Pick a robot
No robots match all of those yet.
Robot school
Lots of robots learn to walk in a computer first, in a pretend world called a simulation. They can fall over a million times and never get hurt.
These links go to other websites. Ask a grown-up before you click.
Grown-ups guide
How to help a child's love of robots grow, from age four. Short, practical and jargon-free.
Age by age
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Ages 4 to 5
Play first. Make a cardboard robot, or play "robot says", where you give step-by-step orders and they follow them exactly.
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Ages 6 to 8
Build and tinker with blocks and simple kits. Try block coding, such as Scratch (opens another website in a new tab).
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Ages 9 to 12
Make a game or an animation in Scratch, then start on simple Python. Build a robot kit together, or join a club such as FIRST LEGO League (opens another website in a new tab).
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Teens
Python, open-source robot code and simulation. Teach a robot a new trick on screen first, then on the real thing.
Pick a robot to match their curiosity
Start with the question your child is already asking, then open a robot that answers it.
First steps at home
- Build a kit together, even a cardboard one.
- Watch a robot video, then ask, "How do you think it works?"
- Let them be the boss: they write the steps, you act like the robot.
Where to go next
- Scratch (opens another website in a new tab), free block coding.
- Code.org (opens another website in a new tab), free beginner lessons.
- FIRST LEGO League (opens another website in a new tab), robot clubs and events.
Safety basics
- Keep small parts and batteries away from little ones.
- Motors can pinch fingers, so watch while robots move.
- Connected robots: set up Wi-Fi and accounts yourself, check any camera or microphone, and keep software up to date.
Ages here are our suggestions, not the makers' ratings.