The 9 Best Apps to Introduce Kids to Programming

Last updated on 15 June 2026

Learning coding Finally, it is an important and recognized competence. By teaching children how to code from an early age, they develop essential skills such as problem solving, creativity and critical thinking.

The market for apps to teach children to code has become vast and unreadable. Between the freemiums that hide their paywall in the third lesson, the apps that have been abandoned since 2021 and the ‘free for teachers’ platforms that require a three-step school check, there is plenty of time to waste.

In short, I did the sorting.

Dive into the world of coding for children: Why is it essential today?

In France, programming is present in school curricula from cycle 2, with the notions of algorithmics and computer thinking progressing throughout school. Since 2026, Pix IA courses have been compulsory for students in the 4th, 2nd and 1st year of CAP.

What is often missing are the accessible tools. Here they are.

The Best Apps to Introduce Kids to Programming

 

ScratchJr

URL: scratchjr.org Age: 5-7 years · Platform: iOS, Android (recommended tablet) · Price: Free · Account required: No · Interface: French available · Language: Visual blocks

ScratchJr is simplified Scratch for toddlers. Developed by MIT, it allows children aged 5 to 7 to create small interactive stories and simple games by assembling colorful blocks.

What distinguishes it: no reading is required. All commands are represented by icons. A kindergarten child can take it by himself. No account, no ads, no data collected.

If you are looking to extend the experience with guided courses on Scratch, take a look at Junior Campus, a French-language platform that introduces step-by-step programming for 7-13 year olds.

What I like: The total autonomy of the young from the first use.

What I like less: The interface is not easily readable on a smartphone. It is better to work on a tablet. And the content is quickly limited: ScratchJr is a good front door, but we go around it quickly.

Karts code – Pre-coding

URL: iOS · Android Age: 4-6 years · Platforms: iOS, Android · Price: Freemium (10 free levels, 70+ circuits in paid version) · Account required: No · Interface: French (available in 21 languages) · Language: Visual blocks, sequence logic

Before we even talk about algorithms, there is the sequence logic: first I do that, then that, then that. This is exactly what Code Karts is working on, through car races for 4-6 year olds.

The children place blocks in order, move forward, turn left, turn right, to guide their car to the finish. Simple, visual, effective. Developed by Edoki Academy, a French company.

What I like: The unwritten pre-coding approach, perfect for CP. And availability in 21 languages.

What I like less: The free version is quickly expired. 10 levels is one or two sessions. To go further, you have to go to the checkout.

Lightbot

URL: lightbot.com/hoc.html (free version "Code Hour") · lightbot.com (main site) Age: 8-12 years · Platform: iOS, Android · Price: Freemium. ‘Lightbot: Free Code Hour (20 levels, no ads or in-app purchases). Full version for a fee. · Account required: No · Interface: English · Languages: Sequential logic, procedures, loops, conditions

Lightbot is a discreet and effective puzzle game. The principle: guide a small robot to light boxes by giving him instructions in the right order. No animated characters or rewards every thirty seconds. Just pure logic, well-packed.

The "Code Hour" version is completely free, 20 levels, without advertising, without in-app purchase. This is a good basis for a discovery session.

What I like: Progression in difficulty is well calibrated. We naturally move from simple sequences to procedures, then loops and conditions.

What I like less: The interface is entirely in English, to be anticipated according to the level of your students. The free version remains limited for long-term use.

Tynker

URL: tynker.com Age: 7-18 years · Platform: Web, iOS, Android · Price: Paying. Approximately 15 $/month in annual subscription (168 $/year per family). No perennial free version. · Account required: Yes · Interface: English · Languages: Visual blocks, Python, JavaScript, Minecraft modding

Important point: Tynker is not a free app. It is a subscription platform with a mostly paid model. Most content is only accessible after subscription. For schools, a specific tariff exists, to be negotiated directly with Tynker.

On paper, nothing very original: progressive courses, projects, games to learn to code. But in use, the platform is well built. Progression to Python is real, and Minecraft modules are a strong motivational argument with some students.

What I like: The progressivity of the catalogue, from the visual blocks to Python and JavaScript. Minecraft integration works.

What I like less: The tariff barrier. The interface is entirely in English. And the family subscription, which is difficult to justify for one-off use in the classroom.

Algoblocs+

URL: · I have already written about ALgoblocs on the website: Algoblocs, a tool for learning to program in the classroom Age: Primary and College · Platform: Windows (software to install) · Price: Commercial license for schools, price on quote · Account required: According to installation · Interface: French · Language: Visual algorithm, pen movements

Algoblocs+ is a separate school software in this selection: it does not install on a smartphone or launch into a browser. It is a tool designed for establishments, sold with a license.

Students schedule the movements of a virtual pen to reproduce geometric shapes. The approach is more "school computing" than "mobile gaming", but it fits well with the uses in the computer room with a real algorithmic progression.

What I like: Designed for the class, in French, with a solid pedagogical logic.

What I like less: Requires a license and installation. Unaccessible at home. If you want to test without a budget, the free version of Algoblocs (without the +) is available directly on the Generation5 website.

OctoStudio

URL: octostudio.org · Dedicated article on the website: Introduce students to coding with OctoStudio Age: 8-14 years · Platform: iOS, Android · Price: Free · Account required: No · Interface: French (30+ languages) · Language: Visual blocks, creation of animations and games

OctoStudio is, in my opinion, one of the best surprises of recent years. Developed by the MIT Media Lab, the same as Scratch, it allows you to create animations, games and interactive projects directly from a smartphone or tablet.

What really sets it apart: no user data is collected. Projects are stored locally on the device. No account, no ads, no subscription, no mandatory internet access. It works offline. This is rare and valuable in a school context.

What I like: Creative freedom. Students use their own photos, drawings and sounds. And all this without giving up a single byte to a commercial platform.

What I like less: The interface is less intuitive than Scratch for a complete beginner. A little ownership time is needed.

CodeSpark Academy

URL: codespark.com · iOS · Android Age: 3-10 years · Platform: iOS, Android, Amazon · Price: Subscription (approximately €10.99/month). Free for teachers, librarians and verified non-profit institutions. · Account required: Yes (teaching account for free access) · Interface: Without text, icons only · Language: Visual blocks, programming logic through puzzles

CodeSpark Academy is designed for very young people, from 3 years old, and its interface is completely textless. No reading required: All commands are in pictures. This is a real advantage for kindergarten and early primary school, including for pupils with reading difficulties.

Developed with the support of MIT researchers Princeton and Carnegie Mellon, the app offers hundreds of logic and programming activities. No advertising, no in-app purchases.

For teachers, access is free of charge after verification of professional status. The process takes a few minutes on the site.

What I like: The textless approach opens programming to non-readers. And free for teachers is real, not just a marketing argument.

What I like less: Verifying the teacher account is an additional step. The interface remains in English, even if the lack of text minimises the impact. To be tested as a priority for classes of toddlers.

Blockly Games (Google)

URL: blockly.games Age: 6-14 years · Platform: Web (browser, no installation) · Price: Free · Account required: No · Interface: French available · Languages: Visual blocks, visible transition to JavaScript

Blockly Games is a series of online games developed by Google to introduce programming concepts in a progressive way. Simple puzzles at advanced levels, where blocks turn into JavaScript code visible in real time.

No installation, no account, no subscription. We open the browser, we play, we code. Nine different games, each targeting a concept: sequences, conditions, loops, … functions

The visible transition between blocks and text code is pedagogically rare and valuable. This is also what is proposed 3 sites to learn to code while playing identified on the website, if you are looking for other web alternatives of the same type.

What I like: Zero administrative friction. And the transition blocks to JavaScript, which makes it possible to show concretely what "programming" means in real life.

What I like less: The interface is sober and even austere for the youngest. There is no integrated guided progression: it is up to the teacher to build the sequence.

Additional resources to deepen coding learning

Beyond mobile apps, some online resources are worth knowing.

Code.org is the reference for structured courses, from the CP to the terminal. Free, in French, without mandatory account for students. ‘Courses A to F’ cover kindergarten to CM2 with progressive activities. Ideal if you want a pedagogical guideline rather than a one-off application.

Educode.fr is a French-language platform founded by developers for teachers: resources, sequences, tutorials, all in French.

1, 2, 3 code (La main à la pâte Foundation) offers turnkey progressions per cycle, from kindergarten to college. A resource designed for teachers without prior computer training.

Khan Academy offers free HTML, CSS and JavaScript programming courses, rather for middle and high school students who want to go further.

Once the basics of programming are acquired, students will also need to master the keyboard. On this subject, the site lists the 6 best tools to learn how to type on the keyboard online, of which Fort Dactylo, particularly suitable for DYS students.

A comparative table of applications to teach children how to code

Here is a summary of the different applications to learn how to code to help you navigate them:

*Free access after verification of teaching status

Where to start?

None of these apps replace a built-in instructional sequence. But some can be a good place to start.

For the youngest, from 3 to 7 years old: ScratchJr or CodeSpark Academy. For 6-10 year olds in class, without administrative friction: OctoStudio or Blockly Games. For students who want to progress towards a real language: Tynker, provided that the subscription is accepted. And for short discovery sessions: Lightbot Code Hour remains a safe bet.

Want to go further with your students? Think about the Night of the Code, a programming marathon held every year that really mobilizes classes.

To test before deciding. Some work, others less well depending on classes and levels. It’s up to you.