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A full range of CS concepts
Students used sequences, loops, conditionals, events, operators, and variables in the games they built.[2]
EVIDENCE-BASED CODING
Where Play-Doh Meets Programming.
Hands-On Coding That Actually Works.
Makey Makey turns everyday objects into game controllers — and curious kids into confident programmers. Peer-reviewed research proves it.
THE CHALLENGE
Every student needs computer science. Most tools make it harder than it should be.
You are expected to teach real coding to every student — on the budget, devices, and prep time you already have. The usual options fight you on all three. Screen-only apps lose the kids who learn by doing. Per-seat software renews its bill every year, for every student. And single-purpose robots cost a fortune to teach one thing, then sit in a closet.
Makey Makey was built for exactly this gap: hands-on coding that runs on the free software and the computers you already own — and, unlike most classroom tech, the results are peer-reviewed.
HIGH SCORE: MAKEY MAKEY DOUBLED LEARNING GAINS
The numbers behind the play
In the research, students didn't memorize syntax — they made programs run. Kids traced real code by touching fruit wired to a Makey Makey, watching variables and outputs change with every step.
The payoff was measurable. Across grades 4–6, test scores more than doubled — 4th graders went from about 2 to nearly 6 out of 10 — a jump researchers rated a "huge" effect. It held in every grade and every teaching method, with less than a 0.1% chance it was luck. Students came away with six real computer-science concepts: sequences, loops, conditionals, variables, inputs, and outputs.[1]
WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE
In a second study, a middle-schooler named Marcus remixed a Scratch fish game with a Makey Makey controller he built himself. He set a rule that his fish wins at size 105, made it grow and score every time it ate a smaller fish, and coded it to lose if it hit the seaweed first. That's variables, conditionals, and events — real programming, driven by a kid who just wanted his game to work.
— Lee, Kafai, Vasudevan & Davis, 2014[2]
THE RESEARCH
More than a test score
A second peer-reviewed study followed middle-schoolers as they remixed Scratch games and built their own Makey Makey controllers. Five things stood out.Lee, Kafai, Vasudevan & Davis · Springer, 2014.[2]
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Hands-on invites everyone
Tangible interfaces were "more inviting, better for collaboration, with broad appeal across genders."[2]
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Motivated to keep coding
Designing games fostered computational thinking — and the motivation to keep programming.[2]
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A real audience, real debugging
Building for a game arcade pushed kids to iterate and debug their own code.[2]
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A low barrier to a big leap
Makey Makey needs no drivers, no special software, and no prior coding.[2]
FROM THE FOUNDER OF SCRATCH
…you line up things in the physical world, and then write programs to turn those things in the physical world into different actions, whether it’s musical actions or graphical actions on the screen.
— Mitch Resnick
LEGO Papert Professor of Learning Research, MIT Media Lab · Founder of Scratch
BLOCK-BASED CODING
The coding languages young inventors love
Students drag-and-drop colorful blocks to build games, stories, and animations — then use Makey Makey to control them in the real world.
One device. Every platform.
Makey Makey works just like a keyboard and mouse — pressing the arrow keys, space bar, W/A/S/D, and click. So anything a student codes to respond to those inputs works instantly. No drivers. No installs. No special software.
Makey Makey Apps
Ages 8+ · Free · No login
We offer a variety of preconfigured apps our on site ready to use. Pre-coded apps that work the second you connect — a piano, bongos, drums, and games. No code, no login, nothing to install. And also Scratch apps. One click to "See Inside" opens the real code — so students can peek at how it works and remix it. An easy on-ramp from playing to programming.
Scratch
Ages 8+ · Free · MIT
The world's most popular block language and Makey Makey's go-to partner. Kids build games, animations, and interactive stories in the browser, then bring them to life with their inventions.
ScratchJr
Ages 5–7 · Free
Scratch's little sibling for the youngest coders. Picture-based blocks need no reading, so pre-readers can snap together their first interactive stories and games.
Microsoft MakeCode
Ages 8+ · Free
Code retro games in MakeCode Arcade, then use the keymapping guide to invent your own custom Makey Makey controller. Blocks flip to JavaScript and Python as students grow.
Tynker
Ages 5–14 · Curriculum
A structured K-8 curriculum that grows with students from blocks to Python and JavaScript. Covers game design, robotics, and Minecraft modding, with teacher dashboards built for the classroom.
Code.org
Ages 4+ · Free
Free, standards-aligned courses used in schools worldwide, plus the famous Hour of Code. Its block-based lessons pair naturally with a Makey Makey.
Grows with your students
Ready for more? Power up with micro:bit.
Once students are confident with block-based coding, the Code-a-Key Backpack snaps a BBC micro:bit onto their Makey Makey — unlocking sensors, physical computing, and more advanced programming in Microsoft MakeCode.
- Code with real sensors. Trigger key presses with motion, light, temperature & sound.
- Two-way programming. The micro:bit reacts too — show images, play sounds, even drive a servo motor.
- Real MakeCode coding. Program it with the free Code-a-Key extension — blocks that grow into JavaScript & Python.
- Up to 6 keys + full mouse control on the back of the Makey Makey.
Bett 2025 Award Winner
Works with Makey Makey v1.5+. micro:bit and Makey Makey sold separately.
TEACHING RESOURCES
Everything you need to start teaching coding today
Projects, videos, and full lesson plans — all free, all classroom-ready.
ALLIGATOR CLIP ACADEMY
Coding projects you can build today
Step-by-step coding lessons filtered by topic, difficulty, and grade level.
Browse the Academy →VIDEO RESOURCES
Watch coding projects in action
316+ videos sorted by subject — Scratch tutorials, project walkthroughs, and classroom inspiration.
Watch coding videos →FREE RESOURCES
Real lessons. Real curriculum. Ready to teach.
Beginner Scratch, MakeCode Arcade, and plug-and-play activities, plus the Certified Educator Workshop.
Visit Educator Hub →BUILT FOR SCHOOLS & DISTRICTS
Why curriculum leaders choose Makey Makey
Evidence-based outcomes, the lowest possible barrier to entry, and a fit with the standards you already teach.
Backed by peer-reviewed research
Independent, published studies show significant, large-effect learning gains — not just engagement.
Low cost, no subscriptions
A one-time purchase pairs with free coding platforms — no per-seat software licenses or recurring fees.
No IT overhead
Plug-and-play over USB on the computers and Chromebooks you already own. No drivers, no installs.
Aligned to CS standards
Directly supports computational thinking: sequences, loops, conditionals, variables, inputs & outputs.
Inclusive by design
Research notes tangible making is more collaborative with broad appeal across genders and diverse learners.
Scales from K to 8
One toolkit spans ScratchJr at age 5 through Python in MakeCode and Tynker by middle school.
Coding for every learner
Makey Makey adapts to diverse needs — the Perkins School for the Blind publishes Makey Makey STEM activities and lesson plans for students who are blind or visually impaired. Hands-on, tactile coding meets students where they are.[13]
COMING SOON
Be the first to get our new coding curriculum
A complete K–8 coding curriculum is on the way. Sign up and we will email you the moment it is ready to download.
AWARD-WINNING
Recognized by educators & the industry
Trusted by classrooms worldwide and honored by the people who know learning tools best.
Best of STEM
BETT Educators' Pick · 2024
Toy of the Year
Finalist · 2016
Best of Toy Fair
Popular Science · 2014
Bett Award
Code-a-Key Backpack · 2025
READY TO INVENT?
Bring evidence-based coding to every classroom.
Outfit a single class or an entire district. Makey Makey makes the leap into computer science hands-on, joyful, and proven.
USED BY EDUCATORS LIKE
REFERENCES
Sources & citations
Numbered footnotes throughout the page link here. Peer-reviewed studies are labeled [S1] and [S2]; [C] is the standard reference for the Cohen's d effect-size benchmark.
- [S1]Hijón-Neira, R., Pérez-Marín, D., Pizarro, C., & Connolly, C. (2020). The Effects of a Visual Execution Environment and Makey Makey on Primary School Children Learning Introductory Programming Concepts. IEEE Access, 8, 217800 ff. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2020.3041686
- [S2]Lee, E., Kafai, Y. B., Vasudevan, V., & Davis, R. L. (2014). Playing in the Arcade: Designing Tangible Interfaces with MaKey MaKey for Scratch Games. In A. Nijholt (Ed.), Playful User Interfaces (pp. 277–292). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-4560-96-2_13
- [C]Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum. — standard source for the d = 0.8 "large effect" benchmark. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203771587
- [Scratch]Scratch — MIT Media Lab. scratch.mit.edu https://scratch.mit.edu
- [ScratchJr]ScratchJr — DevTech Research Group / MIT Media Lab. scratchjr.org https://scratchjr.org
- [MakeCode]Microsoft MakeCode. makecode.com https://makecode.com
- [Tynker]Tynker. tynker.com https://tynker.com
- [Code.org]Code.org. code.org https://code.org
- [mBlock]mBlock — Makeblock. mblock.cc https://mblock.cc
- [Snap!]Snap! — UC Berkeley. snap.berkeley.edu https://snap.berkeley.edu
- [Scratch Fdn.]Scratch Foundation. Physical Computing with Scratch & Makey Makey. https://scratchfoundation.org/learn/learning-library/physical-computing-with-scratch-makey-makey
- [ISTE]ISTE. Teach Coding and Computational Thinking to Elementary Students. https://iste.org/blog/teach-coding-and-computational-thinking-to-elementary-students
- [Perkins]Perkins School for the Blind. Makey Makey STEM Activities and Lesson Plans. https://www.perkins.org/resource/makey-makey-stem-activities-and-lesson-plans/
- [Am. Libraries]American Libraries Magazine (2015). Making for STEM Success. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2015/05/18/making-for-stem-success/
- [Code-a-Key]Makey Makey. Getting Started with the Code-a-Key Backpack. https://makeymakey.com/pages/getting-started-with-the-code-a-key-backpack
Statistics on this page summarize findings reported in [S1] and [S2]. Effect sizes follow Cohen's d (≥ 0.8 = large).