You may be looking for gifts for friends and family members. When shopping for kids, it can be difficult to find gifts that are both entertaining and educational. However, there are a number of excellent coding gifts on the market. Coding gifts help young students to learn the fundamentals of programming while having a great time. This list presents some of the best coding gifts for kids for birthdays, Christmas, graduations, and more!
Discover the best coding gifts for kids
From robots to board games and more, this list is sure to have a coding gift for your child, grandchildren, friends, classmates, and more. As a heads up, most gifts in this list are intended for kids that are younger kids.
1. Create & Learn Gift Cards
There’s no gift like the gift of learning, so why not give a gift card for a Create & Learn course? There are courses for students who have absolutely no experience, all the way up to advanced high school courses. There are award-winning classes for a wide range of interests, from Minecraft Modding to web design and app building, although most students will start out with the Scratch Ninja course. This is great for aspiring coders who are ready to dive into a structured, expert teacher-led coding course.
Best for ages: 5-18
You can also sign your student up for a free introduction lesson of our most popular beginner course, designed by experts from Google, Stanford, and MIT:
2. Lego MindStorms Programmable Robot
Lego Mindstorms have been on the market since 1998, and for good reason- they’re an excellent introduction to programming and mechanical design! Students will use block coding via the Robot Inventor app to make robots walk, pick up objects, follow a line, and more. This is an excellent toy for aspiring engineers and visual learners.
Best for ages: 10+
3. Arduino Starter Kit
For older students with some prior coding experience, the Arduino starter kit is a great choice. Arduino kits are highly versatile, allowing students to learn basic electronics as well as programming. The kit comes with an access code for online learning tools, as well as access to Arduino’s intuitive, online IDE. This is a great option for driven students who like to learn independently.
Best for ages: 11+
For help with Arduino, join our Smart Devices class led live by an expert:
4. Micro:bit v2 Board
A more beginner-friendly alternative to Arduino, the Micro:bit v2 board is like a mini-computer that students can program to have a number of custom functions. It has motion sensing, Bluetooth connectivity, and two programmable buttons for children to control. The board can be programmed using MakeCode’s block-code editor, making it a great tool for those without prior programming experience. Considering the amount of flexibility this tool has, it’s an excellent choice for creative students to experiment with!
Best for ages: 8+
5. Code-a-Pillar
Young children can learn the basic ideas of coding and problem-solving with Fischer Price’s Code-a-Pillar. This toy allows students to connect various parts of the caterpillar that affect how it moves. Children will learn the concepts of sequencing and problem solving while working with this toy.
Best for ages: 3-6
6. mBot Ranger 3-in-1 Robot Kit
Unlike the other programmable robots on this list, the mBot Ranger can be programmed using Scratch coding, a widely-used block coding language for introducing students to coding. The robot is controlled by a mobile app, making it easy to customize and user-friendly for children. Plus, the functionality of the robot can be extended by adding modules such as gyroscopes, light-sensing, Bluetooth and more!
Best for ages: 10+
7. Doorbell Programmer
The Doorbell Programmer is the only gift on this list which uses Python, one of the most widely-used coding languages in the world. It comes with interactive tutorials which explain Python coding, and even includes a weekday support ticketing system for answering questions! This is a fantastic opportunity for students to build something that has functional use in the real world, for themselves and their family alike.
Best for ages: 8+
8. Artie 3000- The Coding and Drawing Robot
Kids with artistic interests will love Arite 3000. This robot can be coded using a number of languages including Blockly, Snap!, Python, or JavaScript. Children can test their code in the online simulator, then set Artie to work on their own paper.
Best for ages: 7-12
9. Sphero Mini Programmable Robot
Sphero, another programmable robot, can be programmed using block coding or JavaScript, which allows students to start with block coding, then advance to text coding. The robot is programmed using Sphero’s educational app, and can be controlled via Bluetooth connection. Sphero features multiple different control options, allowing students to choose how they want their robot to navigate the world.
Best for ages: 8+
10. The Official Scratch Junior Book
Scratch is a programming tool used by millions of students worldwide, so it’s a great place to start coding. The Official ScratchJr. Book includes step-by-step instructions for using ScratchJr, their beginner app for younger students, broken up into chapters that address each coding concept. At the end of the book, students will be able to build their own final project that combines all the skills they’ve learned so far. This is a great gift because once students finish working through the concepts, they will have the ability to make their own custom Scratch games and animations!
Best for ages: 5-7
Enjoy live instruction while learning how to use the ScratchJr app:
11. The Ultimate Roblox Book
With over 1,000 Amazon reviews, this is one of the most popular books for teaching kids coding. Roblox is a great way for kids to get to build their own video game, and this book will help to set them on the right path. Once kids learn the basics, they will be able to bring whatever they imagine to life in the powerful Roblox IDE! Plus, Roblox accounts are free, so whoever receives this gift will be able to get coding right away.
Best for ages: 8-11
Learn how to make your own games in Roblox and customize it to bring all your ideas to life, in our beginner Roblox coding class:
12. Hello Ruby: Adventures in Coding
Hello Ruby has been featured in publications including Wired, The Guardian, Mashable, and more for its effectiveness as both an entertaining book and learning tool. The series has 3 books which explain coding, computer components, and the Internet in a manner approachable to young children. The author’s website also includes free exercises, materials, and bonus resources to supplement the book’s material!
Best for ages: 4-8
13. Robot Turtles Board Game
ThinkFun, which has sold more than 50 million units of logic puzzles and games worldwide, created the Robot Turtles board game to help little kids learn the fundamentals of coding. Kids use forward, left, and right tiles to “program” their turtles to move through a course to reach their gem. The game includes multiple levels of increasing difficulty, so kids can gradually build their skills up. Since up to 5 players can play this game, it’s fun for the whole family!
Best for ages: 4+
14. Code Master: Programming Logic Game
Also by ThinkFun, Code Master is intended for older elementary students to work on coding concepts. The game contains 10 maps with 60 different puzzles to solve- and each puzzle has only one correct answer! This is a great game for kids who want a challenge and like puzzle solving.
Best for ages: 8+
15. Hacker: Cybersecurity Logic Game
The final item of this list, Hacker, introduces kids to the ideas of cybersecurity as they play the roles of a hacker, engineer, or coder. The game comes with 120 puzzles of increasing difficulty, as well as a solution booklet for checking the answer. This game is good for teaching a practical application of programming, instead of just teaching coding concepts.
Best for ages: 10+
Shop some of the best coding gifts for kids
Hopefully, with this wide range of gifts, you are able to find a coding present for your child. If you’re still looking for more gift ideas, check out the best STEM gifts for kids!
Written by Create & Learn instructor Dominic Occhietti. Dominic is a graduate of Michigan State University, where he studied music performance and computer science. He thoroughly enjoys teaching, whether that be coding classes, French horn lessons, or even downhill skiing lessons!
