Python 3 (text)
Basic → early IntermediateVariables, input, if/else, loops, simple functions, and short lists. Not object-oriented Python.
Ages 7–10
First Code
Ages 7–10 learn to think in steps, then write their first games and stories in real Python — not a cartoon app forever.
Class
1 : 4 · 4 children
Term
24 studios · 12 weeks
Weekend
Friday + Saturday
Length
50 minutes each
Who it is for
Curious 7–10s who like games, drawing, or stories. No prior coding. A laptop and headphones are enough.
No videos to sit through. They write a loop, a score, a choice — and play what they coded. Live weekends, four children, one mentor who stays until it runs.
How the term runs
Weekend studios, two days a week.
Fri & Sat · 16:30–17:20 · AST / GST · 50 minutes
15–25 minutes between studios · English · live online.
Friday
One new idea. Mentor demos. They type it.
Saturday
They finish the feature. When it breaks, they find why.
At home
A small piece to try — not a worksheet pack.
Software they grow confident in
Not a logo list. Each line is the level they reach by the end of the term — and what that means in practice.
Browser Python → VS Code
Basic editor habitsRun, save, and fix red errors without panic by the end of term.
Pygame Zero / Python canvas
Basic game loopMove a sprite, keep score, handle collision, title → play → game over.
Private project folder / GitHub Classroom
BasicSave work so a mentor and parent can open the same project.
Three projects this term
At each stage the mentor helps them choose. By showcase night, three builds exist that the family can open.
Project 1
Studios 5–12
Story Choice or Character Card Adventure
They ship: A branching story / interactive card the family can run
Project 2
Studios 13–18
Star Catch or Desert Dash collector
They ship: A score + hazards game with lives and restart
Project 3 · Capstone
Studios 19–24
Original theme: sport, space, geography, or puzzle
They ship: Multi-scene final game + a 3-minute walkthrough
Term shape
How the twelve weeks move — foundations, builds, polish, showcase. Lesson-by-lesson teaching plans stay with the mentor.
- 1
Foundations
Studios 1–4What code does, variables, movement, and keyboard control — confidence before the first ship.
- 2
First ship
Studios 5–12Choices, score, loops, functions, and a debug studio — then Project 1 goes to the family.
- 3
Game craft
Studios 13–18Title screens, lives, difficulty, and a second debug studio — Project 2 playable end-to-end.
- 4
Capstone & showcase
Studios 19–24One original mechanic, peer play-test, polish, rehearsal, and a family showcase.
By the end of the term
What they can do on their own
Open their own project, change a score or life rule, explain one loop and one condition, name a bug they fixed, and play the game for a parent without the mentor present.
- A branching story or interactive card they wrote
- A score-based collection game (Star Catch or Desert Dash)
- A multi-scene final game plus a short walkthrough a parent can watch
Inside the studio
A first atelier in real Python — not a cartoon app.
Studio format
Studio size
1 mentor · 4 children · live, never a webinar of forty
Cadence
Friday + Saturday · 24 studios over 12 weeks · GST / AST
Language
English instruction · code and comments in clear English
Hardware
Laptop + headphones · no kit subscription required to start
Craft in the room
Python foundations
Variables, loops, if/else, and simple functions — written by hand, not dragged as blocks forever.
Interactive canvas
Draw, stamp, and animate so they see code become a picture or a character on screen.
Playable systems
Score, lives, choices, and endings — state they can name and change.
Show-and-tell
Short live demos: they run it, say what broke last week, and what they fixed.
The mentor stays until the project runs. No “watch this video and catch up.” Debugging happens in the room, with the child at the keyboard.
Project briefs
Open the live demos below. These are the kinds of builds in First Code — games, sites, and tools a family can try on the call.
Branching story
Story Choice
A desert gate story with branches. Pick a path; two honest endings.
Python logicChoicesState
Drawing app
Paint Pad
Pick a colour, drag to stamp. A drawing they can make and explain.
CanvasColourEvents
First game
Star Catch
Catch gold stars, avoid bees. Score rises only when earned.
LoopsCollisionScore
Final game
Desert Dash
Hop over cacti, grab coins. Capstone shape for First Code.
JumpCoinsGame over
Memory game
Memory Match
Flip two tiles. A pair stays. The score is matches they found.
PairsStateClicks
Ready when you are
Let them learn to code — for real.
We’ll check First Code is the right fit for their age and what they like to make.