Right out of the box, the Sphero Mini was ready to roll, making it incredibly accessible and hassle-free for us. It's rechargeable via a simple USB cable. There's no need for complicated setup or hours of frustration—it's a delightful instant start to our coding adventure. Finally, Botley includes a little activity guide with 10 coding challenges that you can try out. These steadily increase in difficulty and, aside from having some fun ideas for activities, they are also a way to help the kids get used to the robot, as well as learn some basic commands and programming concepts.

Turn off the lights and see Botley 2.0’s eyes light up. You can even change the colour! Or programme by colour and watch Botley 2.0 put on a cool light show and dance to the beat. Incorporate Botley into other STEM activities to reinforce learning, such as building obstacle courses or creating mazes. While Botley the Coding Robot is focused on teaching coding skills, it also encourages creativity and imagination. With the detachable arms and obstacle pieces, children can create their own coding challenges and design unique courses for Botley to navigate. This open-ended play promotes creativity and allows children to explore their imagination. Building ConfidenceOften coding games are a good starting point, incorporating logic and problem solving without them even releasing they are learning a new skill. As they become more confident, switching to app-based learning that combines physical and virtual programming is the obvious progression, allowing them to practice and perfect what they have learned. Botley is a colorful robot and remote control combo that teaches kids beginner code. Children can program theirBotley coding robot by entering a code on the remote and then ask Botley to ‘run the code’. The Botley 2.0 is a great option for a screen-free STEM tool. The set-up is simple and the instructions are easy to follow. This is a product that not only appeals and works for younger learners, but experienced coders can also have fun playing and coding the Botley 2.0. Sphero is even intelligent to know whether it’s light or dark, with some programming conditions that can depend on brightness. Whilst Sphero has no sound, the built-in 8x8 LED display can be programmed to show messages, display animations and change colours based on kids’ commands. Pros Many of our machines, devices and gadgets are controlled by computer programs – including smartphones, laptops, game consoles, washing machines, watches and aeroplanes!

We talk about the importance of material quality in each and every one of our blogs because we strongly believe in the principle of quality over quantity. In this scenario where a coding robot is being handed over to a child, quality matters more than ever. A lousy quality robot in terms of construction material can be hazardous to your child's health. A coding robot has a line of action as per the code applied on a specific app or its remote control, which then is communicated to the Robot via its server. For a coding robot to function with ease, it needs a communication link between the code and the Robot. In doing so, either it has to be accompanied with a remote that can create a code, or an app is connected to the Robot's server. Encourage your child to come up with their own coding challenges and courses for Botley to navigate. There has been a huge increase in the popularity of tech toys and coding toys in recent years and with good reason. Not only are they great fun to play with, but also provide significant educational benefits for our children, teaching them how to code, sparking their imagination and encouraging a genuine interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths).I've got this coding mouse for 6yo dd1. It looks good, similar to something they have at school that she loves.” (Recommended by Mumsnet user Stompythedinosaur) After setting and assembling various parts of Robot according to the instructions, kids can easily code it by snapping the coding buttons on the coding wheels. This robot kit is designed for junior engineers having age ten years or more than that. Computational thinking is a fundamental skill in today’s technology-driven world. Botley the Coding Robot helps children develop computational thinking skills by introducing them to the concepts of algorithmic thinking, sequencing, and logical reasoning. This prepares them for future academic and professional pursuits in the field of computer science. Fostering Creativity and Imagination

We also have 'Dash' from Wonderlabs and the children can have robot races around the floor." (Recommended by Mumsnet user parietal) In today’s ever-changing high tech world a solid grasp of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and comfort with coding is becoming more important than ever. So important, in fact, that governments around the world are making huge investments in STEM education at the preschool and kindergarten levels. Have a look at a "Turing Tumble" It’s not electronic but it’s basically a coding challenge with marbles and moving parts.” (Recommended by Mumsnet user Porcupineintherough) The screen-free game helps build some of the key skills involved in programming including problem-solving and sequencing, starting off with basic activities and games before progressing to more challenging circuits.

Start with the beginner coding challenges and gradually increase the difficulty level as your child progresses. Kids can get creative and create new, custom actions with the PRP (Pose, Record, Play) function. This kit includes parts to build two construction-ready robots – GrabberBot or DigBot – or build your use your creativity to build your very own JIMU Robot creation. The recommended ages for this particular kit are 8 or older, and it does seem like it would get frustrating for children much younger than that.