Apple and Tynker Launch Mobile Games to Help Kids Learn How to Code

BY Evan Selleck

Published 1 May 2017

Apps are still a huge, even integral part of the smartphone experience. For Apple and the App Store, it’s also an integral part of the company’s business.

So it’s not too surprising that Apple has such a big focus on helping kids learn how to create apps. From the company’s in-store training programs, and the Playgrounds app for the iPad that helps anyone learn how to use Apple’s development language, Swift, there are options out there to choose from.

Now, as reported by 9to5Mac, there’s another, once again aimed to help kids get started. The new partnership with Tynker is meant to bring mobile games to iOS devices that will help kids learn how to develop their own apps all while having fun playing games. On top of that, there are two free courses through the Everyone Can Code program for kids between K-5.

“These free courses, available through the Tynker iPad app, allow students to solve coding puzzles and create do-it-yourself projects using Tynker’s visual code blocks and the Swift programming language. Tynker’s Space Cadet and Dragon Spells courses are incorporated into the Get Started with Code 1 and Get Started with Code 2 teacher guides, available for free on iBooks.”

The new games are meant as a starting point, so that kids are accustomed to the Swift language before they jump into the Playgrounds app by sixth grade:

“Space Cadet and Dragon Spells are introductory courses that teach programming fundamentals in a fun, engaging, and intuitive way, through 115 levels of coding puzzles and do-it-yourself projects. In Space Cadet, students in kindergarten through second grade solve puzzles and complete programming challenges set in space. In Dragon Spells, third through fifth grade students learn programming fundamentals as they train their dragon and collect treasures. In both courses, students learn through creative play as they solve puzzles, build projects, and animate characters.”

You can check out a video below that showcases the new options. The Tynker app is also available for the iPad right now, for free.

[via 9to5Mac]