Create & Learn

It’s so easy for kids to fall into the habit of using the same simple password for every single game or app they use. In our latest blog post, one of our instructors shared some highly practical internet safety tips you can work on at home, like teaching kids to use complex "passphrases" based on memorized sentences rather than easy-to-guess words. It also covers simple physical habits, like using the 20-20-20 rule to prevent eye strain during screen time. How do you handle the password talk with your kids—do you use a family system, or just help them memorize a few? If you want to give them a deeper dive into staying safe online, we have spots open in our small-group Cybersecurity Introduction class where they can learn the basics with a live instructor. 🔑

10 Internet Safety Tips for Kids - Create & Learn Children are starting to use the internet at younger ages. Today's internet safety tips for kids will help create ground rules for internet usage in your home.

With Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day coming up on February 27th, we have been thinking about easy ways to help girls feel more confident exploring STEM. Right now, only about 31% of students in foundational computer science classes are girls, but simple, low-pressure activities at home can make a really big difference. If you want to try something hands-on this week, Tinkercad Circuits is a great free online sandbox where they can build virtual electronic projects without needing any physical kits. We also have our free introductory Scratch Ninja and Python classes running if she wants to try a live coding session with us. It is a relaxed, fun way to see what sparks her interest.

Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day: Free Classes Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day is coming up in February. To make sure you’re prepared, read all about the holiday and the best ways for you to get involved. Plus, discover a few free ways to participate!

Has your child started building their own games in Scratch yet? Once they get the basics down, there are some really fun advanced blocks they can play with to make their projects feel like real games, like using variables to keep score. Next time they're coding, challenge them to create a variable for a high score or try cloning a sprite. It's a great way to help them connect math and logic to their designs without it feeling like schoolwork. We put together a guide with tips on these trickier blocks, and we also have a free introductory Advanced Scratch class if they want to dive in with some guidance. 😊

Advanced Scratch Coding Tips: Ultimate Creativity Guide Even if you’re not familiar with Scratch yourself, you can support your child’s coding practice by familiarizing yourself with some of the more complex code blocks in Scratch.

The secret of creating award-winning Congressional App Challenge project - Join Free online event.

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Ever thought about teaching your kids coding basics without even opening a laptop? In our latest blog post, we shared a few ways to introduce fundamental concepts like loops and decisions using simple offline games. A really easy one to try tonight is playing a modified version of Simon Says to teach conditional logic: "If Simon says touch your nose, touch your nose; else, hop on one foot." It is a fun, screen-free way to show them how programmers think. If your child gets hooked on the logic and wants to start building their own games, we have some great live Scratch classes coming up, including ScratchJr for K-2, Scratch Ninja for grades 2-5, and Accelerated Scratch for older kids. Let us know if you give the game a try!

Coding Basics for Kids: Basic Coding Ideas & Exercises Today we'll be covering coding basics for kids to help parents like you kick off your child's coding journey. We'll share fun facts, fundamental coding concepts, and even ways to get started learning without a computer.

If your kids spend hours placing blocks one by one in Minecraft, they might love learning a few simple WorldEdit shortcuts. On our LearnToMod servers, they can use double-slash commands to instantly build massive shapes, like typing //hsphere glass 10 to make a hollow glass dome. It is a fun way for them to experiment with 3D design without all the tedious clicking, and they can always use the //undo command if a creation does not go quite right. If they want to dive deeper into this type of modding, we practice these skills in our Minecraft Quest and Code to Mod classes. Let us know if they try building a pyramid or sphere today! 😊

WorldEdit Commands: LearnToMod Server Tutorial Find out how to use WorldEdit Commands. Learn how to create structures, replace large amounts of blocks, and so much more with a few simple commands.

If you have a younger kid curious about making their own games, ScratchJr is such a fun, low-stress place to start. A couple of easy projects to try at home are setting up a simple character race to play with speed blocks, or making an underwater scene where a fish disappears when it bumps into a rock. If they get stuck, a quick tip is to remind them that ScratchJr blocks snap together left-to-right, which is a bit different from other coding platforms. If they end up loving these quick builds and want to create bigger animations with a live teacher, we also have our small-group ScratchJr classes they can jump into. 😊

Amazing ScratchJr Project Ideas for Kids to Learn Coding Discover the many benefits of ScratchJr for children ages 3-7. Then, explore 5 fun ScratchJr projects children can try to test their skills and expand their imagination, including a racing game, a growing challenge, and more.

If your kid is trying to learn Scratch, sometimes the hardest part is just figuring out what to build first. We just shared a few quick, 10-minute projects they can try on their own, like making a flying cat follow their mouse pointer or coding a sprite to jump. One of my favorite tips in the guide is how to fix the continuous-jump bug that happens when kids mash the spacebar too much. If you have some screen time to fill this afternoon, open up a blank project and challenge them to code a character to glide up and down. And if they want to walk through projects like these with a live teacher, they can always hop into one of our free Scratch Ninja intro classes. 💻

5 Fun Scratch Exercises for Kids in Grades 2-5 We’ve compiled some fun Scratch exercises for kids that will help them to master Scratch and be equipped to tackle more advanced projects in the future. Read on to find fun challenges that involve flying, changing colors, noises, and more!

We talk a lot about Minecraft around here, but it's really cool to see how kids can transition from just playing the game to actually coding it. Our latest article looks at how 1-on-1 tutoring helps kids customize their learning, whether they want to build specific projects or master concepts like loops and variables at their own pace. If you want a quick way to test their interest at home, ask them if they know how to automate a repetitive task in their world—it's usually the perfect spark to get them curious about the logic behind the game. If they want to dive deeper, we offer personalized tutoring alongside our small-group classes like Redstone Engineering and Modding Quest. Let us know in the comments if your kids are more into building structures or writing the mods! 😊

Best Minecraft Tutors: Fun 1:1 Private Tutoring Get set up with an engaging expert Mincraft coding tutor today, and get all the help you'd like while having fun!

If your child has been using Scratch for a while, you might be wondering what comes next once they start getting bored or outgrowing it. We put together a guide on some of the best free alternatives, like MIT App Inventor for building real mobile apps or Microsoft MakeCode for retro games. A good sign they are ready for a new challenge is if they start getting frustrated by Scratch's technical limitations or seem to be making the same projects over and over. If they are ready to transition, our live Mobile Apps or Python classes are great ways to help them take that next step with some expert guidance. Has your child tried any other coding platforms yet, or are they still happily building in Scratch? 😊

Scratch Alternatives: Best Free Platforms? - Create & Learn Are you looking for exciting alternatives to Scratch? Look no further! This article dives into the world of Scratch alternatives, exploring a range of innovative platforms and free tools that offer unique coding experiences.