Kit buying guide
Start for free
You don’t need to buy anything to begin. The first 12 lessons of the beginner path work with free simulators:
- Falstad Circuit Simulator: electricity, no account
- Tinkercad Circuits: breadboards and Arduino, free Autodesk account
- Wokwi: Arduino, ESP32 and Pico in the browser
- VEXcode VR: a virtual robot with blocks or Python
Recommended kits
| Kit | Ages | Approx. price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arduino-compatible starter kit (e.g. Elegoo UNO kits) | 12+ | ~$35–60 | Best value; lots of sensors and parts |
| Official Arduino Starter Kit | 12+ | ~$100+ | Printed project book, official board |
| Arduino Plug and Make Kit (UNO R4 WiFi) | 12+ | ~$88 | No breadboard wiring; plug-in modules |
| 2WD/4WD Arduino robot car kit | 12+ | ~$30–70 | First moving robot, line and distance sensors included |
| BBC micro:bit + robot add-on | 8+ | ~$20 board, $30–60 add-on | Block coding with built-in sensors |
| LEGO Education Computer Science & AI | 5+ / 8+ / 11+ | from ~$340 | Schools; LEGO’s 2026 kit replacing SPIKE |
About LEGO SPIKE and Mindstorms
- Mindstorms was discontinued in 2022.
- SPIKE Prime and SPIKE Essential sales ended on 30 June 2026. If you already own one, keep using it: the SPIKE App is supported until 30 June 2031, and FIRST LEGO League allows SPIKE through the 2027–28 season.
- Don’t buy a new SPIKE kit at resale prices. For new LEGO purchases, look at the Computer Science & AI kit.
Also useful
- Multimeter (~$10–20): essential for debugging
- Rechargeable NiMH AA batteries and charger: cheaper over time, safer than LiPo
- Extra jumper wires and a second breadboard
- Safety glasses