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AI app builder for kids & teens

Build your own app with AI

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Have an idea for an app? Describe what you want to make, and Otto helps you build a first version. Keep improving it as your ideas grow, and explore the code behind it.

Try freeExplore project ideas
No coding experience needed
See and edit the real code
Runs in the browser, nothing to install
Parents can see every project

Quick answer

Can kids build apps with AI?

Yes. Kids describe an app in everyday language, and Otto helps build a starting version. Then they try it, ask for changes and edit the code to make it their own.

The best first app is not the most complicated one. It is the one you are excited to build.

  1. 01Describe what you want to make
  2. 02Build a first version
  3. 03Try it and see what needs changing
  4. 04Make it your own
  5. 05Keep experimenting

You don't have to wait for someone else to build the tool you wish existed.

App types

What kind of app could you make?

Think about something you wish existed, a problem you want to solve or an idea you would love to try.

  • Everyday tools

    A homework planner, reading tracker, habit tracker or calculator. Start with one feature.

    Inputs · state · lists

  • Interactive experiences

    Buttons, scores, choices and animations. See how the parts of an app work together.

    Events · logic

  • Creative apps

    Drawing tools, color palettes, music-inspired interfaces and quizzes.

    UI controls · input handling

  • Apps for your interests

    Sports, animals, books, space or art. Build around something you already love.

    Data · components

How it works

From an idea to an app that works

Start with the main feature instead of trying to build everything at once.

01 / 05Describe it

Describe what you want to make

Tell Otto what your app should do, who will use it and what they should be able to do.

  • Example

    "Help me make a study planner where I can add assignments and mark them complete."

Explore coding in HeyOtto

Learning happens one question, one change and one experiment at a time.

App ideas

Start with a small idea. See where it takes you.

These are starting points, not limits. Pick one that interests you and make it your own.

Four starter apps are ready

Habit Streak Tracker, Pixel Drawing App, Mood + Music Generator and Flashcard Race are working apps you can open and change.

Explore AI coding projects

Try building

  1. 1

    Homework planner

    Organize assignments by subject and due date.

  2. 2

    Book tracker

    Books you want to read and the ones you've finished.

  3. 3

    Trivia app

    Questions about your favorite topic.

  4. 4

    Goal tracker

    A simple way to track a personal goal.

  5. 5

    Sports stats tool

    Record scores or track practice.

  6. 6

    Creative drawing tool

    Colors, shapes and interactive controls.

Learn how your app works

You can see the code behind what you create

AI can help generate an app, but understanding it is the valuable part. You don't need every line before you start.

  • 01

    Components

    React

    Apps are made of small reusable pieces: a button, a card, a list.

    Build it once, use it everywhere.
  • 02

    State

    Memory

    State is what the app knows right now, like a streak count or a selected color.

    Change the state and the screen updates.
  • 03

    Events

    Input

    Taps, clicks and typing are events the app listens for.

    Each event runs code you wrote.
  • 04

    Data

    Mapping

    Apps turn data into screens, like a mood turning into a color.

    Lists and objects hold the data.
  • 05

    UI

    Design

    Layout and controls decide how easy the app is to use.

    Styled with Tailwind.
  • 06

    Debugging

    Problem solving

    When the app does the wrong thing, you trace why.

    Otto asks where to look first.

As your experience grows, you take more ownership of your projects.

Otto as coach

Otto helps you think like an app maker

Otto explains each step, points out bugs, and asks questions so you make the decisions.

  • Kid says

    My streak button doesn't change the number.

    Otto

    Your button runs a function. Does that function update state, or just a regular variable? Look at how the counter is declared.

  • Kid says

    Can the drawing app have an eraser?

    Otto

    Sure. What is an eraser, really? Is it a tool, or a color that matches the background? Which is easier to build first?

  • Kid says

    I want it to look cooler.

    Otto

    What do you mean by cooler: colors, bigger buttons, animation? Pick one and we'll find the Tailwind classes for it.

Why HeyOtto

Why build apps with HeyOtto?

HeyOtto is built for ages 8–18, with room for different interests and experience levels.

  • 01

    Start with your own ideas

    Start

    Describe what you want without knowing all the programming terms first.

  • 02

    See and edit real code

    Learn

    Explore the React code and change it inside HeyOtto.

  • 03

    Learn by experimenting

    Try

    See what happens when you change a feature or a layout.

  • 04

    Grow at your own pace

    Level up

    Start with a simple tool and take on bigger projects.

Guardrails

Apps run inside safe limits

Build without worrying about what an app can reach.

  • Web-based

    Projects are web-based with no external APIs or outside connections.

  • No outside code

    Outside scripts and external API calls are not allowed.

  • No browser storage

    Builds have no access to browser storage.

  • Parents can see it

    Each project is a self-contained bundle that parents can view.

The same family controls as the rest of HeyOtto

Code works inside the controls parents already set.

How HeyOtto safety works

Apps built by young creators

See what other kids have made in the HeyOtto Marketplace.

Seeing a finished app made by someone your age shows what you can build next.

Visit the Marketplace

For parents

See every app they build

The parent dashboard shows the apps your kid makes, what they asked Otto, and how each one changed over time.

See the parent dashboard
In the parent dashboard
  1. 1

    Every project

    Each app your kid builds, saved in Projects.

  2. 2

    Questions they asked

    What your kid asked Otto while building.

  3. 3

    How it changed

    How the project changed over time.

FAQ

Building apps with AI: FAQ

Answers for kids and parents.

  1. Yes. Kids describe an idea in everyday language, Otto helps build a starting version, and kids explore, change and learn from the code.

Contact UsView all FAQs

Keep exploring

Your app idea starts here

Don't wait for someone else to build the tool you wish existed. Start with an idea, make a first version and see what you can do with it.

Try freeExplore project ideasFor parents