Base Kit Computer Coding Game for Kids 8-12+ & Teens - Learn C++ Programming & Electronics with 60+ STEM Projects | Perfect Gift for Boys & Girls | Great for Homeschooling, After-School Activities & STEM Learning

See Why Let's Start Coding Kits are More than Toys When you get a Let's Start Coding kit, you get so much more than a toy. With 100s of free online projects, kids learn real computer code that unleashes their creativity. Kids create custom programs at their own pace, then upload their code to their electronic kit for an immediate & tangible outcome. The video showcases the product in use.The video guides you through product setup.The video compares multiple products.The video shows the product being unpacked. What kind of computer do I need? Our kits are compatible with most Windows, Mac, and Chromebook laptops & desktops. This includes Windows 7 and up & Mac OSX 10.9 and up. Our kits are not compatible with tablets or smartphones. We do not support Linux computers, but they may work. Do I need an internet connection? Yes, our coding software is online. You can use a Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or Opera web browser to code. Do I have to subscribe to the coding projects/software? No, our projects and resources are free and open for anyone with a kit. There are no logins or passwords for kids to forget - they can just open a web browser and start coding! Can my kids share this kit? Yes. When code is uploaded to the kit, it overwrites the last program that was loaded. You can share a kit and upload an infinite number of programs to it. Kids can also work together on the challenges - called pair programming - and most enjoy that. Do I need to start with another Let's Start Coding kit before I try this one? No, all of our kits are designed for total beginners. Each kit covers coding basics like loops, variables, and functions. We recommend getting the kit that best fits your child's interests and getting other kits over time as they complete them. Whatever your child's interest or your budget, we have a coding kit for them! Base Kit Add to Cart Code Lab Add to Cart Code Rocket Add to Cart Code Car Add to Cart Ultimate Add to Cart Code Piano Jumbo Add to Cart Customer Reviews 4.2 out of 5 stars 227 3.4 out of 5 stars 6 4.0 out of 5 stars 95 4.1 out of 5 stars 135 4.3 out of 5 stars 120 4.2 out of 5 stars 145 Price $99.99$99.99 $99.99$99.99 $59.99$59.99 $49.99$49.99 $199.99$199.99 $54.99$54.99 Included Projects 60+ 100+ 42 29 110+ 32 Loved By Hands-on learners & tinkerers Kids who want to start fast Kids with big imaginations Kids who are toy creators! Older tween & teen coders Musicians with a techy side Size Standard Jumbo Mini Mini Standard Jumbo Free Project Guides ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Awards Won Mom's Choice Award Family Choice Award National Parent Product Award Purdue University Gift Guide Family Review Center Gold Parent's Choice Award Awards Won Purdue University Gift Guide Tech Advisor Best '21,'22,'23 Tillywig Brain Child Award Family Choice Award Family Choice Award Mom's Choice Award Awards Won Modern Library Platinum Award Purdue University Gift Guide Purdue University Gift Guide — Modern Library Platinum Award Purdue University Gift Guide Awards Won Family Review Center Seal — — — MLA Platinum Award Family Review Center Gold Block/Text Code Text Code Only Text Code Only Block & Text Code Block & Text Code Text Code Only Block & Text Code A Guided Experience that Encourages Creativity Hundreds of Sequenced Free Online Projects... Kids need guidance on their coding journey. Our team of engineers, teachers, and parents have created hundreds of step-by-step projects that teach kids the basics of coding. Girls and boys can follow the lessons at their own pace, building up their skills over time. ...Teach Boys & Girls to Create Their Own Programs Our goal is to get kids writing their own programs. Each of our projects includes example code, walkthrough videos, and challenges that help kids learn to experiment with programming. Let's Start Coding kits are more than a toy, they are a learning toolbox for creative young minds! Choose the Right Let's Start Coding Kit for Your Tween Coder! 1 2 3 4 5 6 Designed from the Ground Up to Give Kids a Successful Coding Experience All the fun of coding & circuits. None of the headache. Let's Start Coding has combined easy-to-use electronics, online lessons & videos, & example code to bring your tween & teen kids the best way to start learning real code. Parents, you don't have to be an expert to get them started; kids start with our pre-written example code & 'tinker', experimenting with the code & trying out our challenges through our free online software. Let's Start Coding resources have been designed by educators & coders to teach the core concepts in a way that engages kids 8 & up, challenges their minds, & introduces them to core coding concepts while they have fun! Our team has spent hundreds of hours leading workshops, camps, & classes through the beginning of their coding journey, so the method is proven & based on feedback from real beginners. Our breadboard- & wire-free electronic construction makes it a snap to create circuits - imagine a Snap Circuits kit that is codeable. Finally, an introduction to real, typed coding that doesn't require textbooks, in-person tutors, or searching for high-quality information online. If you really want your kids to get ahead with your coding skills, the Let's Start Coding kits are the all-in-one product you're looking for. The Base Kit includes: Maker Board microcontroller (programmable computer chip similar to Arduino, Microbit / Micro:bit, or Raspberry Pi used in the Piper Computer), Speaker, Buttons, RGB (red-green-blue) LED lights, Red, Blue, & Green LED lights (single color), turn knob, USB Cable, Component & code reference instructions, & a Carrying case. By following over 60 step-by-step projects with over 1,000 lines of example code & nearly 4 hours of video content, teen girls will learn about Analog vs. digital logic, How fast computers can process logic & sensor readings, How computers are programmed to "make decisions", Building basic electrical circuits (ground vs. power), & Displaying 'data' in creative ways using the lights & sound & they will learn how to modify their programs & write their own creative code with these skills!Kids get immediate feedback when they build something with their kits. Our component guides & online resources help tweens build real electronic projects. At the same time, kids are introduced to real, typed coding concepts in the C++ coding language, used by major companies & government agencies like NASA. Ignite your kids' passion for STEM & set them up for a career in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math! Even if your kids don't become full-time computer programmers, they can use their coding skills in video game development, website design, robotics, design, mechanical engineering, or any number of other fields. Computing jobs are expected to grow much faster than other occupations over the coming decade. Getting your child started exploring code now is an investment that can pay off with huge benefits. Whether you're shopping for a birthday, Christmas, graduation, Hanukkah, or other gift, consider a coding kit as the smart option that will keep both kids & parents happy. Kids can express their creativity through coding & electronics, building household gadgets like an random dance party, DJ booth, light & sound show, flashlight, adjustable pitch siren, or something as simple as a traffic light simulator. Though not a robotics kit like Sphero or Artie Max, the engineering & electronics skills that tweens & teens build with a Let's Start Coding kit will cross over to those activities as they learn code logic, styling, syntax, loops, variables, functions, troubleshooting, & command sequencing. While options like Bitsbox offer a subscription for younger kids, the Ultimate Kit contains enough activities that you don't need a monthly box to stay busy! Our 100+ example projects are just the start - typed code enables unlimited experiments & variations that kids can explore at their own pace, making games & gadgets. Coding for kids 12 & up has never been easier - our projects are relevant to kids of that age, but still focused on beginners & on building skills up one at a time. As broad as computer coding is, it can be broken into its component parts & learned sequentially. That structure is crucial in coding for beginners - they need the focus that our coding toys provide. Designed & shipped from the USA, we're dedicated to your success & provide online support, email newsletters that keep kids going, & consistent improvement of our products & lessons online. Parents & teachers praise our kits because their kids are able to get started on their own, without much adult knowledge or guidance. This is important because kids may lead the way as the first coders in their household. Our online resources including videos & challenges help guide kids in their coding journey. Trust one of the most awarded STEM companies in the United States and try a Base Kit today and upgrade to an Ultimate Coding Kit when your kids are ready for their next coding step. Inspire a New Hobby, Ignite a New Passion! Coding fundamentals like variables, loops, functions, styling, syntax, and more are taught by Let's Start Coding kits, and those concepts cross over to all major coding languages like Python, Javascript, Rust, R, C#, C, Java, SQL, and are even valuable in programs like Excel. At the outset kids need to be inspired and engaged by their coding projects, not focused on careers - the coding languages that are in use in 10 years when they are career-ready will be different than those today! We focus on a fun introduction to coding that doesn't require outside expertise from a parent, tutor, or teacher. Our self-guided and self-paced projects give kids a "sandbox" that they can explore while getting support from our videos, walkthroughs, challenges, and even our staff (for customers 13+ or via a parent) through email or chat.Kids who enjoy memory games, brain games, strategy games, computer games/video games, puzzles of all kinds and science are likely to enjoy our kits. They require some perseverance and grit, but provide kids a wildly rewarding experience through their own creative custom programs that they would never be able to build in some of the more "hand-holding" code environments that really just guide kids about which buttons to click in which order. At Let's Start Coding, we want to be the bridge between programs like Hour of Code or Scratch and the AP classes, theory, and textbooks that come later in kids' coding education. This is not a robot like Sphero, Ozobot, Dash & Dot, or Botley. While there is value to Lego Mindstorms, Vex, First robotics, etc., our kits benefit from not needing battery charging, bluetooth connectivity, an app (with potential compatibility issues), or the other hassles that often accompany robots. As opposed to Minecraft, Roblox, or Scratch, a Let's Start Coding Kit offers tangible, real-world, real-time feedback to kids as they get started, which is critical to their deeper understanding of how the code works and it improves their excitement when the feedback is immediate. There are products like the MicroBit / micro:bit, Arduino, elegoo, and Raspberry Pi that are a bit closer to "bare metal" hardware coding, but many of those projects require breadboards, resistors, capacitors, and yards of wiring that we find actually slow kids down rather than give them a jumpstart. One loose wire can render an Arduino project useless, or worse, "fry" an entire kit! With our circuit style, everything is built-in: just plug it in and start coding! We strive to keep kids excited about coding in their "crucial middle" - the formative years where they start to identify with activities that will define their high school years and beyond. If coding is fun with a Let's Start Coding kit, kids are more likely to identify with coding or, at the very least, not fear it. With this confidence, they may join the club, class, or group that helps them uncover their passion for the creativity that coding provides. Every kid who uses a Let's Start Coding kit will not become a professional programmer, but we hope to present the concepts and process in a way that gives coding a chance in the swirl of activities that kids today are able to choose between. If you want to be that person that invites a kid to explore new hobbies, passions, and interests, get them a Let's Start Coding Kit and see where it takes them!

Great STEM gift; coding for kids 8+ has never been easier; perfect for boys and girls interested in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM); great for teens, too

Self-paced fun; 55+ online projects with 3.5 hours of video walkthroughs; coding challenges develop critical thinking and logic; hands-on circuit board with guided videos and examples; immediate tangible feedback keeps kids excited about coding

Learn through play; 1000+ lines of code to tinker with and customize; clear online instructions guide kids 8+ step by step; ideal STEM gift for teens and tweens; combines fun coding with real science and tech learning

All-inclusive kit; contains real electronic circuit components; programmable microcontroller designed for beginners; friendly description cards; online videos for kids 8-12 to learn coding on their own; Includes USBA cable, will require an adapter for USBC computer ports

Highly awarded; awarded by Purdue University Engineering, Modern Library Awards, and as a "Top Fun" kit for kids 8-12 to learn coding; requires internet and Windows, Mac, or Chromebook computer; not compatible with tablets or smartphones

Trust the experts; designed in the USA by educators and engineers specifically for kids; focus is on making the first steps of the coding journey fun for tween boys and girls; every project has at least one video explaining how the code works and how kids can change it; if you don’t know coding - no problem

Backed with US-based support; contact us via chat or email for help as you get started; this coding game for kids ages 8-12 comes with the backing of a team that has experience helping beginners with coding; guides through the most common issues and gets them on the right track

Build real circuits in a snap; innovative components make building circuits safe and easy; no need for resistors, breadboards, or excess wires; our circuit tech provides hands-on electronics fun, plus the ability to code.

Get hands-on fast; no lengthy software installs or updates; open a browser, plug in your kit, and start coding; most computers need no setup beyond 5 minutes, ensuring more time for coding fun

Compatible with your computer; works with Windows, Mac, and Chromebook laptops; no subscription or software installation needed; no login or password to forget; all projects are free and immediately available to your child