Parents' Guide to Code Land - Coding for Kids

App iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Android Free to try Education
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Common Sense Media Review

Mieke VanderBorght By Mieke VanderBorght , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 5+

Subscription-based coding games for range of skill levels.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 5+?

Any Positive Content?

  • Code Land - Coding for Kids App: Screenshot #1
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  • Code Land - Coding for Kids App: Screenshot #3
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Privacy Rating Warning

  • Unclear whether personal information is sold or rented to third parties.
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  • Unclear whether this product displays personalised advertising.
  • Unclear whether data are collected by third-parties for their own purposes.
  • Unclear whether this product uses a user's information to track and target advertisements on other third-party websites or services.
  • Unclear whether this product creates and uses data profiles for personalised advertisements.
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What's It About?

Parents need to set up CODE LAND - CODING FOR KIDS by creating an account and a kid profile. Once in, kids swipe left or right to see all four "lands"-- logic, precode, coding, and multiplayer -- each of which with multiple games to choose from. Parents can tap on the information icon to read a brief description of the games while kids can simple tap a game icon to start playing. Most games are leveled, with kids starting automatically at level one. Logic games focus on general tasks such as forming a path that leads a robot to its end goal. Precoding games introduce basic concepts such as conditions, loops, and functions. Coding games ask kids to put basic coding commands together. Finally, in the multiplayer game section, kids use more advanced coding commands to program their performance in a game against the app or against a friend.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say : Not yet rated
Kids say : Not yet rated

This STEM-focused set of games stands out in a crowded field because it covers coding from a variety of angles and skill levels, even if games can sometimes get repetitive. With its four different "lands," Code Land - Coding for Kids is easily accessible for a wide range of ages and familiarity with coding. Younger kids can practice the most basic puzzles while more advanced kids can really get into coding with the multiplayer games. Or, over time, that learning arc means there's lots of room for kids to continue to be challenged as they learn and grow. There are lots of levels with most of the games, so it'll take a while for kids to get through them all. Levels get more complicated as they progress, but with so many levels, it happens really slowly. This is great for kids who need the practice, but might feel too slow and repetitive for kids who get it right away. And though parents indicate their kids' age when they create a new user profile, it doesn't seem to have any affect on where kids start or what levels they can access. At the time of this review, a good number of games are still under development. Though there will certainly be lots for kids to do when everything becomes available, it's not clear why Code Land - Coding for Kids is offered as a subscription rather than a one-time purchase. Overall, for parents who find their kids want to play enough to make it worth the subscription cost, Code Land - Coding for Kids offers a well-rounded, comprehensive journey through coding.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the games kids play with Code Land - Coding for Kids. How can kids plan out what they need to do to pass a level?

  • Talk to kids about the increasing challenge they'll face as the levels increase and why it's important to try a solution, that's it's OK to fail at it, and that it's essential to try again.

  • Encourage kids to engage in STEM activities on and off the screen. Are there experiments your kid wants to do? Are they interested in building and making things?

App Details

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