10 Great iPad Apps to Help Your Children
Learn to Code By Danny Nicholson
With the changes in the National Curriculum for ICT in 2014 introducing a greater emphasis on coding and programming, there is a greater demand for easy to use programming tools for children. Tools such as Scratch are great, but it doesn’t currently play nicely on an iPad. Coding apps tend to fall into two categories. At the simplest level they allow children to produce simple algorithms to make something happen on the screen, whether it’s a turtle or a dalek move about the screen. These allow the children to begin to think logically to solve a particular problem. Other apps provide a more complex coding environment with features such as repeating loops and inputs.
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The Doctor and the Dalek (free) bit.ly/uked15apr33
The Doctor and the Dalek is designed to introduce children to the idea of programming through simple codes. By issuing commands to an on-screen Dalek the children can solve various problems and eventually save the Universe. In addition to the app, the BBC has also produced a Doctor and the Dalek resource pack designed to be used alongside the game by teachers or parents. 3.
Daisy the Dinosaur (Free) bit.ly/uked15apr34
Here are 10 apps that can help your children learn to code: 1.
ScratchJr bit.ly/uked15apr32
Scratch Jr is a version of the popular Scratch coding platform especially written for iPads and aimed at younger users. ScratchJr is an introductory programming language that enables young children (ages 5-7) to create their own interactive stories and games. Like the other versions of Scratch, children snap together graphical programming blocks to make characters move, jump, dance, and sing. Children can modify characters in the paint editor, add their own voices and sounds, even insert photos of themselves — then use the programming blocks to make their characters come to life. If you are looking for ways to introduce younger children to coding, then this is definitely worth getting. Image credit: flickr.com/photos/kovah/15331296957 by Kovah used under Commercial Creative Commons 2.0 License. Foreground images provided by Danny Nicholson 22 UKED Magazine
This free, fun app helps teach the basics of simple programming. It has an easy drag and drop interface to animate Daisy to dance across the screen. Children will intuitively grasp the basics of objects, sequencing, loops and events by solving this app’s challenges. It’s a simple, easy to use app which gives children an easy introduction into simple programming. 4.
Hopscotch (Free) bit.ly/uked15apr035
Developed by the same team behind Daisy the Dinosaur, Hopscotch is a free app which allows children to create their own games and animations with a simple programming language. Hopscotch works by dragging and dropping method blocks into scripts in the same way as Scratch. When you’re finished with a script, press play to see the code in action. More advanced users can add additional objects and use custom events, such as shaking and tilting the iPad, to run different parts of the code.