Key specs: Recommended Age: 6-11 years | Batteries included: Yes - 1 Lithium Ion battery included Reasons to buy:

If your kids love dinosaurs, head over to our round-up of the very best dinosaur toys for kids of all ages. Botley is entirely screen free, which is a great feature of this coding robot toy, especially for the younger crowd! Coding at this age is not just about computers – learning to code has many benefits beyond the computer screen. Kids who learn the basic concepts of coding will also be learning to problem solve and think creatively. Botley vs Botley 2.0 The Dash robot is fab, they have them at my daughter's school and I've been able to play with them a few times. I'm going to get one for my daughter for her birthday - she will be six but it grows with them as the tasks get more and more complicated.” (Tried and tested by Mumsnet user Jerseysilkvelour) It’s important to know that when line following, Botley can’t be programmed – it does so on its own and does so pretty well overall. You can set different paths and courses for it to follow, and it can make for a pretty good demonstration on how line following and infrared detection works.There are lots of different coding toys to choose from, so here are some things to consider when making your choice: Another great coding toy for younger children, Robot Turtles from ThinkFun is a fun and educational board game which introduces key concepts of programming including analysis and logical reasoning.

On the move! Using the remote control, you can program up to 150 steps that instruct Botley 2.0 to move in six different directions! Botley is a great way for kids to learn problem-solving skills and build confidence in their coding abilities. He’s perfect for beginners who are just starting out in coding, and he can help teach kids the basics of coding, such as sequencing commands and loops. My son liked Botley the coding robot when he was little - slightly more expensive than some but he still plays with him now sometimes at 5 nearly 6.” (Tried and tested by Mumsnet user littlestpogo) Our verdict

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This super cute little robot is a fun and interactive toy that makes a great introduction to coding, encouraging early programming skills and critical thinking in children as young as five years old. Promotes Creativity: Coding robots encourage creativity as users can customize their robot's behavior and appearance. This allows for personal expression and encourages out-of-the-box thinking. Botley 2.0 can remember 150 steps (as opposed to the older models that remembered 80), and remembers the steps you’ve programmed in before unless you actively delete them.

Have a look at a "Turing Tumble" It’s not electronic but it’s basically a coding challenge with marbles and moving parts.” (Recommended by Mumsnet user Porcupineintherough) Literally – there’s a physical switchmarked “line” and “code” on it, which really simplifies things for kids. There are also several online coding apps that are free to use and a great introduction to coding. Scratch is a popular choice amongst Mumsnet users and is regularly used in the school setting too. Why is coding important for kids?Robo alive is on my 6 year olds Christmas list.” (Recommended by Mumsnet user Bronzeisthecolour) Our verdict With all that said, there are some limitations to this robot in terms of education. For one thing, there is no ability to move on to more advanced, but still young child friendly, coding methods like Scratch. While it makes the experience screen free, we think it would open Botley up to more advanced challenges and extend its educational value quite a bit for older kids.

Kids can follow the Activity Guide’s challenges, or create their own chain reactions. And since the accessories are compatible with other Botley robot sets, the possibilities are endless. Where the coding gets a little annoying for us is, because it is sequential code, if you mess up by mistake you have to press the little trash and start the sequence again. To be fair, when using the trash can there is a short press and long press, with the short press deleting the last sequence of code and the long press clearing the entire robot memory. With all the confusion and excitement of working with this little robot you can easily forget where you made the mistake and have to clear the whole memory. The instructions are simple to learn and unlike some board games, there’s no single winner - the aim is that everyone gets their robot to their jewel whilst having fun along the way. While it may not have as many sensors and capabilities as some other robots out there, hence the lower price, keep in mind it is designed with less complexity so that younger children to engage with it.At the most basic level, Botley teaches kids critical thinking and problem-solving. In my opinion, these are the most versatile (and necessary!) skills that coding teaches kids. It’s not all about kids becomingcomputer whizzes and programmers in the future. You can read about all the benefits of learning to code here. This little robot from educational toy experts Learning Resources is not only super cute but incredibly clever too. If you’re a parent of a child who likes electronic toys, then you know this song and dance – Botley needs batteries to work and they don’t come included. So come prepared if you’re buying this as a surprise – the last thing you need is to unwrap it and then scramble around ripping TV remotes apart trying to find batteries for it.