Learning path
Kids: Scratch to Python to the web
From snapping blocks together to writing real code and a first web page.
- Who it is for
- Children from class 3 onwards, in stages that grow with them
- Where it ends
- Make games and apps with blocks, then write Python and build a web page, with the thinking of a programmer: loops, decisions, variables and testing.
- Stages
- 5 courses, in this order
About this path
Children learn to code the way they learn to read: pictures first, then words. Scratch and App Inventor use blocks, so the ideas, loops, decisions, variables and events, come before the typing. Python is the first text language, and HTML and CSS turn the same thinking into a web page.
The free kids lessons on algorithms, loops and decisions go with the first stages. A child can start wherever they are; the centre suggests the right group.
Your centre gives the schedule for each stage. This page does not quote durations or fees.
The stages, in order
Stage 1: Scratch coding for kids
Programming ideas with no typing: sprites, events, loops, decisions, variables and messages.
After this stage you can
- Move and animate sprites using coordinates and direction
- Repeat actions with loops, choose with if blocks and keep score with variables
- Test a project, fix mistakes and share it safely
Course pageStudy book and practice test (student login)Kids lesson: algorithms step by stepKids lesson: loops and patterns
Free ebooks for this stage
Stage 2: Game design basics
A real game from a real plan: goals, rules, levels, scoring and playtesting, built in Scratch.
After this stage you can
- Write a one-page game design document
- Build scoring, lives, timers and win and lose states with events, clones and collisions
- Playtest, balance from feedback and publish with credit for free assets
Course pageStudy book and practice test (student login)Kids lesson: if-then decisions
Free ebooks for this stage
Stage 3: Mobile apps with MIT App Inventor
The same block thinking on a phone: screens, events, lists, sensors and saved data.
After this stage you can
- Build screens with buttons, labels, images and layouts
- Use events, variables, conditions, procedures and lists
- Read the phone’s sensors, store data with TinyDB and build the APK
Course pageStudy book and practice test (student login)Kids lesson: variables
Free ebooks for this stage
Stage 4: Python programming
The first text language, with the same ideas written as plain, readable code.
After this stage you can
- Write programs that take input, calculate and print results
- Choose with if, elif and else, and repeat with for and while
- Store data in lists and dictionaries and break a problem into functions
Course pageStudy book and practice test (student login)Free project: Python science quiz game
Free ebooks for this stage
Programming
Flowcharts, Algorithms and Logic Building
Think like a programmer before you write any code
Stage 5: HTML and web design
A web page of their own: HTML for structure, CSS for style, and a layout that works on a phone.
After this stage you can
- Write a valid HTML5 page with headings, lists, links and images
- Style text and colour with CSS
- Lay out a page with Flexbox and make it responsive
Course pageStudy book and practice test (student login)Kids lesson: how the web works
Free ebooks for this stage
Programming
HTML and CSS Study Book
The complete study notes, practice questions and glossary for HTML and CSS
Programming
Build Five Web Pages with HTML and CSS
A project book: a profile page, a school page, a shop page, a form and a photo gallery
Ready to start?
Tell the head office where you are now and they will suggest the first stage and the nearest centre.