Here in the northern hemisphere, summer 2021 is upon us! Parents: want your young ones to have a fun and productive holiday season? Computer coding classes for kids do not have to be boring upskilling courses. We wanted to share some subsidized and/or free coding programs, available in English, which will offer a fun and inclusive social environment!
Interested in less structure than a code school? Skip below to view the hackathons + events we suggest.
Code/Art
Eligibility: identify as a female or non-binary 3rd-8th grader
Location: virtual, US-based
Cost: Need-based scholarships available to Southeast Florida residents
Summer CodeHER Virtual camp will bring girls together to learn 3D modeling, game design, and create a portfolio of coded art projects.
Black Girls CODE
Eligibility: identify as a African-American 7 - 17 year-old (boys welcome too)
Location: various US cities + virtual
Cost: Need-based scholarships available
#CODEthesummer 2021 camp has various opportunities: robotics, game design, iOS development, computer-generated music, and even some in-person opportunities! There are also a bunch of free workshops throughout the summer which are open to the public.
Connected Camps
Eligibility: ages 8-13 years-old
Location: Virtual, US-based
Cost: between $13-25 per class
For all the Minecraft, Roblox, and Esports fans out there, this is an awesome opportunity to learn about many topics through these platforms and get to express your creativity!
Code In the Community
Eligibility: identify as a 8 - 16 year-old Singaporean from a lower-income family
Location: Singapore
Cost: Free
Code in the Community 2021 Run 3 helps 8-12 years olds start their code journey by introducing Scratch to them and leading them to build simple games and animations. And for those who are 13-16 years old, Python foundations will be introduced. Essential basic knowledge for programmers will be taught through hands-on applications.
Girls Who Code
Eligibility: identify as a female or non-binary rising 10 - 12th grader
Location : virtual / global
Cost: scholarship available
The Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program 2021 is a two-week virtual program that will offer participants not only computer science skills, but also exposure to tech jobs and support from women in tech!
Connecting with Code
Eligibility: identify as a K - 8 grader
Location : virtual / global
Cost: Free
Tutorial videos, coding activities, and advice for coding activities will be provided during the camp week. Through the learning of Scratch, kids will get excited about code and connected with online programming resources that they can continue to use beyond the week of the camp.
If formal coding classes are not ideal, here is a list of free online coding events to explore, led by imagiLabs partners.
Girls Code Canada by Northern DeHacks
Eligibility: identify as a Canadian female high school student between 14-18 years old
Location: virtual across Canada
Time: May 28th weekend
Team-based coding competition with the following tracks: charity, climate change, and social media.
Virtual CodeDay
Eligibility: ages 13-25
Location: virtual / global
Time: June 11 weekend
“The most beginner-friendly coding event on the internet” -- enough said. From individual to team-based project creation, get a chance to work with and learn from hundreds of techies! imagiLabs is hosting a workshop just after kickoff at 7pm US Central time so ~tune in~
CodeContest by CodeChangers
Eligibility: for 10-14 year olds
Location: various US organizers
Time: spread out over the next few months
Competitive (aka there are prizes!) one-day event for kids to code an .io video game, working with a team. Many sponsors and schools are involved.
++ Want even more flexibility with coding education for kids? Code with us!!! Made for tweens and approved by hundreds of 9-16 year-olds, try out the free subscription imagiLabs mobile app. An intro to Python has never been easier (nor more fun!).
Download on iOS here.
Download on Android here.
