For older children, or kids with mobile devices, app-enabled coding toys allow children to drag and drop block-based commands to chain together a sequence of actions. New, more advanced challenges are typically unlocked in each toy as a child progresses.

Hasbro’s FurReal line of robotic pets has been popular since 2002, so adding coding functionality was a logical next step. Like other toys in the line, the FurReal Proto Max (6 and up) has touch points that respond to a tap or stroke. With Hasbro’s coding app, children can program Proto Max to, say, bark when touched on the nose or spin around when patted on the back.

Sphero may be best known for its programmable BB-8 robot that came out two years ago, alongside the movie “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” but it has been making educational robots of all types since 2011. Its latest, the Sphero SPRK+ (ages 8 and up), is a transparent sphere with a programmable gyroscope and accelerometer. It’s waterproof and shockproof, allowing it to roll across hardwood floors, carpets and even outside. And it has a growing online community of students and educators who share collaborative projects using Sphero’s Edu apps.

Cozmo (ages 8 and up) from Anki was originally intended to be a tiny interactive robot with a personality, like a WALL-E in the palm of your hand, and it has dozens of facial expressions on its LED screen that help bring it to life. But the company realized the clever Cozmo could offer a lot more, so it added a coding component based on the Scratch Blocks program. But like the Tamagotchi pets of the 1990s, Cozmo craves attention and will prompt you to feed him or let him play with his three power cubes.

The robots from Wonder Workshop are a little less demanding. The Dot Creativity Kit (ages 6 to 10) provides a steppingstone into coding, while the more advanced Cue (ages 11 and up) can help hone those skills. You really notice the difference after just a few minutes with each. Dot can be programmed to make silly fart noises and play Magic 8 Ball; Cue can be coded using blocks or text with conditions and functions to combine multiple actions.