Tynker is the latest iPad app aiming to teach kids to code

The Tynker iPad app uses puzzles to introduce kids to coding skills.

US firm Tynker has released an iPad app that aims to introduce children to computer programming, building on the success of its existing website.

The app is based on collections of puzzles, solved by stringing together commands in sequences using a drag’n’drop interface inspired by MIT’s popular Scratch coding language.

Tynker’s website, which launched in April 2013, has already attracted more than 6m children, and has been used in more than 8,000 schools across the US.

The company is hoping that the iPad app will complement its web and school courses, while also opening up its service to new users around the world.

The app is free to download, with 20 puzzles included in that initial download. Parents can then choose to pay for further packs of puzzles – Lost In Space and Sketch Racer – which cost £1.49 each or £1.99 for both. “The puzzles are structured to gradually increase in complexity,”explained Tynker on its blog as the app launched.

“By solving them, children learn to recognise patterns; break down a problem into smaller steps; engage in programming concepts like sequencing, loops and conditional logic; develop computer drawing and algorithmic thinking skills; and debug programs.

Tynker is backed by $3.25m (£1.9m) of venture capital funding raised in 2013, and is just one of a number of technology startups hoping to capitalise on the growing interest from parents and schools alike in coding for children.

Tynker's puzzles come in various forms, aiming to teach different skills.

iPad has been the early focus for many of these companies. Hopscotch Technologies has released its Hopscotch: Coding for Kids and Daisy the Dinosaur for Apple’s tablet, while SurfScore’s Kodable and Kodable Proapps are also iPad-only for now.

Other firms have spread their net wider, recognising that a growing number of children are using Android tablets rather than iPads. Hakitzu Elite: Robot Hackers – where kids build and battle giant robot characters while learning JavaScript – and Light-bot are available for both iPad and Android devices.

British parents may be particularly keen to explore these apps, as well as web-based tools like Scratch, ahead of programming’s introduction across the national curriculum later this year, including for pupils as young as five years old.

Efforts are underway to train teachers ahead of the changes, withGoogle investing £120,000 into an initiative run by coding clubs network Code Club to support teachers, and the British government backing the separate £500,000 “Year of Code” scheme.

Apps like Tynker, Hopscotch and Kodable stand to benefit in two ways from this upsurge in interest in early coding skills: first, because tablet-equipped schools may become customers for their products; and second, because parents looking to give their children a head start may use their apps at home.