Sometimes, teaching kids about coding can get a little complicated. Even with all of the excellent student coding solutions available, it can sometimes be tough to decide where to start. So, for this week’s Rising Resources post, we’re talking about SpriteBox Coding. The SpriteBox mobile app features an engaging environment that helps kids learn beginner coding skills in a very unique way. It’s a mobile app that leverages the positive side of gaming and requires no other external components besides a mobile device.
SpriteBox offers a unique learn-to-code experience as it combines elements of gaming, problem solving, and programming. The premise is that students must solve coding challenges and puzzles using icons that appear on their screen. This introduces them to problem solving using icons but, over time as they develop more skills, the icons will begin turning into textual commands, which gives them valuable practice with text coding. Ultimately, SpriteBox helps them progress quickly and get ready to see what it’s like to code with real text commands.
SpriteBox is designed for students of all ages, including in early education since it's appropriate for children as young as four years old. It's available on iOS and Android devices, but it's not currently free. It costs $4.99 on the Apple store and $3.99 on Google Play. For iOS devices, users need iOS 8+ and a compatible iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Android users would need to be sure their device is running Android 2.3+.
The various challenges within SpriteBox help break down the most important concepts associated with coding. As they progress through the various games, students are introduced to new elements of programming, which include everything from sequencing and parameters to loops, procedures, and syntax for both Swift and Java. They start out by plugging in the correct graphical solutions for successfully completing a challenge before progressing up to typing in their solutions and creating real code.
Though students with any amount of previous programming experience can use SpriteBox, it’s ideal for easing beginners in. If in a 1:1 classroom or looking for new coding solutions to try, SpriteBox helps boost student engagement and achievement. By combining the world of coding with a world that many students already know and love (gaming), it makes it a lot easier to get and keep their attention. Plus, within SpriteBox, students can go on journeys to solve problems, meet new characters, complete puzzles, and unlock a bunch of cool features.
There are over 70 puzzles for students within SpriteBox and they can collect up to 500 stars as rewards. For a simple way to introduce students to coding or expand on their knowledge, we'd certainly recommend trying it out. To learn more, visit the SpriteBox website and be sure to check out our store for more hands-on coding tools. Don't forget to follow us on Twitter and Instagram too and like us on Facebook!