Programming has long ceased to be an activity for the elite. Today, it can be studied at home — at a convenient time, without unnecessary expenses and pressure from teachers. There are dozens of online schools and free resources on the Internet that help you complete your studies without hitting your family budget. 

In this article, we have collected the most affordable and effective courses that will help a child take the first steps in programming. We'll tell you where to find high-quality lessons for children without overpaying; which platforms will provide maximum benefit for learning programming at home; how to turn learning into a game, not a routine? 

1. Pixel Online School: programming and robotics for children.
2. Online programming courses at CREDO Kids.
3. Programming for preschoolers in Juniorkode.
4. Algorithmics: programming for children from 6 years old at home.
5. Creating games at school for Sirius Future children.
6. Online programming school for schoolchildren Yes.Codding.
7. Online courses at Codemika.
8. YouTube blog of the Pixel School: programming, 3D modeling and game development.
9. EasyCode: Free online classes for children
10. Programming lessons from CODDY.
11. YouTube channel of the Ittigenio school.
12. Robot League: courses for children on programming and robotics.

Pixel School is an online space where children learn modern technologies, programming and robotics in a playful format. Here, students learn how to write code, create their own 3D models, animations, websites, and games. 

Age: The courses are designed for children from 5 to 17 years old.

What directions can students choose?

The school has more than 18 online learning areas: 

1. Programming: Children learn Scratch, Python, JavaScript, and create websites in HTML and CSS.
2. Game development: works on the programming platforms Minecraft and Roblox Studio, which help children visualize their fantasies in game projects.
3. 3D modeling: working with Blender and TinkerCAD, which develops spatial thinking and design skills.
4. Robotics: fundamentals of robot design and programming.
5. Graphic and Web design: introduction to Adobe tools (Illustrator, Photoshop) and Figma.
6. Computer skills: fast typing, working with tables and presentations, the ability to present your projects.

Format

The learning format is flexible: you can choose online classes in groups or video tutorials for self-study.

Individual lessons

The program adapts to the student's level. As a rule, this is a comfortable pace of classes, with attendance from 1 to 5 lessons per week.

Video Tutorials

Self-study videos that can be viewed at a convenient time. 

Group classes

Lessons are held in small groups (up to 6 people) in the format of online webinars with a teacher 1-2 times a week. 

Online camps

Special intensive courses for winter and summer holidays. Instead of spending time playing online, a child can take a mini—course in programming, graphic design, or 3D modeling. The course program is designed for 5 days and 10 lessons, taking into account that the child will be able to study twice a day. 

The cost of online training

The subscription price for 4 classes is 4,000 rubles. However, it is much more profitable to purchase a set of 12 or 36 classes with a 10-20% discount. 

The school also has a bonus system for large families, children with disabilities, and families where several children study programming at once. 

CREDO Kids offers courses in programming and digital skills. All lessons are focused on practice and teacher support. The programs are designed for different age groups and training levels.

Age: From 5 to 14 years old. 

Areas of study:

1. Preparation for school (5-6 years) — classes that develop basic computer skills and logical thinking.
2. Programming (7-11 years old) — basics of coding through interactive tasks and game projects.
3. 3D modeling and Roblox (8-12 years old) — creation of virtual objects and development of game worlds.

Class format

The course takes place online, in groups or individually.

Cost

The price depends on the chosen course and the number of classes. For example, a one-time visit to the extension group will cost 850 rubles.

Juniorkode is an online course in programming and design.

The programs are focused on developing digital skills and creative thinking, and the training takes place in small groups using a unique methodology developed at Skolkovo.

Age: For children from 4 to 17 years old. 

Main directions:

1. Website and mobile application development - learning HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and the basics of mobile development.
2. Creating 3D games and animations — working with graphics, characters, and animation effects.
3. Programming in popular languages is learning Python and JavaScript from scratch.
4. IT creativity is the use of digital tools to realize your own ideas.
5. Animation and animation — creation of cartoons and animated videos.
6. Blockly Games — programming lessons using visual blocks.
7. Graphic design — image editing and creation of visual content.

The format and conditions of training:

• Online classes are held twice a week.
• Up to 10 students can study in groups, so that teachers pay as much attention to each of them as possible. 
• A series of lessons is available for preschoolers from the age of 4, with an emphasis on preparing for school.
• There are 8 lessons per month.

Cost

The cost of lessons per month starts from 4,000 rubles. It is better to check the current prices with the course managers. 

The school has the opportunity to attend the first free lesson, after which the child will be able to create his first game, cartoon and application.

Algorithmics is an international online school specializing in teaching children and teenagers programming, game design, and digital creativity. 

Age: For students from 6 to 18 years old.

Directions of online courses

The training programs cover a wide range of disciplines. There are more than 7 areas of study in Algorithmics in the field of IT and digital technologies:

• Scratch and Python Programming — learning the basics of coding through visual and text programming.
• Game development in Roblox involves working with three—dimensional spaces and creating your own game worlds.
• Web development is an introduction to the basics of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for creating websites.
• Mathematics and logic — the development of analytical and computational thinking.
• Game design is the design of game mechanics and the elaboration of video game concepts.
• Video blogging and content creation — skills of working with video formats and promoting content.
• Artificial intelligence — an introduction to neural network technologies.

Class format

The school provides access to the learning platform 24/7, so regardless of your schedule, you can choose any convenient time for classes. Lessons are held in mini-groups of 8-10 people. 

Options and tuition fees

As with almost everywhere else, the cost depends on the number of classes purchased.:

• 8 lessons – 1,702 rubles per lesson.
• 32 lessons – 1,543 rubles per lesson.
• 64 lessons – 1,480 rubles per lesson.
• 96 lessons – 1,239 rubles per lesson.

For those who are interested, the school has several additional favorable conditions.:

• The possibility of freezing classes for up to three months in case of vacation or break.
• Guaranteed refund of the course cost if, after four classes, the child realizes that he does not like programming. 

Sirius Future specializes in courses for children and teenagers on creating games and learning programming languages. The training programs cover several age groups, for each of which a separate approach to learning is provided. 

Age: From 7 to 17 years old. 

Directions

The course program is divided into several levels, depending on the age and level of training of students.:

• 7-12 years old – game development in Roblox and the basics of Scratch programming.
• 10-14 years old – creating game projects in Roblox and learning the basics of Python.
• 12-17 years old – programming in Python and mastering game development in Unity.

Training formats

For the convenience of parents and children, there are two options for attending lessons.: 

1. Group classes
2. Small groups (4-10 people).
3. The duration of one lesson is 80 minutes.
4. Individual lessons
5. Personal approach and consideration of the student's interests.
6. Deeper study of the topics.
7. The duration of one lesson is 50 minutes.

Cost and conditions of training

The price per lesson depends on the chosen program and the number of lessons purchased.:

• Group classes — from 1,390 rubles.
• Individual lessons — from 1,540 rubles.
• If there are discounts, the cost may decrease to 943 rubles per lesson.

Additional conditions:

• The more classes there are in the subscription, the lower the cost per lesson.
• If the subscription is purchased immediately after the trial session, you may receive an additional discount.
• Upon admission to the courses on the recommendation of friends, participants receive bonus classes.

Yes.Codding is an online school that teaches children the basics of programming and creating games. The lessons are devoted to the study of various areas in the field of IT, mastering the skills of coding, 3D modeling and web development.

The programs are adapted for different levels of training, from beginners to those who want to study programming in depth.

Age: Courses for students from 7 to 17 years old. 

Training programs

Parents can choose one or more areas for their child to develop their child's technical and creative abilities.: 

• Mathematics and Logic in Scratch – mastering the basics of programming through a visual environment.
• Mobile development is the creation of applications for mobile devices.
• Programming in Roblox is designing game worlds and learning the basics of scripting.
• The basics of programming in Minecraft are working with coding based on a popular game.
• Game creation and 3D modeling in Unity - mastering the game engine and object modeling.
• Creating websites and web applications - getting to know HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
• Programming in Python is learning a language for creating programs and games.

Course format

Classes are held in a fully online format. It is not necessary to buy the whole course right away, you can pre-use the bonuses from the school.: 

• Sign up for the first introductory lesson for free — it allows you to evaluate the presentation of lessons and get to know the teachers before purchasing the course.
• Take a mini-course — a series of short introductory lessons to learn the basics of programming.

Cost

The training takes place in the format of blocks of 8 lessons, each of which lasts 45 minutes. The cost of the course starts from 7,200 rubles for 8 lessons. 

Codemika is an online programming school that conducts interactive online webinars and virtual classes where students learn the basics of programming and game creation.

Age: For students in grades 1-11.

Training programs

The school has only three main areas, divided by age categories.:

• Grades 1-4 — creating games and cartoons on Scratch.
• Grades 5-8 — Python game development.
• Grades 8-11 — fundamentals of Java development.

Format and duration

Classes are held online in mini-groups of 8 people, so that the teacher can easily devote time to each of the students, help correct mistakes and give comments on their progress.

The course lasts for 8 months. For the productive development of all knowledge, the student must allocate a lot of time — 128 academic hours.

Cost

The cost of the course depends on the payment method:

• 6,900 rubles per month with monthly payment.
• 48,500 rubles per year with full payment, which implies a discount. the size is almost 2.5 thousand rubles. 

If you still don't want to pay, but you want to master a modern skill, we suggest looking towards YouTube channels where you can find thousands of educational videos on programming, game development, and web technologies. 

Let's look at several channels where you can find useful lessons for children and teenagers. And sometimes even for preschoolers. 

The Pixel School runs an educational YouTube channel dedicated to programming, game creation, and three-dimensional modeling. The channel currently has almost 59,000 subscribers and 718 videos. 

Video tutorials are suitable for both beginners and those who want to deepen their knowledge in development. The content is divided into playlists so that viewers can easily choose the topics that are most interesting to them.

The basics of computer literacy

A separate section of video tutorials helps children learn basic computer skills. It is dedicated to: 

• working with browsers and Internet resources,
• the use of text editors and other necessary programs for the student,
• keyboard management and interface configuration.

Creating games and animations

The channel hosts numerous instructional videos on the development of game projects on popular platforms.:

• Scratch and Scratch Junior – create simple games (racing, naval combat, quests).
• Roblox – works with 3D games, characters, and simulations (PUBG, Tycoon, horror).
• Minecraft – designing game worlds, building complex objects (rockets, skyscrapers, lighthouses).

Viewers can leave comments with requests for new lessons. Authors often record videos at the request of subscribers.

3D modeling in Blender

This section includes video tutorials for beginners who want to master three-dimensional modeling. It explains how to create simple 3D objects, textures, and characters.

Programming in Python

The school has a playlist of 39 videos on this topic, which cover:

• working with loops and functions,
• conditional constructions,
• basic algorithms and principles of coding in a professional programming language. 

C# development in Unity

This section is aimed at those who are already familiar with programming and want to master the professional Unity platform. The video explains the key mechanics of developing and creating your own game projects. 

The Pixel School's YouTube channel is a convenient way to learn programming, modeling, and game development in a convenient format. Viewers can learn the topics themselves and offer their ideas for new lessons.

The school also has its own blog with articles and tutorials. 

The school's archive channel EasyCode has published 150 instructional programming videos, including: 

• Mini-classes on the basics of JavaScript are introductory lessons on a popular programming language.
• Intensive layout – HTML and CSS parsing.
• Unit Testing Seminars - code testing and error detection.
• Free webinars on web development.

For some reason, the channel suspended its activities 4 years ago.  New videos are now appearing on another, less popular resource. However, there are some noteworthy playlists here too. For example: 

• Basic Scratch lessons for beginners.
• A video about programming on a phone and developing mobile projects.
• Podcasts, news, entertainment content, and programming competitions.
• English language learning videos.

CODDY International School teaches programming to children from 4 to 16 years old and maintains an active YouTube channel with 500+ videos. In the playlists you can find lessons on:

• Programming for kids (4-6 years old) – development of the Pacman game at the Kodu Game Lab.
• Scratch (7-10 years old) – introduction to visual programming.
• Python, Unity 3D, Photoshop (11+ years old) – creating games, graphics, and web projects.
• Additional courses include web development, 3D modeling, cybersecurity, and graphic design.

The Ittigenio School runs a YouTube channel with almost 600 videos and 53,000 subscribers. 

Lessons are available in the following areas:

• Python – game development ("2048", "Three in a row"), creation of simple applications.
• Scratch – learning programming through creating game projects.
• Photoshop – the basics of drawing and graphic design.
• Minecraft – game mechanics, creating your own worlds.
• Web Programming – basic lessons on HTML and CSS.
• Working with neural networks is the study of artificial intelligence.
• Video blogging is a mini–course on shooting and editing content.

All videos are organized into playlists to make it easier to find the right material.

Children aged 7-10 will especially enjoy the lessons on the League of Robots channel. The training is conducted in an accessible and understandable form. The most popular playlists:

• Programming in Minecraft is the study of code through game mechanics.
• Scratch for beginners – the basics of visual programming.
• Courses for schools are structured classes in programming and robotics.

If you want to learn programming on your own, you can search for lessons based on keywords such as:

• "Scratch Lessons" – for beginners.
• "Creating games on Roblox" is for those who want to develop their own worlds.
• Programming in Minecraft is for fans of the game who want to learn how to code.
• Programming for Children in Java is for those who want to master more complex programming languages and expand their capabilities. 

There are many free resources available on YouTube for learning programming. The choice of the appropriate channel depends on the age, level of training and interests of the student.