Tinkerblocks
A bright, colorful coding app for kids
$2.99 Developer Urbn Pockets, urbnpockets.com Platform Universal Requirements iOS 9 or later
Every time a new coding app for kids gets released, we wonder if this will be the one to really get them engaged. TinkerBlocks looks the part, with its colorful, simple layout, and tools to let kids build basic programs.
At first we thought we’d hit “Info” to get ourselves acquainted, via a mini tutorial maybe. But no, this displays an adult-led description of the app: “The blocks have the potential and scalability of any real procedural programming language….” We also thought the thumbnails at the top were example programs, but they were IAPs (with a pretty weak math question as security, although kids have to get past your iTunes’ restrictions, too). From the Home page, you can tap a question mark for annotations to discover more. On the right are a number of basic starter projects: tap one to see the bare bones, or use the stylus icon to edit.
The options are pretty impressive. You can add input/ output controls (image, video, text, and more), control features (countdown/timer), an impressive set of sensors (location, tilt, shake, face and motion detection, and more), and a few effects (such as preset graphics, text, and sounds). If the icons are not obvious, you can press one to find out what it does, then drag one over to the list of actions. It’s easy to change order using drag-and-drop, and easy to delete an action by dragging it left until the trash can appears.
We found the image tool a little frustrating. On our iPhone, the app couldn’t access our Camera Roll despite having given it permission; then it could access it but reported “an issue” with every image. This worked fine on an iPad. We experienced a similar working/not working issue with face detection.
There’s definitely a learning curve to the app, and parents will almost definitely have to assist young “developers.” Once comfortable with the concept, though, the results should keep your kids engaged so they enjoy tinkering without supervision. And it’s easy for them to share their creations – maybe a bit too easy. As with the IAPs, the restriction is just a simple math question.
the bottom line. There’s a lot to take in, but also a lot on offer once your little coders get the hang of things.