Item: Bitsbox Review
Rating: 5
Author: Jessica

Bitsbox Review – Teach your kids to love coding – one month at a time!

Our family had the chance to put together a Bitsbox review over the last month and I am really excited to share this subscription service with you. My 7 & 9 year old (boy & girl) received the box in the mail and immediately wanted to open it.

Bitsbox is a subscription service that delivers monthly coding projects for kids that teaches them how to build real apps. The subscription service introduces JavaScript coding language to children (ages 6-14) in small chunks and keeps them interested in learning to code.

After your Bitsbox is delivered, your child will browse through the included materials (we received a sticker book, trading cards, a super card set (showing you coding challenges to help you get started), and more. Your child can choose any project they’d like to complete. All the kids need to do is open a web browser and go to the Bitsbox website to get started. They type in the code for the app they’re interested in and as they’re adding each line of code, the Bitsbox website will run the app on a “virtual tablet” on your computer, so your child can experience what each line of code is doing, and how it can be changed to produce different results. It is really cool to see the changes you make, in real time. Finally, once they’re finished, your child can scan the QR code which will run the app on a real tablet. At that point, your child can enjoy all of the app’s functionality. And if they change the coding on the computer, it will automatically update on the phone or tablet.

Once my kids opened the Bitsbox, they instantly got to work coding. They opened everything up, put their cards in the binder, and began typing away. We have two kids who wanted to work on different apps, and it was easy for both of them to share the box. I actually liked them working together on this as I saw the camaraderie instantly between my two kids who are normally competitive. Who knew the Bitsbox review would get my kids to play nice with one another?

The first app they coded was the called “Eat You Up” and it was a cute short app that causes the Giraffe to run away from a Lion, screaming. It’s pretty cute and funny and my kids laughed at how silly it was. My daughter then started working on “It’s Raining Cats & Dogs” and my son started on “Run Dodo Run.” Both of them were proud to show their work when they were done and were curious about changing the code, colors, etc to make their app different than what the card told them to do. I loved seeing their creativity.

Honestly, when we first started the Bitsbox review, I saw that the kids were basically copying code into a browser window to make these apps. I thought that this would be a fun weekend project and then they would go off and forget all about it, like they do with most of their “toys.” However, I was pleasantly surprised when, a week later, I walked in on my daughter creating more apps on her computer and downloading them to her tablet. We’ve had the box for almost a month now and at least once a week, both of my kids are using the site, making apps, and learning. I’m also learning right along with them. After I realized that this was going to be a recurring activity in our household, I started researching more about javascript and how I could help them learn about the concepts more. I’m not going to claim I am a pro at this yet, but I am so thrilled that they are taking an interest in this and that I don’t need to be incredibly involved for them to learn.

We are now about 1 month in to our Bitsbox review and we have gone through all of the activities and the kids are going back to older apps they created and making adjustments to them that they learned building the other apps. My daughter has even added sounds, movement and extra features.

If you or your kids are interested in learning to code, I would highly recommend Bitsbox. The world needs more children going into the IT fields and educational products like this will help peak their interest. As a parent, I am thrilled that companies like this exist. It let’s us tip-toe into this space without feeling overwhelmed. I will be the first to tell you that I am not a coder, nor have I ever spent much time working in basic HTML, but this was easy to understand and I was able to work with my children in a fun learning environment for weeks. With subscriptions starting at just $20/month, I think it’s well worth the investment. (And, the company is offering 15% off – you just need to use coupon code HTH15 – it’s good for 15% off your first subscription purchases.) The products are quality (the shipped items we received) and the digital items are just as good.

The kids asked their grandparents for a subscription and I hear it’s coming soon.

Tips for Learning Coding with Bitsbox:

Now that we’ve had the box for a month now, I want to share some tips for making this a fun learning experience for your kids (and you).

Keep the Super Cards in order. The challenges build on one another so it is helpful to have them in order (helps with reviewing their work and starting fresh after they haven’t practiced in a while).
If your child is serious about learning about programming, I suggest setting a practice goal each day of 15-30 minutes. My daughter started doing this and it helped a bunch. She got really comfortable with coding within a few weeks. If you experiment with building apps one day, and then not look at it again for a few weeks, it is not going to help your child form connections and retain what they’re learning.
Shorter, consistent practice will be better in the long run. I’ve started adding Bitsbox to my daughter’s daily homeschool work and she looks forward to it every day.