SparkFun Inventor’s Kit for RedBot.
I get many questions from people about how I think kids and adults should get started in robotics, how they should progress, and what they should buy, to learn about robotics. This is a quick guide to help you get going.
I’ve described three levels below — Level 1 is for people older than 12; Level 2 is for people older than 15, and Level 3 is for people over 18. An adult can probably start at Level 2 if desired, however starting at Level 1 will give you important basic skills and knowledge that you can build on.
Don’t worry about the details. You do not need to learn how SPI or wifi work, for example, but you will slowly pick up the details as you use them.
Each level will take time to develop and learn, but following this path will ensure that you have the knowledge you’ll need to progress to the next level.
Additional Resources
I tend to like Sparkfun for buying hobby parts. Other places you should look are Adafruit, and Pololu. They all have blogs and tutorials for using the hardware they sell, including basic robotics, Arduino, and Raspberry Pi.