The Best Online Coding Classes for Kids And Why Learn Programming

Why should kids learn programming

Coding moves increasingly from the realm of the niche to the realm of basic literacy as we move further into the digital age.

We witness as one-by-one, manual jobs are automated, businesses go online or go bust to remain competitive – and even heavy-duty thinking, once reserved for the elite scientific and mathematical minds of our age, is being outsourced to artificial intelligence and quantum computing.

Facilitating your child or teenager in learning to code will help expand their mind, and provide an essential foundation that ensures they will not be intimidated by the finer points of technology in their future.

Fortunately, many platforms have already taken on the challenge of creating comprehensive and FUN courses that will have kids forgetting they are even learning. Whether your child is a self-starter, a team player, or an avid gamer – there is a course out there to suit their learning style.

Tekkie Uni, the best online coding class for kids

Perfect for children and teens, from 7 to 17 years old, who work best in a group environment; Tekkie Uni provides structured courses where students and experienced tech educators interact live via video, chat, screen-sharing, and audio. During each 2 hour live session, students will learn how to create their own apps and games, diving into a wide variety of content, from basic programming using drag and drop software (Scratch), to coding virtual 3D robots.

Students are fully supported by Tekkie Uni and can reach out to their instructors whenever they need to, participate in live Q&A sessions, share their screens with instructors if they get stuck on an exercise, and replay lessons anytime. They can even make use of an additional weekly hour-long session with their instructor, where they can focus on their area of interest and a personal project.

Tynker

One of the more engaging platforms out there, any child or teenager aged 5 to 18 will be able to find a gamified course to suit their interests. As with other platforms, pre-readers can use drag and drop games to gain a fundamental understanding of computer logic and can follow course content up to high school level – learning JavaScript, Python, and Robotics through play. Tynker has 60+ courses with 4100+ modules. Students can either learn by themselves in a self-paced manner, make use of 24/7 private tutoring, or participate in camps and live classes that teach game design and programming via Minecraft.

CodeMonkey, an option for kids below 10 years old

CodeMonkey is aimed at a younger crowd, and would be most suitable for children aged 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 years old that love to game! Children enter a world where a gorilla has stolen their monkey’s bananas, and it is up to students to make sure the bananas are returned safely by coding their way through 400 different game levels. CodeMonkey uses Coffeescript (similar to JavaScript) commands that children use to make their monkey move around the screen, which serves as a great foundation in web and app development.

Python-based games are available for more advanced learners, though they are likely to get frustrated at this stage due to lack of support if they cannot figure out the solution to the current level.

Whizara, a new comer to our list

Whizara, just like Tekki Unie offers one-on-one coding classes to kids as young as 5 years old.But they also specialize in summer coding camps online and their price is extremely competitive. Several programming languages will be available and activities are divided based on your kid’s coding level. 

As usual it is recommended to enroll your kids in Scratch related courses if they are below 9 years old and absolute beginners while they can start learning more advanced languages as they progress. We like Whizara for their tailor-made approach while remaining very competitive with their price.

Treehouse, online coding classes for teens

Best for students that are self-paced learners, Treehouse has an amazing course catalog that dives deep into many coding areas, and signing up gives students access to the entire course catalog. The most popular courses are their Front End Development, Python, and Full-Stack JavaScript learning tracks. TreeHouse delivers content via video, interactive quizzes and coding challenges, and boasts an active community. Since students will be working with actual code, this platform is most suitable for older children aged 13, 14, 15, and 16 years old.

PluralSight, a more advanced course

This platform is not for the faint of heart, and it is recommended that students who enroll have some basic background in computer programming. That being said, persistent students, capable of intense focus, can learn everything there is to know through their video content to be a great coder in most programming languages being used professionally today. It goes further than the coding basics found on most platforms, even covering topics such as how to actually deploy your apps to the internet which is often missing in most curriculums. Best for teenagers aged 13+, PluralSight is sure to place students on the fast track to professional success.

CodeCademy, my old favorite

My personal favorite until Tekki Uni came out, as this is the platform where I learned to code. CodeCademy deals with real code and so is best suited for children aged 12+. Each lesson begins by explaining the theory of a programming concept in written form (including examples) followed by a coding challenge to solidify understanding. Students can experiment with new concepts in online code editors and receive instant feedback once their code is submitted. The courses available are updated regularly and cover the most in-demand coding languages in the industry.

Code School, online coding courses for 13+

CodeSchool is an on-demand self-paced platform for aspiring developers aged 13+ that need more than simple videos explaining the theory of development. The videos are presented in the form of a storyline and are popular with users for their creativity and engaging content. CodeSchool was acquired by PluralSight in 2018, though their content is still available through PluralSight’s premium subscription.

Envato tuts+

Envato Tuts+ boasts an impressive catalog of 1300+ courses typically lasting 2-3 hours each. It is a project 14 years in the making run by the Australian industry giant, Envato, which is well known to coding professionals as being a main resource for purchasing web design templates.

Its courses are best suited to students who want to turn their creativity into a passion for web development, have a background in coding, or are over 13 years old. It has the added benefit of providing students with access to over 54 million design-ready assets, so students can create beautiful websites quickly, without having to worry about graphic design. Though the platform also has plenty of design-related courses, aspiring coders have endless resources to learn all about the latest Front End technologies, WordPress, and even PHP.

CODE

Code.org is a non-profit initiative that seeks to include women and underrepresented groups in computer science. It is responsible for creating the wildly successful Hour of Code campaign, in which 15% of students have participated globally. The platform has support from huge donors including Microsoft, Facebook, Amazon, and Google.

Code.org is truly suitable for all ages; pre-readers (minimum 4 years old) can engage in code tutorials presented in the form of games using basic drag and drop functionality, while older children and teenagers can learn about advanced Python and JavaScript through more complex games that require typing out code solutions. Students have access to video courses, game development, app development, web develo

Khan Academy

Khan Academy is best suited to children with an existing aptitude in math, science, or computer science. The course content can get quite technical so it is advised that children are supervised by a parent or teacher while learning, or are 13+ years old. Students learn via videos, exercises, and access to Hour of Code challenges. Though the content can be dense at times, it shines in providing a detailed understanding of topics in computing such as data security, databases, and algorithms – which many professionals do not know and due to this have difficulties progressing in their development.