In-Person Coding Courses for Kids in Australia

In a world where everything can be accessed through the tips of your fingers and convenience is everything, where do in-person classes place? Truthfully speaking, still, nothing beats children having to experience physical school since social interaction is crucial in shaping their personalities and how they view the world beyond the four corners of the house and their screens.

Australian parents with kids who are interested in learning coding for whatever technology they were exposed to might want to consider enrolling them in a face-to-face class. This way, they get to be guided properly by a real person instructor or teacher and at the same time, enjoy the company of fellow students with similar interests.

Coding Camps and Classes in Australia

Building Block Studio

If you somehow need a coding class more personal when it comes to its approach to educating your child, then, perhaps Building Block Studio might be exactly what you are looking for. This husband-and-wife-run and managed Learning Activity Centre offers a warm and welcoming learning environment where your kids can freely explore their creative ideas which can improve their knowledge and skills.

Its classes are designed in such a way that it’s suitable for educating from as young as 6 years old toward learning about computer coding, electronics, 3D design, and introduction to robotics, among others. These classes are available at various locations within the city of Brisbane. Who knows – perhaps your budding technologist will become the best air conditioning electrician in Brisbane – that would make them sought-after.

CODE4FUN

Code4Fun’s mission is to ensure that every child is given an opportunity to learn coding and computer science by creating a learning environment where kids can maximise their growth and development. However, while coding can be more of an independent task, the team believes that its classes can be a great venue for kids to socialise and build friendships.

At Code4Fun, kids are ensured of being equipped with the tools needed to create their own games, stories, and apps. Lessons start from using Scratch before eventually delving into different programming languages like HTML, JavaScript, Python, Phaser, CSS, and Unity3D. These classes are available in 25 locations across Sydney.

Code Camp

Kids coding in classroom

Code Camp offers several options for its coding classes and camps that include different activities and workshops that are intended for kids within the 5 to 13-year-old range. Parents can choose from either Holiday Camps or After-School Programs that motivate young learners to be creative with anything technology-related.

School holiday camps are 2-3 days of activities that take place in over 100 schools all over Australia. If being physically present isn’t feasible for your child, it also offers an online version of the said activities. Some of the popular in-person camps include Spark Coding, Minecraft Engineers, Roblox Legends, and Robotics Camps, among others, and cater to students around 7 to 12 years old.

Junior Engineers

Junior Engineers is one of the leading robotics and digital technologies education in Australia. Its aim is to encourage a mindset for growth and innovation, spark a young mind’s passion for learning, and inspire them to aspire to bigger dreams by experiencing high-quality digital technology education. In other words, its goal is to help these young tech lovers to want to become developers, scientists, engineers, and cyber-security leaders in the near future. 

Junior Engineers offers a wide range of high-quality digital technology courses that cover coding, STEM, and robotics, among others, delivered in-person and online via private tutoring and self-paced for ages 5 to 15 years old. These hands-on, highly engaging classes are delivered both in-person and online and are run during weekends and holidays in various locations and campuses in Australia.

Skill Samurai

It is a STEM and coding academy focused in an after-school format catering to 6 to 16-year-olds. It provides a great curriculum that is paired with pertinent tools and other computer science resources delivered by great mentors. Skill Samurai makes sure that learners will have a fun and engaging experience in a fantastic learning environment while gaining the skills and knowledge they need.

It offers coding for all skill levels starting from beginners where kids will be taught the foundational concepts, from loops, coordinates, variables, and conditionals, to the more in-depth topics that involve mathematical operators, complex loops, and functions. As you complete all levels up to the courses for 16+, you will be provided with career certifications such as Google, Amazon, or Microsoft for you to jumpstart your career even without a university degree.

STEMLOOK

It is an innovative school focusing on STEM that specialises in coding, AI, robotics, and 3D Game design courses. STEMLOOK aims to inspire prospective learners by motivating them to think out of the box, to be bold in using their creativity, to put their knowledge to good use, and to be able to solve complicated problems along the way.

For coding, the tools and languages used are Scratch, Phyton, Blocks, Javascript, and C#. STEMLOOK offers in-person and online classes for school holiday camps for courses such as Roblox Coding, Minecraft Coding, and Python. Other online offerings include self-directed courses like coding, as well as Robotics kits that are for kids of all ages that you can take and finish at your own pace. A hybrid education model is also being offered where in-person and online classes are mixed.

Best Programming Languages and Tools for Kids to Learn Coding

Getting your child early into coding the moment they show signs of interest is the best thing you can do as a parent to prepare them for their possible career in the future. Or if ever they don’t end up liking it and choose a different path, it’s still a worthwhile endeavour for them, especially if they really enjoy screen time.

Hence, it is important to know what are the available resources for them so you can choose the best coding tools and languages that are suitable for their level of understanding. Below are some of the choices.

Coding Languages and Tools Suitable for Kids

Alice

Alice is one programming environment that is very ideal for younger kids due to its block-based visual aid which makes it easy to build interactive stories, create animations, or program basic 3D games. It inspires learners to explore creatively, unlike some of the other coding applications that are also puzzle-based.

The design of Alice is directed toward being kids’ first introduction to object-oriented coding, teaching the fundamentals of programming, as well as developing computational and logical thinking skills. It also provides supplemental materials and other tools for teaching across various age brackets that are proven to be engaging, particularly to those considered underserved groups.

Java

This is currently one of the most popular and widely used programming languages in the world and works best for intermediate learners. Kids would really find this option beneficial in building a solid coding foundation, especially if they eventually choose this career path later on in life. Java is easy to learn, compile, and debug unlike other programming languages out there, and it is able to run on different platforms using the same program.

Most kids today are interested in Java primarily because of Minecraft. For instance, constructing a Minecraft Mod using special tools and graphical interfaces, even without knowledge about the underlying code. Friend of the site, Paul, who is an expert at pressure cleaning in Townsville, tells us that his son even designed a mod for Minecraft that lets players use a pressure washer in-game to clean their virtual houses. How cool is that!

Java is highly secure as it has no concept of explicit pointers, unlike other programming languages.

JavaScript

For people not well-versed in programming, JavaScript may be thought of as the same as Java. However, they are completely different. Java is basically object-based and more widely used in the development of apps, while JavaScript is more commonly used in browsers, mostly web applications. Particularly, JavaScript is a scripting language used more for addressing online audiences, whether they be on the server or the client side.

It is worth noting that it is very widely used, supported by all of the major web browsers you could think of, and obviously being used by a lot, which make learning this more worth it. JavaScript allows programmers to create complex features that make web pages more vibrant, making them capable of developing dynamic games, servers, mobile applications, websites, and other animated visuals.

Perl

Perl played a crucial role in the creation and building of the World Wide Web, being a widely used and very popular web development language. If you don’t have any idea about Perl, think of it whenever you are sending a form via a website.

It is also a procedural language in its code, but at the same time, it also has features that are object-oriented. Learners may find some of its syntaxes challenging, so it is more suitable for older kids, especially those who have already earned good coding skills from previous courses taken.

Ruby

It is a programming language with syntax that beginners will find somewhat the most understandable. It is so straightforward that it won’t take a lot of explaining of codes for learners to figure it out on their own. This makes it ideal for kids who are still in the phase of learning different programming ideas.

What’s more amazing about Ruby is that it is used in both the front and back-end of web development and usually has the main role in the creation of Common Gateway Interface or CGI scripts. Ruby is so powerful that it was the first language used to develop X, formerly Twitter.

Python

Python, shoes and laptop

Thinking like a programmer or at least an understanding of what goes through a programmer’s mind early on is crucial when wanting to learn coding, especially as a child interested in this field. Python programming is ideal for students who can’t wait to turn their ideas into action since it is one of the most straightforward out there with its simplistic syntax as well as emphasis on whitespace.

Python challenges learners to develop ideas in their heads before converting these into machine-readable commands. What’s nice about this is that the standard features that most programmers need are already embedded, which make it a more kid-friendly programming language.

Scratch

Scratch is considered the largest coding resource and community for kids in the world and it all started when they created a revolutionary approach to kid’s coding in 2007. Since then, they have been revolutionising the field of coding for kids. It offers courses for 8 to 16 years old but those younger can take the simplified version called ScratchJr.

Its coding language has a simple visual interface, allowing children to create their own animations, games, and digital stories. Through Scratch, kids can train their problem-solving skills, computational thinking, collaboration, and self-expression. What’s more is that it’s free and can cater to more than 70 languages.

Its forte is block-based coding where kids can build executable scripts with the use of visual blocks that are easier for kids to follow instead of text-based phrases and other symbols. This way, students can learn coding principles such as sequences, loops, debugging, and the likes without worrying about possible typographical errors since they are not in the form of text. Even the position of the brackets and other complex details that can hinder the process can be avoided.

Small Basic

Small basic is said to be the lone programming language that is specifically created to help young learners transition from basic block-based coding to text-based. Through the syntax-based language fundamentals introduced in an approachable manner, Small Basic makes it easier for students to go about some more complex programming languages like Java and C#.

Other platforms and devices where you can build applications using Small Basic are Raspberry Pi, Kinect, Oculus Rift, Lego Mindstorm, and Arduino. Small Basic is probably one of the easiest ways to learn coding.

Online Coding Courses for Kids

We now live in a modern world where everything is about digital technology. Mobile phones, tablets, computers, laptops, smart TVs, and the likes are all around us. These gadgets and appliances do not communicate like humans do and would need coding to work, as codes are humans’ translators so that commands can be understood and executed by these machines.

However, users of these technologies are no longer dominated by adults and professionals and a big chunk of consumers are kids, whether we like it or not. Hence, it is important to have them learn coding as early as now, which they can later explore in more in-depth when they grow up. What’s more is that these are accessible anywhere in the world, so it doesn’t matter if you are within or outside Australia.

Coding Courses and Platforms for Kids

Did you know that a lot of the brilliant coding resources online nowadays are aimed at kids? And since they are so, they are specially made to be fun, interactive, and flexible which can convert your child’s screen time into some more worthwhile and beneficial stuff. Below are some of the available choices.

Girl with headphones and laptop learning coding online

Blockly

This platform is actually a series of educational games that teach young learners programming. While it is not mentioned what age group it targets to educate, the format is designed for kids with no prior knowledge of programming.

Think of it as a jigsaw puzzle with pieces made of blocks of code where students will have to drag and drop them into their proper place. As they go through each part, they learn the principles and rationale of coding along the way.

Blockly is inspired by JavaScript and lacks the text-based type of programming. So, it is really very suitable for young learners as a starting point. However, the end goal is for children to be well-versed in text-based computer languages.

“My daughter started playing around with Blockly because she thought it was a fun game, but she quickly became enthralled with the challenge of making a computer do what she wanted. The great thing is that Blockly allowed her to level up to doing interesting coding at a young age, before she could even read!”, says David, owner of Caloundra Pressure Washing.

CodeMonkey

CodeMonkey is one of the leading coding curricula for kids with over 32 million users. It is a fun and intuitive way to learn coding for ages 5 to 14 years old. This is the perfect way to start kids with the lessons as everything will be taught from scratch.

The courses will start with block-based code which is considered the most basic, and then work their way up to the real programming languages such as Python and CoffeeScript. What’s good with all of these is that they are all self-paced, so there’s no need for learners to feel pressured when falling behind the lessons.

How CodeMonkey works is it uses interactive and engaging stories that make the kids learn without actually knowing it as all the kids may know is that they are just playing. For example, they are instructed to write code to make the monkey collect bananas as it saves the world.

CodeWizardsHQ

CodeWizardsHQ promises to deliver the most fun, interactive, and effective online coding via live classes for kids 8 to 18 years old. This means that it has real-life coding instructors, much like an online class with real teachers and not just videos and instructions.

This required learners to attend an hour-long class through a video link. This is ideal if the parents don’t want their kids slacking off, which can often be the case when you are allowed to learn at your own pace.

The good news is that, if the students fail to attend any of the classes, they are all recorded so the students can access them afterward. CodeWizardsHQ also provides access to different coding resources outside of the actual lecture and can even allow them to contact the teachers during urgent cases via the secure messaging system.

Khan Academy

Unlike most of the resources that usually just focus on coding, computing, and programming, Khan Academy also offers various subjects like Biology, Math, History, and Grammar, among others. It is a non-profit organisation that aims to provide a free, world-class education.

However, their lessons are more appropriate for much older students, 14 to 18 years old to be specific as their material is more technical which may not be appealing to younger learners. Also, these free coding classes are ideal for students who have already mastered the basics such as the one used in Scratch.

Khan Academy features an interactive video called “talk-throughs” that learners can watch at their own pace where codes play on screen and pause whenever they want. It also offers a personalised learning dashboard and practice exercises for students to enjoy. The lessons can even extend to touching some of the real programming languages such as SQL, JavaScript, and HTML/CSS. However, these just serve as guidance and probably an introduction and not a full-on lecture.

S2JS

Where to take kids after learning Scratch? This seems to be a common question most parents ask themselves when they want their child to continue their promising coding journey. For older kids, particularly those between 12 and 17 years old and who have already finished learning Scratch, S2JS is one great way to transition to JavaScript.

It teaches students how to create JavaScript things by comparing it directly to what Scratch can produce. It literally uses examples from Scratch which are presented in blocks, then leads you to the step-by-step of how to get the same results in JavaScript. You might also be interested to know that it is Australian-made.

Build-Your-Own Computer Kits

Kids spending too much screen time has been a prevalent issue since the booming of gaming and online video content. Based on a study, it is estimated that an average child spends up to seven hours a day in front of a device’s screen, which means, it could be so much longer with others. However, the worst part is actually not the time being wasted but the health risks involved.

The unfortunate truth is that there’s no stopping this anytime soon, or at least in the unforeseeable future. The least we can do as parents, however, is to at least have them spend screen time in such a way that they can still get benefits from it such as getting the feeling of accomplishing something worthwhile, especially when they gain knowledge through it. And this is where build-your-own computer kits can play a significant role.

What Are Build-Your-Own Computer Kits?

Build-Your-Own Computer Kits are a great way to jumpstart your kids into learning computers, apps, electronics, and coding. It surely will pique their interest, especially if they are aware that the result will give life to a fully functional device that they were able to build with their own hands. It’s like gaining hands-on experience in electronics early on in life. Also, it will give them an understanding of the basic principles of circuits, codes, and computer engineering.

However, don’t expect too much from these kits in terms of power and capacity as they are just meant to teach children the fundamentals of assembling, circuits, and coding. Part of the reason is to make things simpler for kids to grasp these concepts and not drown them with information early on, which can frustrate them and eventually make them dislike and discard the activity altogether. Also, this makes these kits more affordable but can still function well for doing homework, surfing the internet, and going further into coding, among others.

What Do Kids Learn From Building This Computer Kit?

Building computer kits is a great endeavour and can be a wonderful experience for any kids who are interested in anything STEM-related. It’s learning about computers and electronics in the most practical way, which is through hands-on. There’s so much that young learners can pick up from this activity such as below.

Computers and Their Hardware

Despite the fact that the most complex part of the computer comes pre-assembled for obvious reasons, part of DIY computer kits’ charm is the fact that everything else needs to be assembled, much like a puzzle or building blocks. Piecing every part teaches kids to identify each of them, the fundamentals of how computer hardware fits with one another, and eventually make it work.

Particularly, build-your-own computer kits will teach young learners the major parts like central processing unit or CPU, inputs and outputs, memory, and circuit board. They will also discover how parts come together in that circuit board.

Build Circuits

This part is where kids will learn about the electronic side of the computer. Depending on the kits and their brands and models, some will come with electronics-related projects that can lead them to delve beyond this side of science into something more different such as physics and even general science.

You can expect parts like LEDs, switches, sensors, and different buttons and how they are interconnected to operate the computer. If learning the hardware teaches them what part attaches to another part, here, they will know the fundamentals of how the circuit /breadboard runs.

Components for DIY computer

Learn Coding

More often, the only goal of both the parents and the kids is for the students to learn how to code because it seems to be the most convenient, especially when you want them to learn online. With build-your-own computer kits, they get to learn more than just that. This is because the majority of the kits have different coding languages pre-installed such as Scratch or Python.

What’s more is that these often come with coding courses that kids can learn and follow along as they navigate and control the device that they have successfully assembled. This is more practical since learners tend to be more immersed in coding because of the fact that they built it themselves as compared to them enrolling straight into theoretical courses.

Some Good DIY Starter Kits

Official Arduino Starter Kit for Beginners K000007

Get started with learning computers and their electronics quickly with this Arduino Starter Kit. This promises to appeal to general STEM fans from home and schools. This is perfect for kids who are very new to this, so this definitely doesn’t require any prior experience. It includes 100 parts and instructions for the 15 projects like the DC motor, servo motor, LEDs, sensors, etc., as well as a 170-page book.

This kit will introduce kids to electronics and coding in a very hands-on, fun, and engaging way. They will learn about computer hardware, circuits, voltage, current, fundamentals of programming, and digital logic. While doing and learning about these, young learners can develop critical thinking, as well as problem-solving skills. 

ELEGOO Mega R3 Project

This Elegoo Mega 2560 starter kit is of premium quality, includes 200-piece components, and is 100% compatible with Arduino IDE. It includes an LCD 1602 module or 1602 character-type liquid crystal display and a GY-521 module or the breakout board with a pin header.

It features a free PDF tutorial with a total of 33 lessons contained in a CD. It is nicely packaged and also has a small box inside where the LED, buttons, IC, and diodes, among others, are kept.

Piper Computer Kit

Based on reviews, the Piper Computer Kit is one of the best DIY computer kits out there as it taps into the kids’ imagination through its secret mission while framing the computer. This mission starts immediately after opening the packaging. The kit includes a small LED monitor, a mouse, and a carrying case, so it is very portable. However, you have to have your own keyboard.

This Piper Computer Kit uses 12 Minecraft Raspberry Pi Edition StoryMode Projects that guide children in connecting the electronic parts. It also includes 11 PiperCode projects which the learners can take and complete at their own pace. It is very user-friendly with its drag-and-drop visual coding language.