Thames & Kosmos Kids First Coding Age 4+ & Robotics, Kids Science Kit, Learning Resources for Coding and Physical Engineering, STEM Toys for Science Experiments, -8

Bought this for grandsons. Apparently it’s a good product for them to learn on at different levels so worth buying

Bought as a present for my young son. This is a really good fun introduction to coding and robotics.To make it work you use cards to 'code' the robot. Place them in a card 'track' and the robot reads them, then you place the robot on the grid-map, built like a jigsaw of large card squares. The robot calibrates itself before heading off, and continually calibrates itself on the squares, so there's no veering off course.There are bricks which you use to build different robot characters and its friends. The instructions are also a storybook which keeps children engaged. I downloaded the instructions from the manufacturers website before buying. Batteries last well.Positives:Cards make coding very easy and visual.Different robot designs keep things interesting and fun.The different sounds, movements and lights are cute and fun.The robot continuously checks and stays on course, so this is fine for playing on a table.Really good instructions.Negatives:The cards are too thin. They become disconnected too easily on anything but a hard surface.

Great way to introduce coding concepts to young kids. Many models and tracks to make, woth detailed instructions and guide book to help your little one explore the power of programming. Within minutes my 5yr old was learning how to fix bugs in his programs and even creating his own unique ones. We picked this toy as we wanted him to learn in a more hands on way, rather than pushing buttons on a controller/ipad. This pack also seemed the most comprehensive in its scope e.g. directional movements, lights/sounds, mechanical interactions, for loops, logic statements. The only negative point is that the grey track used to hold the coding cards is paper thin and very flimsy, in contrast to the good build quality of the rest of the set.

Bought it for a 4yo, played for about an hour, but it was too early - the child didn't enjoy it. So it stayed packed for about two years. Two years later tried it again and to our surprise it didn't work - it couldn't even read a program as only right wheel was spinning. No matter what we do, it just doesn't read the cards. So now it is just a piece of expensive garbage that cannot be used.