Zift Advisory
Hopscotch is an early coding app, geared towards teaching coding basics to children. Hopscotch is available to download in the App Store and is rated for users of all ages. There are no advertisements but this app does offer in-app purchases. This app is safe for kids but best suited for kids between the ages of nine and thirteen.
What is Hopscotch-Programming for kids?
Hopscotch is an early coding app, geared towards teaching coding basics to children. Children learn basic coding concepts, like abstraction, variables, conditionals and loops, without getting bogged-down with hefty typing and syntax.
Hopscotch is available to download for free in the App Store and is rated for users of all ages. There are no advertisements but this app does offer in-app purchases.
Hopscotch makes coding easy and fun, with a minimal wait time for results. Using colorful blocks with instructional sentences, Hopscotch teaches coding without the mind-boggling aspect of lines and lines of syntax.
Using the blocks, children can quickly and easily arrange a set of directions, and then tap play to immediately test their creation.
Of course, there are more complicated projects to complete, but younger children will appreciate the immediate reward. A highly visual platform, bright colors and designs keep kids interested and engaged.
Perhaps the most exciting aspect of Hopscotch for children is that they have the ability to create and play their own games, as players even have the capability to publish the games they create for public consumption. But Hopscotch isn’t just for games.
Hopscotch is all about imagination and creation, which includes artwork, in addition to games. Users can create kaleidoscope patterns and designs, drawings and other artwork, as well as create their own mini websites. The Hopscotch app basically serves as an outlet for the mind, making intricate plans a reality.
Is Hopscotch-Programming for kids safe for my kids?
Parents should know that Hopscotch is a basic coding app for children, and has won many awards and accolades, including:
- Parents Magazine Best Apps for Families
- Parent’s Choice Gold Medal
- Best Educational Technology by Children’s Technology Review
With the current emphasis on STEM education, parents will want to download Hopscotch and get their children started.
Parents should know that Hopscotch has easily accessible YouTube tutorials to get kids started with coding projects, or even challenge them with more difficult and involved projects. However, the number of YouTube project tutorials is limited for those using the app for free.
Both a positive and a negative, Hopscotch projects are open-ended, which can overwhelm some children, while others use it to their advantage.
Parents should know that Hopscotch is rated for everyone, ages 4 years or older, but is best suited for children ages nine to thirteen.
While Hopscotch is free to download, it does offer a premium subscription plan for $7.99 per month or $79.99 per year. Hopscotch’s premium subscribers enjoy unlimited access to YouTube tutorials for all types of coding projects, as well as the ability to download artwork and images created within the app. In-app purchases are also available, giving users the opportunity to unlock new avatars for $0.99.
Parents need to know that Hopscotch has an active community, who collaborate with creations. When a user shares their creation with the community, other members are able to comment and give suggestions to that user.
In essence, community members are able to communicate back and forth through the platform, by using public pages. While issues with abuse have not surfaced, parents should carefully monitor their child’s activity in the Hopscotch app.
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