No purchase, no experience needed — pick one and let your kid drive.
Every one of these is genuinely free, works on a laptop or tablet, and needs zero coding knowledge from you. Sit next to your kid and ask “what should it do next?” — that’s the whole job.
scratch.mit.edu — the classic. Snap blocks together to make games and animations. Start with “make the cat move.”
experience-cs.org — a school-safe version of Scratch from the Raspberry Pi Foundation, with guided lessons. Great if you want a little structure.
hourofcode.com — bite-size, themed tutorials (Minecraft, Frozen, Star Wars). Perfect for a first 30 minutes.
blockly.games — puzzle-style challenges that quietly teach real programming logic.
A free tablet app for the littlest ones — no reading required. They make characters move and talk by dragging picture blocks.
Pick one. Twenty minutes. Let them make something silly. That first “I made this!” is the whole point.