CodeMonkey

What CodeMonkey is

CodeMonkey is an online platform of game-based coding courses for children and teenagers, used in schools and at home. Its home page calls it "an AWARD-WINNING online platform that teaches kids real coding languages like CoffeeScript and Python", where "Children and teenagers learn block-based and text-based coding through an engaging game-like environment." The core audience is kids aged 5 to 14: "Kids as young as 5 can start programming to solve scaffolded puzzles and build their own games." The site says CodeMonkey "does not require prior coding experience to teach and is designed for schools, clubs, and home use", and the company, CodeMonkey Studios, says it has been teaching children programming this way for the past decade.

The premise is captured in the tagline: "Write code. Catch bananas. Save the world." A student writes code in one part of the screen to guide a monkey through a level shown in another, and sees the result straight away. A post on the company blog describes how the game "walks through each line of code as it is performed", which makes it easy for a child to see where a program went wrong.

The courses

The FAQ says "The courses offer a full curriculum for grades K-8", and the home page describes the range "From CodeMonkey Jr. to Banana Tales". The course list on the home page runs from the youngest learners upward: a block-based coding game for preschoolers, a block-based coding game for beginners, a coding game for practicing math concepts, a fun way for beginners to learn real coding, a platform for creating coding challenges, game creation courses that teach game building, a fun coding course that teaches Python, and a Python course for building a popular guessing game. Newer Digital Learning Courses are marked as new for the school year.

Several of these are named on the site:

• CodeMonkey Jr. uses blocks for the youngest learners, to "help build visual learning skills for future more complicated programming techniques."
• Coding Adventure teaches text-based coding in CoffeeScript. A blog post says it "teaches 7-16 years olds code while catching bananas using more advanced text-based coding."
• Banana Tales and Coding Chatbots use Python, which the FAQ calls "a general-purpose, versatile and popular programming language."
• Dodo Does Math is mentioned on the blog among the activities that follow the early block courses.

The FAQ explains the language choice. CoffeeScript is "similar to JavaScript" and was chosen mainly "because of its friendly syntax", which "closely resembles English". The FAQ lists the concepts covered across the courses: objects, function calls, arguments, for loops, function definitions, boolean conditions, loops, variables, arrays, until loops, if and if-else conditions, boolean operators, and keyboard and mouse events. Early learners begin with logic, sequencing and loops; later courses move into variables, functions, conditionals, events and object-oriented ideas. For schools that want to go further, the FAQ also says CodeMonkey offers advanced courses for middle and high school students, and age-appropriate tracks up to high school for full-school use.

For teachers and schools

For the classroom, the site lists a Teacher/Admin Dashboard, Lesson Plans and Assessment Tools. The Classroom Dashboard comes "Equipped with student solutions, automatic grading and curriculum management", and lessons include "a distinctive mode for teaching versus playing". The FAQ adds that "automatic hints help students solve problems independently", which matters in a mixed-ability class. One teacher quoted on the page, Mic Lowne, says the teacher reference solutions are useful "because some of my students are moving ahead of me!!!"

Teacher support is part of the package. The site promises "free webinars, video tutorials, MOOC course and full-time PD staff", and says that with its teacher kit and support team "anyone can teach the basics of computer science." The curriculum mixes online challenges with unplugged activities, and the FAQ states it "is aligned with computer science standards, common core standards etc."

Whole schools and districts are a separate offer. The FAQ describes "full-school and district-wide solutions" with "unlimited student accounts, dedicated onboarding, and premium support", plus reporting tools and training resources for administrators. Schools and districts request a quote rather than buying from a public price list. The footer also lists after-school programs, summer camps, homeschool use and an ambassador program.

For parents

For families, CodeMonkey sells an "all-inclusive home plan", with three promises listed beside it: Track Child's Progress, Self-Paced, and Educational Screen Time. The site says the courses "teach text-based coding so kids learn to program like a real developer" and that "No previous experience is needed!" There is also a Little Coders App for younger children, and parents can buy CodeMonkey as a gift.

Trial and pricing

Both home and teacher accounts start with a free trial. The FAQ spells out what it includes: Coding Adventure Part 1 through Challenge 30, CodeMonkey Jr. Sequencing and Loops, Banana Tales Part 1 Python through Challenge 30, and all of CodeMonkey's Hour of Code content. That covers the opening part of each of the three main course lines. The home page does not print plan prices; it links to separate Teacher Plans and Parent Plans pages, and school or district pricing comes through a quote.

Recognition and reviews

The home page lists a run of awards: the 2021 EdTech Impact Teacher Choice recommended solution, the 2022 Mom's Choice award for family-friendly products, first place in the 2023 i-Learn Reader's Choice for computer science, a 2024 Parent's Picks award for educational products, and a 2024 Best of STEM Educators Pick for Best AI Curriculum for Teaching and Learning. Common Sense Media is quoted praising its "cheerful graphics, carefully constructed puzzles, and thoughtful sequences of puzzles." Teachers quoted on the page include Megan McNinch of Sugar Creek Elementary School, who writes "Kids can code and I can too!", and Pi-Chuan Chang, who notes "equally high engagement with girls" and says "the linear path makes guidance easy even with large student groups."

Who it suits

CodeMonkey suits an elementary or middle school teacher who wants a ready-made coding course with lesson plans, automatic grading and a dashboard, and who may never have taught programming before. Its path from blocks to CoffeeScript and Python gives a school a sequence that lasts several grades, and the district offer adds unlimited accounts and onboarding for a wider rollout. At home it suits a parent of a child between about 5 and 14 who likes games and wants to learn on their own, with progress tracking for the adult.

The main thing to weigh is the language path. Coding Adventure, the main text course, is taught in CoffeeScript, which the FAQ presents as a friendly, English-like route toward JavaScript; a family set on Python from the start can go to Banana Tales and Coding Chatbots instead. Families wanting to compare costs will also need to open the plan pages or start a trial, since prices are not on the home page.