Coding is one of the most in-demand skills in the world right now, so why not start your kids learning now? And what better way to do this than with a game?
Kids have curious minds, and they love to play, which means getting their attention with coding games is a piece of cake. Teaching your kids how to code with board games is a great way to stimulate their minds and build skills like logical thinking, critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, teamwork and collaboration — and it doesn’t involve any computer or TV screen.
The following list contains some of our favourite robot-inspired games and the best coding board games on the market. Ideal as a gift any time of the year!
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Top Picks
Family fun while learning
Coding board games introduce kids to the basic concepts of programming in a fun and exciting way. These games teach syntax, logic, and how computers work, it makes all that complex techy stuff easily digestible for kids and even enjoyable.
Robotics board game not only helps kids with logical thinking and problem solving, but they also introduce kids to authentic interdisciplinary STEM learning. For instance, Robot Turtles from ThinkFun introduces kids as young as 4 years to brilliant ideas from the world’s renowned scientists and inventors in a fun and enjoyable game.
Games like this inspire learning and spark creativity in kids, and the kids won’t even know they’re learning because they’ll be having too much fun. It’s best when the entire family is playing, and everyone is having a good time together — you’ll be amazed at how excited your kids will get.
The best coding board games
1. ThinkFun Robot Turtles coding board game
Robot turtles is a simple coding board game that introduces programming and coding to kids, fun and enjoyable. The Robot Turtle board game lets kids write programs with cards and let the program run. And in the process, they engage their minds and thinking faculties to solve problems.
This game is quite simple, and it requires at least two players; a Turtle master and a Turtle mover. The Turtle master is the kid who will write the program, while the Turtle mover is an adult or older kid who will act like a computer and carry out the moves.
The game requires that the Robot Turtles master(s) move the robot turtles from a starting point on the board to a final destination, a coloured jewel tile on the board while navigating through obstacles like walls and boxes.
To reach the jewel, the Turtle master will write a code, an entire sequence of steps that’ll take the turtle to the jewel. The idea is that the kid will write the code from start to finish before the turtle takes the first step. If the turtle bumps into an obstacle and can’t go forward, this is identified as a bug, and the Turtle master will have to rewrite the entire program and start all over.
Age – 4 to 8 years
Number of players – 2 to 5 players
- EDUCATIONAL & FUN: This game seamlessly blends education with entertainment. It's designed to introduce programming principles to preschoolers in an engaging, easy-to-learn manner. Perfect for kids 4+...
- KICKSTARTER SUCCESS: Conceived by programming expert Dan Shapiro, this game made history as Kickstarter's most-backed board game. Trusted globally, ThinkFun is a leader in brain and logic games
Last update on 2024-12-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
2. Ricochet Robots board game
The Ricochet Robots board game is a simple but tasking game; it requires players to think and calculate, a good form of mental exercise. In the game, players are tasked with finding the most suitable and shortest route for a robot to get to its destination, and all the thinking is done in your mind. Ricochet Robots not only stimulate the reason it also sharpens the memory because you have to remember every move you make.
The Ricochet Robots’ objective is to collect as many chips as possible; you get a chip when you safely lead a robot to its destination in the shortest number of moves. This is because a robot moves only vertically and horizontally.
At the beginning of the game, players will individually think and calculate how many moves it’ll take a robot to get from one point to another on the board — all in their minds. Then, players will announce the number of moves they calculated, the player who comes up with the shortest and successful number of moves gets a chip. At the end of the game, the player with the highest number of chips wins the game.
Age – 12 years and above
Number of players – 1 to 16 players
- Takes about 30 minutes to play
- For 1-16 players
Last update on 2024-12-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
3. Educational Insights Robot Face Race board game
The Robot Face Race is an engaging and mind-stimulating board game for kids from 4 years and above. This a very challenging game — even for adults — and it requires focus, concentration and colour recognition. A crazy inventor built dozens of robots in the game but needed help finding matching heads for each robot to complete their bodies.
Each player must shake the Robot Randomizer to reveal the colour of the robot’s features to look for. The players then search the board for the robot that matches the colour features shown by the Randomizer, the first player to place all five of their tokens wins the game.
Age – 4 to 10 years
Number of players – 2 to 4 players
- SPARK TOGETHERNESS! Let’s play – together! Educational Insights toys and games are designed to make the most of together time, helping kids learn to build positive relationships, work together,...
- FIND THE MATCHING ROBOT FACE: A crazy inventor has built dozens of robot bodies and needs your help finding the matching heads! Be the 1st to match 5 robot faces to win
Last update on 2024-12-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
4. Robot Wars board game
This robot board game introduces basic computer programming skills to kids; here, the players don’t write codes, but instead, they draw up cards with lines of codes written in Java. These lines of code are modified and easy to understand, but it covers all the primary conditions and syntax like; sequential logic, conditional logic, if-else conditions, while loop, for loop and functions. This is a great way to introduce kids with no prior knowledge of coding to coding language and programming concepts.
The objective here is to instruct a robot through an artificial war setting. Each player is assigned a robot that starts on a corner of the board; the first player to get their robot to the centre grid of the board wins the game.
At the start of the game, each player draws a card from the deck of Instruction cards and moves their robot according to the instructions on the card. As the game proceeds, players will continue to collect cards with commands written in Java — but very understandable as simple English — and use the controls on the cards to strategize their game.
Age – 7 years and above
Number of players – 2 to 4 players
Last update on 2024-12-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
5. Think Fun Robot Repair Coding board game
Robot Repair coding board game teach kids Boolean logic, a form of algebra that centres around ‘true’ or ‘false’ values and is a core programming concept in a fun and exciting way. This game provides challenges that help kids build logical reasoning, critical thinking, and planning skills while understanding core programming language principles. It’s a fun coding game and STEM toy for kids, which offers a great learning experience for players.
The objective is to reactivate a robot by correctly placing the power cell tokens on the circuit board using Boolean logic. At the start of the game, a player is given a circuit board and the number of power cell tokens to solve the puzzle. A clue panel contains a set of requirements that a player must satisfy for every challenge.
Age – 8 years and above
Number of players – 1 to 4 players
- Trusted by Families Worldwide - With over 50 million sold, ThinkFun is the world's leader in brain and logic games.
- Develops critical skills - Playing through the challenges builds reasoning and planning skills as well as core programming principles, and provides a great stealth learning experience for young...
Last update on 2024-05-21 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
6. Eeboo Build a Robot puzzle and spinner game
This robot board game is a fun way to keep kids occupied; it lets them build robots with tiny robotic body parts. Kids have a very active imagination, and Build a Robot Spinner helps them put this to use; it also helps them develop active thinking, planning, and creative reasoning skills.
The challenge is to build a complete robot by assembling robotic body parts you get after a spin. Each player receives aboard, and the first player will spin the dial to reveal many interchangeable body parts (arm, leg, head), then he/her will have to use these parts to build a robot. While the robot-building contest is on, every player gets to spin the dial turn by turn and the first player to build a complete robot wins the game.
Age – 4 to 7 years
Number of players – 1 to 4 players
- Build a Robot Spin to Play combines puzzle making, counting, tools, machines, space, and game play. Players spin to place interchangeable parts in their puzzle frame. Includes 4 - 9 inch boards from...
- ENCOURAGES imaginative play, patience and social skills for children.
Last update on 2024-12-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
7. Future Coders Robot Races coding skills kit
The Future Coders Robot Races game teaches young kids early coding logic by asking them to map out a route from a start point to an endpoint on a non-woven 5ft by 5 ft mat. The kid is both the coder and the robot and would have to stay mentally and physically active throughout the gameplay.
Future Coders Robot Races will not only stimulate your code master kids mentally but also help them exercise their muscles by jumping, spinning, and dancing. You get the instruction card in order to make it easy for your children.
The player starts by picking a challenge card and then proceeds to place directions on the mat to connect from one point to another, using cards that represent different functions like dance, spin, jump, turn around, etc. The robot will travel through the path, but the most exciting part is that the player isn’t just the coder but also the robot and will have to perform actions like dancing and to jump while going through the path.
Age – 3 to 7 years
Number of players – 1 player (or multiple players, where one player will act as the robot while the others will do the coding)
Last update on 2023-07-07 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
8. CoderMarz Game for Space and AI Learners!
CoderMarz is designed to get kids interested in coding games and AI concepts using fun gameplay. Kids will learn the basics of Artificial Intelligence through this new board game, which features Mars facts and more! Teaching kids to play and learn becomes easy as the game progresses, improves the skill levels and gets the good hands-on game.
To play, kids will need to code a rover skillfully to learn about Mars’ Plains, Mountains, Rocks, and Facts.
The best part about this game is that it’s fun and will teach kids how to code and educational and help them learn more about the fantastic planet Mars. So if you thought learning coding was challenging, try doing all of that while teaching facts about Mars!
This game board is a great gift idea for someone ready to explore the world of artificial intelligence and the best coding games that will help them launch a new career path.
Age – 6 and up
Number of players – 2 to 4 players
- HIGH QUALITY - CODE - EXPLORE - SETTLE at Planet Mars. The future is here and it's ready to play! CoderMarz is the only board game and STEM toy, that teaches about Mars facts, Coding and Artificial...
- EASY PLAY - Use it at home, in school, coding clubs, Montessori, STEM clubs, boys girls scout, summer clubs, tutoring, after school, day care, maker space, hackathons and for Girls who code!
Last update on 2024-12-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
9. Hacker Cybersecurity Coding Game
Who doesn’t like a good challenge? Hacker is an excellent programming board game that starts with beginner challenges and goes all the way to expert. You can pick up everything you need in this one box; it even comes with 120 challenges of increasing difficulty, something for everyone!
The components are high-quality and will last years if they’re taken care of right. Playing through the increasingly complex challenges will improve logical reasoning, spatial reasoning and planning skills while running on fun gameplay and teaching core programming principles.
Hacker is one of ThinkFun’s popular STEM toys and was created by the inventor of some other games. So if you have a child who likes a good challenge, check out Hacker.
Age – 10 and up
Number of players – 1
- CRITICAL SKILL DEVELOPMENT: ThinkFun Hacker enhances reasoning, planning, and programming principles, providing a fun and stealthy learning experience
- TRUSTED GLOBALLY: With over 50 million games sold, ThinkFun is a world leader in brain and logic games, trusted by families worldwide
Last update on 2024-12-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Wrapping up robot and coding board games
Coding games and robot board games for young children are fun and educational, and it helps them develop essential life skills. If you have little kids, any of the games above will introduce them to the world of coding and computing in a fun and exciting way, and the best thing is, they won’t even know they’re learning new skills because they’ll be so busy enjoying themselves and having good laughs.
Matt is the founder of the Little Robot Shop, who has spent much of the last decade hacking home cleaning with various robots and devices to make keeping his home clean as easy as possible. Not an easy task with two young children.
When not working on the Little Robot Shop website or YouTube channel, he works as technical support and product specialist for a fast-growing digital company. He does his best to get his younglings to code, which will be an essential skill in the future.