Coding for Kids – So Many Ways to Learn Coding: Take Your Pick

There are more ways now to learn coding than ever before. There's so many different ways to start learning now, it's almost like the hardest thing about the whole process is just knowing where to start.

This page describes some of these ways. You can try some of them out — and see what you like best.

This page is still very new and being fixed up!

I'll list more different ways here soon, and give longer descriptions of them.

Programming Games

Learning to program games has always been one of the most popular and interesting ways to learn coding. There are lots of different ways to do this now — more than ever before.

"Real" Coding Languages versus "Kids" Coding Languages

One of the main choices is whether to start with a "real" coding language that's used a lot in real life (and for all kinds of work, not just as a practice language, and not only for writing a game) — or — a coding language that's either made for kids, and/or is part of a popular game platform.

Good "Real" Coding Languages to Start With

Probably the two best languages to start learning coding, which are used a lot in the real world (and you can get real jobs with) would be Python or JavaScript. They are both really popular languages in real life in the real adult world of IT work (and in almost all different types of IT work).

Out of these two, Python would be the easiest to start with.

A nice thing about JavaScript is that it can run in any web browser, which means it's really easy to show your code to other people on the internet.

Good "Kids" Coding Languages to Start With

Another way to start, which is easier (and especially for younger kids) is with one of the languages that's made for kids to learn.

Scratch

Scratch is a popular block-based visual programming language (and website) targeted primarily at children aged 8 to 16. It's as an educational tool for programming — which means it's easier to learn to code in, though it's not a "real" language that's used for other things in the real worls, in the way that Python or JavaScript (or Java, or C#, or C++, etc.) are. Link for Scratch.

My 10-year old son made this in Scratch (with some help) over a few hours as his first go at learning to code.

Bugster Rush

Click on the green flag to start playing. Use the left and right arrows and see how long you can live!

I'll write more about this soon!

Popular Game Platforms You Can Learn to Code With

There are a few popular game platforms which include withing them a coding language, that you can use to make your own things within the game — or even entire games of your own.

Some of these that are popular are Roblox, Minecraft, and Unity.

It's possible to learn to code with Minecraft. A complication of Minecraft is that there are two versions of it, one that is coded in Java and one that is coded in C++. These are both "real" languages which are used a lot in real-life adult IT work. Java is easier to learn than C++.

Microsoft MakeCode is "a free online learn-to-code platform where anyone can build games, code devices, and mod Minecraft!" It works on its own, or with either the Windows 10 (presumably also Windows 11) and Education Editions of Minecraft only (I think). Link for Setting up MakeCode for Minecraft.

Roblox allows games to be written in a programming language called Lua — which is mainly only used to program games in. Yet many of the concepts you learn would transfer to other coding languages.

Unity isn't "just one game" in the way that Roblox and Minecraft are — but an entire platform (or "engine") which is used to make many different games. The language C# is used for writing code in Unity. Many well known games are made with Unity, including Pokemon Go. Here you can see a list of some of the other games made in Unity.

Coming Soon

I'll give much better descriptions of some of these different ways here soon. And pictures, and live examples...

Cover image by Shutterstock

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