closer to achieving their goal, being rescued from a deserted planet.

To play the game, the player positions their pieces on the vertical board and then releases a marble from the top. When the marble reaches the bottom, it flips either the left or right lever. This causes another marble to be released from the top on the corresponding side. The goal is that when all the marbles have reached the bottom, they form a specific pattern.

This game honestly looks cool enough that I would play it myself!

In summary…

What I think is so cool about all these games, is that they reduce the barrier to entry when it comes to programming. I didn’t have anything like this when I was a kid, but I would have loved these! The closest thing I had to a toy that taught you logical thinking and planning ahead was chess, and that requires a much higher base skill level than any of these games.

I can’t wait to start introducing my son to the world of programming, and I’m excited to see what other toys/games are invented in the future to help teach my son how to think like a programmer!