Top 11 Amazing Coding Books to Bring Out The Tech Whiz in Your child!
Coding is a skill that is currently being sought after across the globe. Many parents and teachers have started introducing coding into the curriculum so children can acquire these skills much earlier. Therefore, allow your children to explore the world of STEM and programming from a young age. And to initiate this journey we have brought you some simple and fun coding books!
Through the use of books, children can comfortably learn how to create games, websites, exciting animations, and even innovative apps! There is an abundance of coding books filled with tons of knowledge however, it is important to identify the best coding book which can derive the most potential out of your child.
Here’s a little checklist to consider when looking for a coding book for your child!
1. Start from the bottom!
Coding books can not assume your child already knows the fundamentals therefore, it is completely important to check if the book runs through the basics before it dives into the intermediate or advanced. There are four main concepts that they must explain which are:
- Basic math operators such as addition, subtraction
- Loops and Functions
- Variables
- If/Then Statements
If the book explores these concepts then it has already passed the first checkpoint!
2. Prioritize one language.
It is great if a coding book covers one language because this would guarantee the depth and richness of the content. Focusing on multiple languages makes things too complex. We all know how kids run away from anything tough! So the best coding books for children must be simple and it should focus on one language.
3. Illustrations! Illustrations! And some more illustrations!
The average attention span of a child is two to three minutes. What better way to grasp their attention than to use visually appealing, vibrant, and interesting graphics? The use of many illustrations makes focusing a lot easier and it maintains a child’s interest as well.
4. The final checkpoint calls for useful information only!
A coding book should be able to properly convey information to children by breaking down complex concepts into smaller parts in order for children to build their way to the bigger picture. If a coding book is able to do this, then making a connection to other languages and transferring the knowledge gained from one language to another becomes a lot easier! If understanding the book seems tough to you, then consider it tough for your kids too. But don’t jump to conclusions and underestimate their ability, let them give it a try first!
Now that you know what a great coding book should look like, we’ve put together our list of the top 11 Coding books for your young future coders!
1. Scratch Programming Playground: Learn to Program by Making Cool Games
Age Range: 10+
User Experience Level: Beginner to Intermediate
This book is at the top of our list for many reasons! It is a finely written illustration with exciting activities built for children with very little experience in coding or even no experience at all. The book will take children on a journey into a bright, new world called Scratch. The first few chapters introduce the basic concepts that are necessary to build a concrete foundation in programming. The concepts are broken down into easily digestible chunks and are very well introduced in a manner that builds upon their previous learnings as well. The book teaches how to create very basic yet entertaining games which include various challenges and questions to test out the skills gained in the chapter.
The illustrations are very clear and concise but most importantly, they are engaging! It is a highly recommended book to teach coding to children and even adults!
Quick Peek at some activities!: Fruit Slicer, Snake, Brick Breaker, Asteroids, and a Mario-style platform game!
Checkout Turing Ninjas if looking for fun-filled and hands-on lessons on Scratch.
2. Python for Kids: A Playful Introduction to Programming
Age Range: 10+
User Experience Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Get Slithering with Python! This book is a highly recommended book if you’re focused on learning Python. Python is considered to be a powerful, expressive programming language that’s easy to learn and fun to use! This hands-on nature is present in Python For Kids as children would be guided fluently through the basic fundamentals of programming. It’s simple, up-beat and has an easy style of writing which is exactly what your child needs to prosper in python.
It covers all sorts of concepts necessary for your child. From learning basic concepts such as integers vs floats, strings to the benefits of loops when building structures and script files. A lovely note to consider about this book is that it summarizes each chapter clearly and presents challenging games to create to test their knowledge! The “for kids” in the title does not diminish the content’s informative value as it can also be used by all ages!
Quick Peek at some activities!: Includes programs that feature wild and pet animals, secret agents, puzzles and also programming two complete games: a clone of the famous Pong and “Mr. StickMan Races for the Exit”.
Checkout Turing Ninjas if looking for fun-filled and hands-on learning for Python.
3. The Official ScratchJr Book: Help Your Kids Learn to Code
Age Range: 5+
User Experience Level: Beginner
This book covers everything a beginning coder needs to know about the Scratch language. Within the first two chapters, your child would be a pro-coder! This book is a fantastic and great way to introduce young children to the logic and algorithmic thinking behind coding. What kids love the most about this is that they don’t have to be masters of the spelling or remember their semi-colons! All they have to do is just plug blocks into each other and code. Regardless of how simple this sounds, children will be creating complex programs with Scratch!
All the activities are clear, precise and easy-to-follow with each chapter building on the skills/concepts from the previous chapter. Isn’t that great? The book also comes with a little surprise after each activity! There is a literacy and math connection that allows children to learn not only coding but to improve their literacy and math skills.
Quick Peek at some activities!: Animal race, dance party, animated stories.
Checkout Turing Ninjas if looking for fun-filled and hands-on lessons on ScratchJr.
4. How to Code a Sandcastle
Age Range: 4+
User Experience Level: Beginner
Storytime! Looking for a fun yet an educational way for your young one to pass time? This book is exactly what you’re looking for!
It is an exciting story that doesn’t fail to inspire a budding interest in coding. It also introduces the concept of breaking complex problems into small steps, giving specific instructions, putting steps in the right order, using loops, and how once you’ve written code you can use it again easily.
Something parents love about the book is how it easily captures their children’s attention with vibrant illustrations! This is a struggle for most educational books. How to Code a Sandcastle is a fun trip to the beach on a warm sunny day filled with coding and robots for your children. This book is a definite keeper in your coding, making, and problem-solving library!
Quick Peek at some activities!: Programming game involves building a sandcastle before summer is over!
5. Raspberry Pi For Kids, For Dummies
Age Range: 10+
User Experience Level: Beginner to Intermediate
As the book says, “Get your Rasberry Pi up and running!”. This book is an exciting fusion of Scratch, Python, Linux and Minecraft. It is a great beginner's guide for children who want to learn how to code. It discards the mind-boggling tech talk and uses normal, human English to explain how to make complete use of Pi, for example playing Minecraft in Python and even using HTML to make a website. It also allows children to get groovy and make some music with Sonic Pi! A fun book for potential artists and coders you might say?
Quick Peek at some activities!: Shows you how to set up and run Pi, plus how to program with Scratch, create art with Tux Paint, play Minecraft in Python, and more!
6. Girls Who Code: Learn to Code and Change the World
Age Range: 12+
User Experience Level: Beginner to Intermediate
The inside looks just as funky as the outside! This book is all about Girl Code; girls who teach themselves how to code. It is a high-spirited and sensationally written graphic animation book that portrays the vital role computer science plays in a woman’s life and how much fun it can be. It is very easy to understand, it consists of rich programming ideas, and it has a wonderful and accessible table of various coding languages and their uses. To top it off, this book is worthy enough to inspire millions of women to start coding and parents love how diverse each character in the book is!
“The world is advancing in technology and women and girls need to educate ourselves on computer science to catch up. I don’t know how to code but this book has inspired me to learn. I encourage all girls to read this book and be empowered to change the world through technology.” — Malala Yousafzai
Quick Peek at some activities!: Teaches you how to create your own apps, games, and robots to make the world a better place through dynamic-artwork and down-to-earth descriptions of coding principles, and real-life stories of girls and women working at places like Pixar and NASA.
7. 20 Games to Create with Scratch
Age Range: 6+
User Experience Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Get Scratchy twenty ways! This book is exceptionally great as a tool to find games that children can create to practice certain aspects of algorithms. It is divided into five progressive levels. It starts with a couple of simple games, however, as you gradually turn the pages, you can feel the difficulty increasing. But who doesn’t love a challenge when you’ve got so far?
This book isn’t only fun for children, but even parents and teachers can go crazy learning how to create these entertaining games as it is very resourceful. You can also find a glossary towards the end of the book which is an excellent reference for the key ideas!
Quick Peek at some activities!: Programming games such as Snake, Hungry Cat, Flappy Fish, Ping Pong, Rock Blaster and many more!
8. Coding Projects in Python
Age Range: 10+
User Experience Level: Beginner to Intermediate
An easy-to-use manual down to the minute details. One of the best books to use to kick off your interest in python. This reference is available on various platforms and allows for immediate feedback. Anyone who’s interested in pursuing their interests with python can rest easy after using this book. They can pick up various skills such as building fun games, graphics and useful apps. Those who are just beginning with python will find that the book takes you through a step-by-step procedure on how to get the most out of your learning with various added resources.
Quick Peek at some activities!: 14 fun and exciting projects and a script that cracks secret codes, a quiz to challenge family and friends, a matching game, and more.
9. Learn to Program with App Inventor: A Visual Introduction to Building Apps
Age Range: 12+
User Experience Level: Intermediate
Did you ever think your child would be creating apps at such a young age? The visual illustrations in this book are simple and easy to understand. The book cleverly breaks down each step and concept for you to completely understand how to use App Inventor. The projects are very easy to start with but they get progressively more interesting and complex. What’s even better about this book is that it’s a great way to spend quality time with the whole family engaged in these activities!
Quick Peek at some activities!: Programming games such as Fruit Loot, Beat the Bus, Virtual Shades, Practice makes Perfect and Hi, World! Learn to build mobile apps for Android devices with MIT App Inventor, a visual drag-and-drop programming language like Scratch.
10. Everything You Need to Ace Computer Science and Coding in One Big Fat Notebook: The Complete Middle School Study Guide (Big Fat Notebooks)
Age Range: 11+
User Experience Level: Intermediate
This book is great for beginners who have a vested interest in the world of coding. The book draws on the tiniest of details and allows the learner to get the most out of their experience and learning with this book. Starting with the very basics, it is an easy-to-use guide for kids who are just beginning to show interest in the world of computer science. An easy-to-use guide that breaks down each and every concept to the smallest of sections for a better and easier flow for learning.
Quick Peek at some activities!: Binary code, Algorithms, Computational thinking, Loops, events, and procedures, Programming in Scratch and Python, Boolean Expressions, Web development, Cybersecurity, HTML, CSS.
11. How to Code a Rollercoaster
Age Range: 4+
User Experience Level: Beginner
Another storytime! An interactive picture book that literally takes you on a rollercoaster and displays all the highs of coding. For those children whose interests have been piqued in the field of coding, this book is the right book for them especially with all the colorful and magical displays that make it fun and easy to understand this learning experience.
Quick Peek at some activities!: Through the use of code, Pearl and Pascal can keep track of their ride tokens and calculate when the line is short enough to get a spot on the biggest ride of them all — the Python Coaster. Variables, if-then-else sequences, and a hunt for a secret hidden code make this a humorous, code-tastic day at the amusement park!
Hope you found this list interesting and enlightening! Make sure you choose a book that is most appropriate for your child’s age and skill level.
Finding the right coding book may take time hence, why you should not hesitate to get your hands on one of our top 11 choices as they are selected by world-class educators who know what’s best for your child and their future endeavors in coding!
Don’t forget to leave a like and comment and share this article with many more parents so they can also get their basket full of coding books!
Looking for coding classes for your kids? We provide various courses in ScratchJr, Scratch, Python, App Inventor, and Roblox for kids from 6–14 years of age. Parents trust in us! Check out our website https://turingninjas.com/ and reviews here.
PS: We are not sponsored by any of these books, just our genuine review!
