Technology has come a long way especially when we’re talking about technology for kids. Long gone are the days of Erector sets and robotic arms from Radio Shack. Today’s kids are creating with 3D printers, making robot kits with Vex and Modular Robotics and now they’re even creating apps.

Tynker a leading Silicon Valley startup that helps kids to become tomorrow’s makers, announced the expansion of the Tynker platform to enable kids to use the Tynker app on iPad and Android tablets to build customized apps, including games, animations and interactive stories and puzzles. Tynker becomes the world’s first visual programming platform to allow all young “makers” the flexibility of creating their own apps on a device of their choice, whether they are programming on the Web, on an iPad or on an Android device. The Tynker app can be downloaded from the Apple App Store or from Google Play or can be accessed on the Web at Tynker.com

Tynker’s award-winning creative computing platform is now used by over 8 million students and 10,000 teachers, making it one of the largest applications in the world focused squarely on the next generation of “makers”. Tynker’s latest app is designed to extend the Tynker platform to an even broader audience of young programmers, encouraging creativity and collaboration so kids learn valuable programming concepts while taking advantage of today’s advanced computing capabilities, including Web animations and the native touch-based capabilities of Apple and Android tablets.

Tynker is moving beyond just teaching kids programming. Now they’re turning kids into makers. App developers and creators used to be adults with computer science degrees that mulled over code for hours on end, sometimes in their parents basement.  Now with the help of Tynker kids as young as 8 years old are able to create apps.

“Today, we’re moving one step closer to our ultimate vision, helping kids not only ‘learn’ programming but helping them ‘create’ using a creative computing platform that is purpose-built specifically for today’s youth. Now, using their iPad, Android tablet or virtually any computer, every child can unleash their creativity and take their programming projects as far as their imagination will take them, preparing them well for whatever 21st century career they choose.” Srinivas Mandyam, co-founder and CTO of Tynker said in a statement.

1 million projects created by kids with Tynker from Tynker on Vimeo.

With the launch of Tynker’s new app for both the iPad and Android tablets, kids can now use Tynker to create their own “app-like” projects, animations and games from templates that provide a starting point from which to build. These ‘skeleton’ projects prompt kids into using Tynker’s powerful visually-based creative computing platform through prompts such as “Can you make the spaceship fly?” or “Can you make the puppy run to its owner?”

Kids can easily get started with Tynker whether they have prior programming experience or not. Beginners can use Tynker’s drag-and-drop visual programming blocks to build a feature or function based on the theme or template they are working with; more advanced young programmers can create new projects totally from scratch, providing Tynker users with a continuum of opportunities to keep developing their programming skills—from beginner to advanced. Once a project is completed, the author can share these “apps” privately with friends or classmates or publicly with the world. Others can then play the new games and even use them (if they wish) to re-mix into their own new apps.

Tynker’s new app works seamlessly across the Web as well as both the iOS (iPad) and Android development platforms. This allows kids to start their projects in one environment (for example on an iPad at home) and then pick up where they left off on an entirely different device (such as a computer at school). With a single user login, kids can also program projects online or offline and use Tynker at Home or Tynker for Schools in the classroom. Completed projects can then be “played” across any iOS, Android or web-enabled device—an industry first—regardless of which operating system was used to create the project in the first place.

Highlights of the new Tynker app include the ability to:

• Create games and apps quickly with 8 complete pre-built game kits;
• Access a downloadable library of sample coding projects to learn from;
• Define custom functions and variables;
• Build musical projects using the built-in notes for piano, electric guitar and drums;
• Add tilt, touch and other native behaviors to your games;
• Build an unlimited portfolio of games and projects to play with friends; And Work offline without Internet connectivity.

With the Tynker app and Tynker on the Web, children learn pattern recognition, problem solving, sequencing, spatial visualization, algorithmic thinking and how to debug programs. Tynker introduces concepts like sequencing, repetition and conditional logic and reinforces basic geometry concepts while using programming to draw angles and lines.

Find out more or just get started at Tynker.com