Online coding classes for kids: from Scratch to Python, one project at a time
Live one-to-one coding classes where a teacher builds a project with your child on screen — a game, an animation, a quiz, a small program that solves a real problem — and teaches the logic underneath so the next project needs less help.
What we teach, and in what order
Coding is taught as a progression, not a menu. Children start in Scratch, a free block-based language made by MIT in which programs are built by snapping blocks together, so that the logic can be learnt without worrying about typing and spelling. When the logic is secure — usually around Year 6 or Year 7 — they move to Python, a text-based language that is widely used in schools, universities and industry. The Australian Curriculum's Digital Technologies subject expects visual programming in upper primary and a general-purpose text-based language by Years 7–8, so this progression matches what schools do; families in the USA, UK, Canada, New Zealand and India follow the same path.
Stage 1 · Scratch foundations (about Years 3–5)
Sequences, events ("when the green flag is clicked"), loops, simple conditions, coordinates on the stage, sprites and costumes. Projects: an animated story, a maze game, a catch-the-fruit game.
Stage 2 · Scratch with real logic (about Years 4–6)
Variables and scores, nested conditions, lists, broadcasting between sprites, cloning, custom blocks (functions), simple physics such as gravity and bouncing. Projects: a platformer, a quiz with a timer, a two-player game.
Stage 3 · Python basics (about Years 6–8)
Printing and input, variables and types, if/elif/else, while and for loops, lists, functions, reading error messages calmly. Projects: a number-guessing game, a text adventure, a unit converter, a times-tables tester.
Stage 4 · Python with purpose (about Years 8–10)
Dictionaries, string handling, file reading and writing, simple classes, turtle graphics, using a library, breaking a problem into functions. Projects: a hangman game, a grade calculator that reads a file, a simple data analysis of real figures, a small game with pygame-style logic.
Throughout, the real subject is computational thinking: breaking a problem into steps, spotting repetition, naming things sensibly, testing one change at a time and reading what the computer is telling you. These habits carry straight into maths, and coding pairs naturally with our maths tutoring: the two reinforce each other.
How a one-to-one coding lesson runs
- Review the last build (a few minutes). Your child runs what they made last time and shows one thing they changed or broke since. Broken is fine — fixing it is the lesson.
- One new idea. The teacher introduces a single concept — say, a variable for a score — by showing it in a tiny example, then asking "where would that go in your game?"
- Build together, child at the keyboard. The teacher watches your child's screen and talks; your child types or drags. The teacher does not take over the mouse unless something is genuinely stuck, because the person who typed it is the person who learnt it.
- Break it on purpose. "What happens if the loop never ends? What if the score starts at 10?" Predicting, running and explaining the result is where the understanding comes from.
- Extend as homework. A small, specific extension is set in the parent portal with a due date — add a second level, make the enemy faster each round — and you get a WhatsApp note on what was built.
Every class is live, one teacher and one child, with voice and video. Nothing is pre-recorded. Scratch runs in the browser and needs no installation; for Python the teacher helps set up a free editor on your computer in the first Python lesson.
How progress is tracked
- A growing portfolio. Scratch and Python projects are kept, so you can open the first maze game and the latest platformer side by side.
- Concept by concept. Because it is one-to-one, the teacher knows which concepts (loops, conditions, variables, lists, functions) your child has used with help and which unaided, and says so in the after-class note.
- Homework in the portal with a due date and written feedback on what worked, what was fragile and what to try next.
- WhatsApp updates after each class and reminders before each class, in your own time zone with daylight saving handled.
What to expect in the first month
The demo class is a short build: the teacher and your child make something that moves and responds within the session, and the teacher judges the starting stage — a child who has used Scratch at school may skip straight to Stage 2, and a confident Year 7 may begin Python in week two. You receive a suggested plan on WhatsApp. By the end of the first month your child should have two or three finished projects they can explain, and should be able to say what a loop and a condition are and where they used them.
Common difficulties and how a one-to-one teacher handles them
| What you notice at home | What is usually underneath | What the teacher does |
|---|---|---|
| Copies tutorials but cannot make anything alone | Following steps is not the same as planning a program. | Starts each project with a plan on the whiteboard in plain English before any code, and asks "what next?" rather than telling. |
| Gives up at the first error message | Errors feel like failure, not information. | Reads every error aloud together, line by line, and keeps a list of "errors I have met and what they meant". |
| Projects are never finished | Too big a plan, too soon. | Sets small versions first ("version 1 has one level and no score"), then adds features one at a time. |
| Stuck moving from Scratch to Python | Typing, syntax and indentation are new, not the logic. | Rebuilds a familiar Scratch project in Python so only the language changes, not the thinking. |
| Only wants to make games | Perfectly fine — games teach most of the concepts. | Uses the game as the vehicle, and slips in data, text and maths projects as "tools for the game". |
What age should a child start coding?
From about Year 3 (around age eight) children can usually read well enough to use Scratch independently and enjoy it. Younger children can start if they read comfortably, and older beginners are not behind: a Year 8 child with no experience can move through Scratch quickly and start Python within a term. There is no advantage in starting Python before the logic is secure in blocks — the child ends up fighting the syntax instead of learning to think.
Also taught one-to-one: maths, English and science. For year-by-year pages, countries and exams see the online tutoring index.
Questions parents ask
What age can my child start coding classes?
From about Year 3, or around age eight, once reading is comfortable. Older beginners usually need less time in Scratch and start Python when the logic is secure, often around Year 6 or Year 7.
Do you teach Scratch or Python?
Both, in that order. Scratch teaches the logic without typing; Python is introduced once loops, conditions and variables are secure, usually around Years 6–8, and continues through Year 10.
Does my child need to install anything?
Scratch runs in the browser. For Python the teacher helps set up a free editor on your computer during the first Python lesson. Classes themselves run in the browser on a shared whiteboard with voice and video.
Is it one-to-one or a group class?
One-to-one. A teacher works with your child alone, live, with your child at the keyboard. Nothing is pre-recorded.
How do I know what my child has learnt?
Projects are kept so you can compare early and recent work, homework in the parent portal comes back with written feedback, and you receive a WhatsApp note after each class.
Can coding be a second subject alongside maths?
Yes. Both subjects sit in the same parent portal, and the teacher can draw on your child's maths when a project needs it.