Top 30 Coding Books For Kids Updated 04 /2024

A computer or other device that can be programmed, a scriptwriter or coding platform, an instructor, and a coding language are some of the things you need to teach kids how to code. Many educational websites and coding games for kids have the last two or three things that students need. They just need to use their devices to get to them.

But what about resources for students who like to read books?

We've put together a list of the top 15 coding books for kids as of 2022. Check out our favorite things below!

The Official ScratchJr Book: Help Your Kids Learn to Code by Marina Umaschi Bers and Mitchel Resnick

Age range: 4 to 7 years old.

Scratch is a free drag-and-drop, block-based computer programming language from MIT that's mostly for kids ages 8 to 16. Its use of high-level visual elements and its easy-to-use interface make it one of the best languages to teach kids how to code.

When MIT came up with ScratchJr, they made it for kids who were 7 and under. It's an introduction to the original Scratch platform, and it's meant to help younger kids learn how to write computer programs. When kids spend a little time and practice learning how to make interactive stories, animations, and games, they can do it on their own as early as the age of 5 with the right help.

The Official ScratchJr Book is one of many coding books for kids that are meant to go with the ScratchJr app. It has a lot of hands-on activities and extra lessons to help kids learn the language fully. Small, simple steps make each project easy to follow.

The book is broken up into several chapters, and each chapter has a lot of small tasks that lead up to a fun project at the end. Kids will learn soft skills, like computational thinking, problem-solving, and design, when they play games.

The book, when used with the ScratchJr app, ensures that even kids who have never learned how to code will be able to make fully functional content.

Hello Ruby: Adventures in Coding by Linda Liukas

Age range: 4 to 6 years old.

It's another one of our favorite coding books for kids. Hello Ruby: Adventures in Coding by Linda Liukas is another one of our favorite books. This is a great game for parents who want to teach their kids about coding but don't want to put them in front of a screen just yet. Hello Ruby is a great game for this. It's a very detailed and very interesting book for kids about coding that doesn't need any kind of computer, tablet, or device. There are activities and worksheets in the book that your child can do with a pencil or a pen, so you should buy both.

Because it's a mix of illustrations and hands-on activities, it keeps kids interested as Ruby, the main character, explains how to code. It's just like reading a picture book about an adventure or a fairy tale. Even the language is simple and easy to understand so that it doesn't overwhelm the people who read it.

The Hello Ruby assignments are also meant to help students think creatively, solve problems, and get a full picture of what they're learning. People who write and explain programming foundations write and explain them in a way that is descriptive but not too detailed.

If you're in the age range Liukas's Hello Ruby book, which is now part of a three-book set, is right for you, it almost isn't.

Code Your Own Games!: 20 Games to Create with Scratch by Max Wainewright

Age range: 6 – 11 years old.

For all the young coders out there who are interested in making games with Scratch, this fully illustrated programming guide has instructions for 20 projects. Each project is broken down into five different levels. Each game teaches and applies a different programming concept, like how to move objects, control player interaction, and add audio.

Code Your Own Games with the help of key concepts and coding basics! In the title, it says that kids can make their own games by coding them. This book is full of helpful tips and step-by-step instructions.

During the 20 projects, your child will be able to write code for games like Snake and Brick Bouncer. The author of the book, Max Wainewright, has put together a glossary at the end of the book that can be used to find more Scratch projects and game ideas.

This is one of our favorite books for kids who want to learn how to code with Scratch.

Coding Projects in Python: A Step-by-Step Visual Guide to Creating Your Own Python Projects by DK

Age range: 9 to 12 years old.

DK's Coding Projects in Python is another book that kids should read from this list of coding books.

Kids should learn Python because it is one of the best text-based programming languages for them to learn. It's said to be a high-level, object-oriented, general-purpose language that's simple, clear, and intuitive enough for kids to learn. There are a lot of ways to use it: data analysis, visualization, machine learning, automation, and application creation are just a few. It's very interactive and allows for a lot of experimentation.

Kids who learn Python can have a huge advantage in their lives.

Readers will learn everything they need to know about programming with Python in this well-written and illustrated guide. It goes from downloading and installing Python to writing programs and saving projects. This book does it all.

The lessons are detailed and fun, and the suggested projects help kids learn important programming and soft skills. At the end of the book, there is a reference section that lets kids keep making new Python projects even after they finish the assignments in the book.

Mission Python: Code a Space Adventure Game! by Sean McManus

People who are at least 10 years old should be OK.

Learn how to make a fully working computer game with the popular programming language, Python, in this easy-to-follow guide for beginners. To learn about text-based coding (like loops, strings, and lists), they'll do exercises and small projects as they read the book.

For example, kids will have to make a "Spacewalk Simulator" and a "Astronaut's Safety Checklist" with their new Python skills.

Mission Python also shows kids how to use Pygame Zero, a free tool that lets coders add graphics and sound effects to their Python projects. There are also a lot of useful game-making tips and ideas for logic puzzles spread across the pages.

It should be easy for anyone who reads this to build Escape!, a fun space-themed adventure game with a map to follow and a lot of logic puzzles to solve.

What's more, kids can add more features or change how some parts work based on their creativity and understanding of the material!

Sean McManus has a goal. Great: Python is a great book that works best when you're writing code on a Raspberry Pi or a computer that runs Microsoft Windows The reader will be able to download any 3D graphics and sound effects that they need.

There are many coding books for kids here. This book has one of the longest single-game projects that teach young coders everything they need to know to make a complete game from the ground up.

Lift-the-Flap Computers and Coding – IR by Rosie Dickins

Age range: 8 to 10 years old.

To learn about computer science offline, Lift-The-Flap Computer and Coding is one of the best coding books for kids on this list.

This book is called Lift-the-Flap Computer and Coding, and it's a fun way to learn about information and communication technology. It's full of paper inserts and bright illustrations to keep people interested.

If you look at the name, you'll see that kids can open the flaps on each page to learn about how computers and codes work. There are flaps on each side of the book that show different parts of a computer or computer code. Seeing inside a computer or a program to figure out what makes them do what they do is kind of like this.

There are no activities or projects for your child to do in this book alone. For kids who want to learn how to code but don't want to use a specific scriptwriting program or coding language, we think this is a good choice.

CoderDojo Nano: Building a Website: Create with Code

Age range: 8 to 12 years old

Even though this book was meant for third graders, the concept and assignments inside can still be difficult for older students. As a result, we are sure that kids between the ages of 8 and 12 will enjoy CoderDojo.

CoderDojo is a self-described "coding club" that encourages people who love coding to meet and learn from each other. It's now a very popular movement that encourages people to enjoy programming, and it thinks that people should be able to learn about how to do that for free.

CoderDojo Nano: Making a website is a great way to get to know this community and the world of coding.

96 pages are all that the book needs to teach kids how to build a web site. In a way that is very good, it walks people through the process of making a website one simple line at a time. It also talks about HTML, CSS Styling, and using Javascript for interactive features.

Even though it uses a lot of technical language, there are enough fun, colorful illustrations for young readers to keep them interested.

Ruby Wizardry: An Introduction to Programming for Kids by Eric Weinstein

Age range: 9 to 12 years old.

This is one of the few coding books for kids on this list that uses a real story to teach kids how to write code. People go on a journey with the two main characters, Ruben and Scarlet, as they go on a magical journey through a fairy-tale land. Strings, Boolean expressions, flows, loops, conditionals, and more are taught to them as they go.

A powerful, easy-to-learn programming language, Ruby, is used in the book. It's also good for kids to learn.

Younger people may not be able to understand the principles that are being taught, but kids between the ages of 9 and 12 should not have a hard time. People will fall in love with Ruben and Scarlet, as well as all the other colorful characters in this book. They'll be fixing problems with code as they go, and we know they'll fall in love with them.

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