Building a Mobile App offers basic lessons in Android development, designed specifically for kids! Three fun projects walk you through basic coding skills using MIT's App Inventor--a free, online programming tool that uses a simple block style language that makes coding easy to learn. No long chapters to read, and no homework--just dive right in! You'll begin with a basic project that shows you how to make an app that works; next, you'll put those skills to work on a photo editing app that takes your skills to the next level. Finally, you'll level up one more time to become a Game Maker--that's right, you'll actually build a mobile game that you can send to your friends! Each project includes step-by-step directions and plenty of graphics to help you stay on track, and easy-to-read instructions help you complete each project frustration-free.

App building can get pretty complicated, but it doesn't have to start out that way. Start small to pick up the basics quickly, and you'll be coding in no time! This book helps you get started quickly and easily, with a focus on fun.

• Build your own Android mobile apps using a free online platform!
• Code everything yourself, including buttons, screens, and interactions!
• Build an app that lets you draw on pictures you take!
• Create a simple, interactive game you can share with your friends!

Adults all over the world turn to For Dummies books for clear instruction with a sense of humor; the Dummies Junior books bring that same "learning is fun" attitude to kids, with projects designed specifically for a kid's interests, needs, and skill level. Building a Mobile App gets kids coding quickly, with fun projects they'll be happy to show off!

This book is part of a book series called Dummies Junior .

There are 128 pages in this book. This book was published 2017 by John Wiley & Sons Inc .

Sarah Guthals, Ph. D, has dedicated her life to coding education. She loves to teach teachers how to use Minecraft in the classroom, and wishes she could teach her cats how to play Minecraft too!

This book has the following chapters: Introduction: Get Started with Mobile Apps 2 About App Inventor 2 About This Book 3 About You 3 About the Icons 4 Project 1: Basic Mobile App Tools 6 The Software: App Inventor 6 Get Started with App Inventor 7 Start Your First Android Mobile App 9 Connect Your Android Emulator 10 Code On App Inventor 13 Add a Button That Makes a Sound 14 Rename Your Components 20 Add a Music Player 24 Test Your Music App 35 Project 2: Make an App about You 36 Design Your App 36 Make Your First Paper Prototype 37 Make Paper Phones 37 Fill In Your Paper Phones 39 Make the Skeleton of Your App 40 Create a New App 41 Create the Homepage 42 Create Your Other Screens 54 Code Your App 57 Code Up the Buttons 57 Make Simple Changes 61 Add Code to All Your Buttons 62 Project 3: Make a Photo-Editing App 63 Set Up Your Photo-Editing App 63 Start with a New App 63 Start with an Already-Made About Me App 67 Start with Your About Me App 69 Test Your App 71 Code Your Photo-Editing App 75 Set Your Background Image 75 Edit Your Design to Match Your Feature 78 Draw on Your Photos 81 Code the Ability to Draw on Photos 85 Project 4: Make a Mobile Game App 88 Decide on a Game 88 Set Up Your Game App 89 Create a New Project 89 Set Up Your Screen 89 Make a Simple Game 92 Code Winston to Move 92 Get Winston Unstuck 94 Make Winston Listen 95 Give Winston Some Food 97 Make a Re-Playable Game 101 Give Winston All He Can Eat 102 Code Winston's Food 103 Test Your New Game 111 Make Your Game Random 112 Add a Start and Reset Button 112 Test Your Start and Reset Buttons 115 Put Your Food in Random Places 116 Keep Building 120