Bitsbox Subscription Box Review – June 2016

Bitsbox is a subscription service that teaches grade-school children (ages 6-12) how to code apps! Isn't that amazing? I am well on my way to raising my two boys to be complete nerds, and this subscription may be the key piece to the puzzle.

My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out our review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

The Subscription Box: Bitsbox

The Cost: There are 3 options. Digital Book is $20/month, Bitsbox Book is $25/month with free shipping, and Bitsbox Original is $40 + $9.10 shipping = $49.10/month.

The Products: All subscription types come with an online account for kids to create their apps. All subscriptions come with a book of projects, although the digital book option is a download. The Original Bitsbox also comes with toys and swag that support the little coder lifestyle.

Ships to: Worldwide

Good to Know: If you have multiple grade school children in your household, they can each set up an online account for free for working on their apps. There's no need to purchase multiple subscriptions!

Also Good to Know: You need a computer for your kids to work on; Bitsbox's interface won't work on a tablet or phone yet.

Check out all of our Bitsbox reviews and the Kids Subscription Box Directory!

Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!

This is a review of the Bitsbox Original.

This is the book of projects, and it's probably the coolest technical manual I've ever seen! This month there are 19 different projects in it for the kids to try, ranging from super easy and short to quite lengthy and complex. This month's theme is "Bon Voyage!"

Here's a look at a couple of pages from the book. Every project contains the code for the kids to copy to make their app work. Additionally, there are snippets of info such as "What's a Flag?" that help explain what the child has just copied, plus little challenges to see if the child understands the code well enough to alter the app a little. This technique works really, really well!

This month, Bitsbox sent a postcard book for the kids in keeping with the theme. They can paint their own and then send them! Which is probably good since it doesn't look like we're doing much traveling this summer.

Bitsbox also seems to include stickers and temporary tattoos as a regular inclusion in every box. They are two things that kids can't seem to get enough of! This month they also included a pack of trading cards.

When the kids log in to their home screen, this is their "tablet" where they can see all the apps they have built. They can also go back into them and edit at any time.

This is the coding interface the kids use. Obviously the graphics and sounds are already there for the kids to use, but they are writing real, honest-to-goodness code! Bitsbox makes it a really fun experience.

Now onto the apps! Feel free to click the links and actually see the apps in action! (They will run in your browser, no download required.)

My eight-year-old made this app that lets you put pins all over the map to plan out where you would like to go.

He also made this app that spins the Earth below your space shuttle.

My ten-year-old made this app that's a little bit of a game. You try to keep your hot air balloon from being hit by a drone!

He also made this app that's a full-on video game! In this game, you drive your taxi around and try to pick up the passenger without hitting the hospital or bus on the screen.

Verdict: Bitsbox has become one of our favorite boxes! The apps are funny and engaging, and they're not hard at all. I'm still astounded that they actually teach the kids how to code! It's a great value since both kids can share one box with separate accounts online for working. It's one of the rare boxes that last the kids all month because they can keep returning to it whenever they like to try new projects - and they do! We are huge fans!

Have your kids tried Bitsbox? What do you think?