Type it, do not paste it
Retyping every example is how your fingers and brain learn the shape of the code. Copy-paste teaches nothing. It is slower for one day and far faster over three weeks.
Coding for kids · Python · Free
Learn Python in three weeks — twenty minutes a day
This is the fast lane through our coding for kids track. Fifteen short sessions, three levels, and six real projects. No account, no downloads, no cost — every lesson runs right in the browser. Follow the days in order, or jump to the level that still feels easy.
15short sessions
~20 mina day
6projects to keep
35lessons total
Who this is for: a curious kid aged about 7 to 13 (and the grown-up sitting beside them). No coding experience needed for Week 1. If the first week feels too easy, skip straight to Week 2. The goal is simple — by the end you will have written real Python programs and games you can explain and show off.
Week 1 — Your first programs
By Friday you can make the computer talk, do maths, remember a name, and pick between two paths.
- Day 120 min
- Day 220 min
- Day 320 min
- Day 425 min
- Day 530 min · project day 🎉
Week 2 — Bigger ideas
Now you keep many things in a list, write your own commands (functions), and add a bit of luck with random.
- Day 620 min
- Day 720 min
- Day 825 min
- Day 925 min
- Day 1035 min · project day 🎉
Week 3 — Real programs
You return values, split code into modules, build your first class, and read real data. This is the grown-up stuff — done gently.
- Day 1125 min
- Day 1225 min
- Day 1325 min
- Day 1425 min
- Day 1540 min · project day 🎉
The secret sauce
Six habits that make kids learn to code fast
The plan is only half of it. These six habits are what separate kids who finish in three weeks from kids who drift off in week one. None of them are about being clever — they are about how you practise.
Run every single sample
Never just read code. Run it, watch the output, then change one thing and run it again. "What happens if I change this number?" is the whole game.
Break it on purpose
Delete a quote mark. Misspell print. Read the red error, then fix it. The kids who learn fastest are the ones who are not scared of errors — errors are just the computer asking a question.
Twenty minutes a day beats three hours once
Little and often wins. A short session every day builds a habit and lets ideas settle overnight. Miss a day? No drama. Pick up where you left off.
Teach it to someone
After each project, explain how it works to a parent, a friend, or a very patient cat. If you can explain it, you own it. If you get stuck explaining, that is exactly the bit to re-read.
Finish the project, every week
Lessons teach the pieces; the project proves you can put them together. A finished Mad Libs or quiz you can show off is worth ten half-read chapters.
Straight answers
Questions parents actually ask
How old should my child be to start?
Around seven and up. A younger child who can read short sentences will do fine in Week 1 with a grown-up nearby. There is no upper limit — plenty of teenagers and adults use this exact plan as a gentle on-ramp before the full Python tutorial.
Do we need to install anything or pay for anything?
No and no. Every lesson runs in the browser with our Try Python editor. There is no account, no login, no download, and no cost. We never ask a child for a name or an email.
Is three weeks realistic?
At twenty minutes a day, yes — that is the whole point of the plan. Some kids race ahead and finish in ten days; others take six weeks and enjoy every minute. The plan is a map, not a stopwatch. Going slower is completely fine.
What if a lesson is too hard?
Re-read the page, run the example again, and change one small thing. If it still will not click, move on and come back tomorrow — sleep genuinely helps. The Find the Bug lesson teaches the exact steps for getting unstuck.
What comes after the three weeks?
Your child will have written six projects and met variables, loops, functions, and classes. The natural next step is the full Python tutorial, or the HTML studio to start building web pages. The last lesson, Join the Main Track, points the way.
Ready? Day 1 is three short lessons away.
Open the editor, type the first example, and press run. That is coding. Everything else is just more of that.
Start the plan →