Today I’ve decided to dive more into what makes a “python coding for kids” course so unique and special. I’d like to start with a quote from Python.org “Python is a programming language that lets you work quickly and integrate systems more effectively.” Believe it or not, there are many applications that use python coding, which are Youtube, Google engineers, Universities like Maryland, and just normal websites such as realestateagent.com. So as you can see how important the computer programming language is for kids to learn.

What is python used for? Well… it is used mainly for website development, data analysis, and automation. It is often referred to the science computing language.


Where did it even come from? The short version is that a guy named Guido van Rossum in the early 1980s was working on a project for the coding community called ABC. After working tirelessly on this he became fascinated with this idea of creating his own computer language. One of the main differences from other computer programmming languages is that Guido decided to use “indentations”. Other coders thought he was crazy, but it’s actually what sets python apart as it is “very readable”. It also doesn’t have any real error signals to alert you if code is wrong for variables and functions like Java for example. Python’s syntax is like english.


Online I’ve seen everything from python for kids absolutley FREE, to paperback python books, to online courses all ranging from $10 on udemy all the way up to $100 (usually coding bootcamps). So hopefully after you’re done reading this you’ll know which is the best option for your child to learn the amazing language of python. Just like anything else there’s always a learning curve, but if patient your child will be very versed with an additional programming coding skill added to the good ole’ resume, when they are old enough to get a job.


Python books for beginners is mainly what I see on amazon. Here’s a snapshot of a few along with one in there in scratch. However, I’m still not sure if this is exactly what a child needs as they’re just going to move over to the computer anyways to start learning there. I guess a book could be a good start, but most kids that I know would much rather read and go through tutorials on a computer instead of reading it on a paperback.

The next would be those lower end courses that are either FREE or around $10 – $30 bucks. Usually you can find these at Udemy, LearnPython.org, Codecademy, Youtube channels such as NPSstation, Six Feet Up Corp, and KidsCanCode, and I believe Codakid.com has a less expensive option too. The hardest part about all of these free python courses for kids are that they don’t come with any support. You kind of get what you pay for. If you’re going to go on Udemy for example to purchase $10, then just make sure you lower your expectations. Perhaps it is a good exposure starting point. But chances are that your child has already been exposed to Javascript a little bit so this could be just a step backwards. And for $50 bucks more you can get full online chat support, email, live webinars to help the child along the way. I think there’s a place for those lower end online education courses, but “coding” and specifically python is definitely not one of them. A hobby sure, but computer science education for homeschooling no way jose’! I might add as well that a lot of the free python courses for kids out there are really just dragging and dropping to solve puzzles. They deal more with the logic and not the actual “writing of the code” itself. Somethin’ to watch out for.

Lastly, you have the higher end courses and boot camps. Coding boot camps have proven to be successful if and that is a big “IF” you have the right instructor who can make it fun for the child. They’re nice for the child to get away for a week or a few days and code usually on a college campus setting. However, in researching some of these like even Tynker or Black Rocket, there’s a heft price to pay. Having to cover for meals, instructors, and even lodging or travel can prove to be very expensive. I’ve seen anywhere from $500 to $1,500. And with COVID-19 pandemic these camps weren’t even really able to fully run and a lot of them had to switch to online interaction, which were unprepared for. It’s hard to all of the sudden switch your business model like that.


Here at Simply Coding I would say that we’ve seen these challenges of all different types of python learning and have adapted to take the best of all 3. With the annual membership fee at right around $100 per year, a student can do the coding right from their home. Lessons are structured with text, video, and interactive graphic animation tutorials to prevent boredom and cater to each style of learning. There is also fun little activities and quizzes to go along with each lesson. With live weekly webinars and live chat support every step of the way has also proven to be helpful for our students. Now if you think your child would do better learning in a python coding camp, we also offer that too usually in the summer months. We also started offering a 10 day free trial to test the waters, which takes the nerves off the parents who don’t want to go all in if their kid doesn’t like it. And because Simply Coding is a small business, we can really give the attention to a student and don’t have any corporate rules or time cards to punch out. Specifically the python coding for kids course can be seen by clicking on this link so you can see how we teach it and what is included.