Award winning coding toy, Cubetto, is getting children ages three and up to learn computer programming away from the screen.

Cubetto officially launched in November 2016, to meet the Christmas demand for educational toys. The Montessori-approved coding toy helps children write their first programmes using a wooden robot powered by a coding language made of blocks, instead of text on screens.

It provides an important introduction to the subject of computer science, preparing children for the jobs of the future without having them glued to a screen.

“All young children should be empowered to influence the future direction of the digital world we live in, but many are found to still lack computing and coding knowledge from a young age. Cubetto tackles this shortfall by encouraging simple hands-on play that makes learning so much more approachable for all, perfect for schools that teach coding,” CEO and co-founder Filippo Yacob explains.

“Learning in early years should be fun! The beauty of Cubetto is that it eliminates the need for a computer screen, ticking the box for hands-on play and making learning much more enjoyable while also developing logical thinking, sequencing and coding skills.”

Cubetto represents a significant benchmark in the field of computer programming, as it significantly lowers the age barrier for learning to code by removing screen-based interaction.

The aim of the toy is to control Cubetto, a friendly wooden robot who likes to be told where to go and how to get there, by creating sequences of instructions (programmes) using the colourful blocks placed on Cubetto’s “board” or “control panel”.

“What I love most about Cubetto is that it will give girls and boys the opportunity to learn the basic building blocks of coding, without being glued to a computer screen. As a mum, that’s a dream,” says Primo Toys Investor Randi Zuckerberg.

The limited edition playset is priced at £159 on primotoys.com.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBJWKbv589Q

Earlier in 2016, Cubetto raised $1.6 million on Kickstarter, becoming the most crowdfunded ed-tech project in history. It most recently won “Best of the Best” for design concept at the Red Dot Awards, along with a Gold Lion for product design at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.