Coding
PictoBlox
Kids drag blocks to make games, stories and robot programs, and appear to train simple AI models along the way.
PictoBlox, from STEMpedia, looks like a Scratch-style studio with an unusually strong lean toward artificial intelligence. Alongside the familiar sprites, stories and animations, kids can try projects that use the camera and microphone: a game that spots their face, a character that answers spoken commands or a sorter that learns to tell objects apart. A machine learning area lets them train image, sound, text and pose models without typing code. For the youngest, Junior Blocks offers a pared-down picture version. Further along, there are options for controlling robots and boards, building AR and VR scenes or moving into a Python editor with a visualizer that steps through each line. It seems to stretch from early primary to teens, though the AI tools will probably click most with kids who already know their way around blocks.
- Ages
- Young coders through teens
- Works on
- Web browser; Windows app; macOS app; ChromeOS app; iPhone and iPad app; Android app
- Topics
- Coding, Making
- Languages
- English, German, Hindi, Korean, Russian, Chinese
- Listed
- 2026-10-18
What kids do
- Train an image model to recognize objects
- Make a game that responds to a face
- Code a sprite story with blocks
- Step through Python code with the visualizer
Who it suits
Young coders through teens.
Notes for parents
STEMpedia pitches Junior Blocks at ages 4–7 and the Python notebook at 12 and up. It runs at pictoblox.ai in a browser or as an app on computers, tablets and phones.
What you need
- Computer or tablet
- Webcam or microphone for AI projects
More Coding
- Code.org / CodeAI: Guided coding activities alongside open tools for making games, animations, apps and web pages.
- ScratchJr: Picture-based programming blocks for making characters move and telling interactive stories.
- Scratch: Interactive stories, animations and games built by snapping visual coding blocks together.
- Kodable Basics: Maze-style coding challenges that begin with sequences and patterns.
- codeSpark: Coding for Kids: Coding puzzles that don’t rely on reading, leading into tools for making stories and games.
- Tynker: Coding for Kids: Guided coding puzzles, game-making and Minecraft-related projects.
- Hopscotch: Programming for Kids: Tutorials and open creation tools for building games and other interactive projects.
- Tynker Junior: Coding for Kids: Picture commands, voiceovers and themed adventures that introduce sequencing, loops and conditions.