Toys That Teach the Basics of Coding. Why play with a toy when you can hack one? Puzzlets, Sphero Sprk, and Dash and Dot make it fun for kids to learn the ABCs of programming

The Wall Street Journal reports:

We’re starting to see a new class of educational toy that aims to teach children those computer-programming fundamentals. With the best examples, the process is so much fun it feels more like playing than learning. The toys here, for example, hide the gobbledygook of computer code language and instead present children (and curious adults) with commands that they can move around like physical or virtual blocks. And the interfaces have been mercifully simplified. If you can set an alarm on your smartphone, you’ll be able to program these toys without a hitch.

All of the toys shown here pair with a smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth to work their magic, and all are compatible with both Android and iOS. While none of will give a child the chops required to code, say, a smartphone app, they do something more important: Help children to think like programmers.

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