Tynker Junior: Coding for Kids
By Christy Matte,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Great coding intro for little kids that focuses on fun.
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Tynker Junior: Coding for Kids
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What’s It About?
TYNKER JUNIOR has two different kinds of learning areas: leveled coding puzzles, and sandbox style free play options. In the first kind, kids explore coding logic concepts through fun activities and games. For example, Ocean Odyssey asks kids to help fish navigate mazes before designing their own aquariums. Or Wild Rumble brings kids out into virtual nature as they help various creatures explore their environment. Each of these begins with simple examples and slowly ramp up skills over time. In the creative studios, after a brief introduction, kids can explore freely and experiment using coding blocks to make art, music, animations, greeting cards, and simple video games.
Is It Any Good?
Where coding logic games for kids often become tedious and repetitive, this breath of fresh air assumes that kids understand the concept of moving forward a number of steps and skips the drudgery. Tynker Junior has cute animals, quirky customizable robots, and a fun environment. Kids will delight in designing items such as aquariums and dancing robots as they progress. But the best part of all may be that there is no need to place 10 commands to move forward 10 spaces, which is often one of the most irritating things about coding apps. Instead, Tynker Junior has some levels where the characters move until they hit a wall, and others where kids specify a number to show how many times to repeat the movement. It not only removes the tedium, but it simplifies a concept that a lot of kids struggle with when first learning to code. While learning their coding skills, kids will also practice matching shapes and objects and counting. They'll even learn a bit more about wildlife, including endangered species. The creative studios add a great element of open-ended play and exploration. This is a wonderful intro for kids who are a bit too young for Tynker, and older kids may enjoy some of it, too.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about following step-by-step directions in Tynker Junior and other contexts. How do people follow directions differently than a computer?
What is coding? What types of jobs require people who can code?
Talk about what to do next after Tynker Junior. Explore the games ond courses on the Tynker website.
App Details
- Devices: iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Android
- Subjects: Math : counting, patterns, sequences, Science : animals
- Skills: Thinking & Reasoning : logic, Creativity : imagination, Tech Skills : coding
- Pricing structure: Free to try (7-day free trial. then subscribe for full access: $4.99/month or $49.99/year.)
- Release date: December 6, 2021
- Category: Education
- Topics: STEM , Ocean Creatures , Robots , Wild Animals
- Publisher: Tynker
- Version: 4.6.620
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 11.4 or later; Android 7.0 and up
- Last updated: January 27, 2022
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