Apple Launches Swift Playgrounds App to Teach Kids to Code

The app uses an interactive interface to helps kids explore Swift, Apple’s programming language.

Apple announced Swift Playgrounds, a new iPad app that teaches kids to code in Swift.

Navigating a colorful and graphic interface, students can write code to guide onscreen characters through an immersive, graphical world. They will be asked to solve puzzles and other challenges while learning core coding concepts. Lessons include issuing commands, creating functions, performing loops and using conditional code and variables. Apple plans to release standalone challenges to help students further develop their skills. Others can also use Xcode, a developer environment, to create challenges for the app.

Additionally, the app features built-in templates that can be shared with friends via e-mail or through social media. Projects can even be exported to Xcode to create programs for iOS and macOS that can become full-fledged apps.  

"I wish Swift Playgrounds was around when I was first learning to code,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, in a prepared statement. "Swift Playgrounds is the only app of its kind that is both easy enough for students and beginners, yet powerful enough to write real code. It’s an innovative way to bring real coding concepts to life and empower the next generation with the skills they need to express their creativity.”

The developer preview of Swift Playgrounds is now available. A beta version will be released in June and a final version of Swift Playgrounds will be available in the App Store for free this fall. Further information, including videos and demos, are available on the Swift Playgrounds site.

About the Author

Sri Ravipati is Web producer for THE Journal and Campus Technology. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • AI-powered individual working calmly on one side and a burnt-out person slumped over a laptop on the other

    AI's Productivity Gains Come at a Cost

    A recent academic study found that as companies adopt AI tools, they're not just streamlining workflows — they're piling on new demands. Researchers determined that "AI technostress" is driving burnout and disrupting personal lives, even as organizations hail productivity gains.

  • robot waving

    Copilot Updates Aim to Personalize AI

    Microsoft has introduced a range of updates to its Copilot platform, marking a new phase in its effort to deliver what it calls a "true AI companion" that adapts to individual users' needs, preferences and routines.

  • teenager interacts with a chatbot on a computer screen

    Character.AI Rolls Out New Parental Insights Feature Amid Safety Concerns

    Chatbot platform Character.AI has introduced a new Parental Insights feature aimed at giving parents a window into their children's activity on the platform. The feature allows users under 18 to share a weekly report of their chatbot interactions directly with a parent's e-mail address.

  • Two hands shaking in the center with subtle technology icons, graphs, binary code, and a padlock in the dark blue background

    Two Areas for K-12 Schools to Assess for When to Work with a Managed Services Provider

    The complexity of today’s IT network infrastructure and increased cybersecurity risk are quickly moving beyond many school districts’ ability to manage on their own. But a new technology model, a partnership with a managed services provider, offers a way forward for schools to overcome these challenges.