Meet Botley, this super cute little robot is the perfect way to introduce children (aimed at ages 5-9) to coding without becoming another reason for them to be glued to a screen for hours. This small but clever toy encourages STEM learning with a fun and hands on approach.

This kit provides many different ways to program and code the robot without needing to use a smartphone or tablet at any point. The kit comes with Botley The Coding Robot, an easy-to-use Remote Programmer, Detachable Robot Arms, 40 Coding Cards, six boards, a sheet of stickers to customise your set, and a collection of accessories to create obstacles and activities for Botley including eight sticks, 12 cubes, two cones, two flags, two balls and a goal.

All the components have a sturdy construction and are the perfect size for little hands, Botley can be programmed to perform a variety of different actions including moving forward and backwards (approx. 20cm step at a time,), turning left and right, detect and avoid objects, make a sound, loop and repeat a step or sequence with a possibility of programming up to 80 actions in one sequence and the LED light on top shows the direction of each step.

Whilst playing with Botley the little coders will be learning critical thinking and problem-solving skills by getting them to plan and visualise Botley’s path, the detachable robot arms allow this little robot to move objects and even score goals. You will need at least five AAA batteries to get Botley moving so make sure you have these to hand if you are giving it as a present, we found him adorable and engaging but he is a limited in what he can do, I can’t imagine my seven year old, tablet obsessed nephew finding him entertaining for too long but it would probably amuse 5-6year olds for longer. RRP £79

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4.5 out of 5

Pros

Fun

Cute

Educational

Screen free

Bright and colourful

Easy to use

Cons

Batteries not included

Limited abilities