Python for Beginners - Homeschool Coding Made Easy for Kids

Your Child Is Ready to Build Real Code. This Is Where They Start.

Python for Beginners: Learn Coding at Home is a complete, self-paced coding course designed exclusively for homeschool families. Your child learns to write real programs, draw graphics, and build their own game - step by step, on your schedule. No tech background needed from you, ever.

Get Started — $199 (Best Value) Get Started — 12 x $19.50/mo Try a Free Preview

30-day money-back guarantee. No risk. Includes 15 months access for all students in the same family.

"My boys were so excited when they finished each project and would say, 'Mom, look what I just did!'"

— Cricket W., Homeschool Mom

From Curious to Capable - Here's How You Get There

Everything in this course was designed to give them real wins, real skills, and real projects to show for it - all without you needing to know a single line of code.

Watch, Code Along, and Try It Yourself

Short lessons teach a concept, your student codes alongside the video instructor. Then they tackle their own challenge to apply their new skills — with a video solution ready when they need it. Your student is never stuck and never bored.
Nobody Gets Left Stuck

If your student hits a wall — just email us. We respond personally. Because a stuck student loses momentum, and momentum is everything.
Built to Build Confidence Early

The course starts simple on purpose. Early wins matter. Your student needs to feel capable before they tackle harder concepts — and this course is sequenced to deliver exactly that.
Create Colorful 2D Graphics

Your student uses code to draw colorful graphics and animations on screen — and suddenly math coordinates, geometry, and logic aren't abstract anymore. They're tools your student controls.
Real Coding Skills

Variables, functions, logic, loops — the same foundations professional developers, data scientists, and engineers use every day. Your student isn't just playing. They're learning the real thing.
They Build a Real Space Game.

The course culminates in a fully playable space game — with animation, sound, and keyboard controls — that they built line by line. They can have their own "I made this moment?" And, it changes how they see themselves as a learner.

By the End of This Course Your Student Will...

Have real skills, real confidence, and projects to show for it.

Master Building Blocks of Code

Variables, data types, functions, loops, and logic — your student learns the same core constructs that underpin every programming language. These are the real foundations professionals use every day.
Think Like a Problem Solver

Computer programming helps build problem solving skills. Students learn to break problems down into smaller problems to solve the whole.
See Math Come Alive

Coordinates, geometry, logic — abstract concepts suddenly make sense when your student uses them to draw graphics and build a game.
A Game. Built Line by line.

The course culminates in a fully playable space game your student built line by line. That "I made this" moment is real.
Develop Genuine Confidence

Every completed challenge adds up. Your student doesn't just learn to code — they learn to be a capable, independent learner.
Have a Clear Path Forward

When they finish, they're ready for our robotics course — not starting over somewhere else. This course is the foundation, not a dead end.

Course curriculum

1. Introduction to Output
  FREE PREVIEW
2. Example 1- Output with the print() function
  FREE PREVIEW
3. Checkpoint: Output
  FREE PREVIEW
4. Example 1 Continued - Adding Comments to Your Program
  FREE PREVIEW
5. Checkpoint: Python Comments
6. Example 2 - Escape Characters for Text Formatting
7. Checkpoint: Escape Characters and Text Formatting
8. Example 3 - Making Your Computer Speak
9. Checkpoint: Text to Speech
10. Programming Challenge 1 - Print Your Superheroes
11. Programming Challenge 1 - Solution
12. Programming Challenge 2 - Upside Down Triangle
13. Programming Challenge 2 - Solutions
14. Programming Challenge 3 - Backslash and Tabs to Make a Rectangle
15. Programming Challenge 3 - Solution
16. Programming Challenge 4 - A Famous Quote
17. Programming Challenge 4 - Solution
18. Programming Challenge 5 - Poetic Python - Reciting Poetry
19. Programming Challenge 5 - Solution
20. Mastery Check: Working with Output
1. Introducing Variables
2. Checkpoint
3. Example 4 - Creating Variables and Using the Debugger
4. Checkpoint
5. Example 5 - Getting Keyboard Input
6. Checkpoint
7. Example 5 (Continued) - Formatting Output with Variables
8. Checkpoint
9. Example 6 - Replacing Words in a Sentence with User Input
10. Checkpoint
11. Example 7 - Making the Computer Speak our Sentence Built from User Input
12. Checkpoint
13. Programming Challenge 6 - Creating a Simple Word Game
14. Programming Challenge 6 - Solution
15. Mastery Check
1. Introduction to Expressions and Operators
2. Checkpoint: Expressions and Operators Terminology
3. Hands On Practice with Math Expressions
4. Checkpoint: Math Expressions
5. The Modulo Operator
6. Checkpoint: Modulo Operations
7. Using Operators with Strings
8. Checkpoint: String Operators
9. Operator Precedence Cheat Sheet
10. Checkpoint: Operator Precedence
11. Example 8 - Computing the Area of a Rectangle
12. Example 9 - Computing the Area of a Triangle
13. Programming Challenge 7 - Evaluating Math Expressions
14. Programming Challenge 7 - Solution
15. Programming Challenge 8 - Calculating Your Age in Dog Years
16. Programming Challenge 8 - Solution
17. Mastery Check: Python Math
1. Student Designed Project 1 (Optional)
1. What is a List?
2. Checkpoint: List Concepts and Terms
3. Example 10 - Creating a List Variable
4. Checkpoint: Creating List Variables
5. Example 11 - Accessing Individual Items in a List
6. Checkpoint: Accessing List Items
7. Changing Individual Values in a List
8. Example 12 - Getting the Number of Items in a List
9. Checkpoint: Counting List Items
10. Example 13 - Adding Items to a List
11. Checkpoint: Adding Items to a List
12. Example 14 - Combining Lists to Make a New List
13. Checkpoint: Combining Lists
14. Example 15 - Multiplying a List
15. Checkpoint: List Multiplication
16. Example 16 - Remove an Item from a List using a Value
17. Checkpoint: Removing List Items by Value
18. Example 17 - Remove an Item from a List by Position
19. Checkpoint: Remove List Items by Position
20. Example 18 - Counting How Many Times an Item Appears in A List
21. Checkpoint: Counting Values in a List
22. Programming Challenge 9 - Heroes and Villains List Challenge
23. Programming Challenge 9 - Solution
24. What is a Tuple?
25. Checkpoint: Tuple Concepts and Terms
26. Example 19 - Hands On with Tuples
27. Checkpoint: Working with Tuples
28. Programming Challenge 10 - Heroes and Villains Tuples
29. Programming Challenge 10 - Solution
30. Mastery Check: Lists and Tuples
1. Introducing Turtle Graphics - Pixels and Coordinates
2. Checkpoint: Pixels and Screen Coordinates
3. Example 20 - Drawing a Red Square with Goto
4. Checkpoint: Drawing with Turtle
5. Setting Your Turtle Speed
6. Programming Challenge 11 - Draw a Green Rectangle
7. Programming Challenge 11 - Solution
8. Example 21 - Forward, Backward, Left, and Right Functions
9. Checkpoint: Moving and Rotating the Turtle
10. Programming Challenge 12 - Using Forward, Backward, Left, and Right
11. Programming Challenge 12 - Solution
12. Example 22 - Drawing Circles
13. Checkpoint: Drawing Circles
14. Example 23 - Filling Shapes with Color
15. Checkpoint: Filling Shapes
16. Example 24 - Drawing Polygons and Irregular Shapes
17. Checkpoint: Drawing Polygons
18. Example 25 - Erasing Turtle Drawings and Setting the Window Background Color
19. Checkpoint: Erasing and Window Background Color
20. Programming Challenge 13 - Draw Your Own Emoji
21. Programming Challenge 13 - Solution
22. Programming Challenge 14 - Drawing Challenge
23. Programming Challenge 14 - Solution
24. Example 26 - Drawing Text
25. Checkpoint: Drawing Text
26. Programming Challenge 15 - Draw Your Name
27. Programming Challenge 15 - Solution
28. Example 27 - A Nicer Way to Get Input
29. Checkpoint: Turtle Graphics Input Box
30. Programming Challenge 16 - Practice with numinput() and textinput()
31. Programming Challenge 16 - Solution
32. Turtle Graphics Documentation
33. Mastery Check: Turtle Graphics
1. Student Design Project 2: Turtle Art Project
1. Student Design Project 3
1. Introduction to Booleans
2. Checkpoint: Introduction to Booleans
3. Hands On with Comparison Operators
4. Checkpoint: Hands On with Comparison Operators
5. Example 28: Making decisions with the if statement
6. Checkpoint: Making Decisions with the if statement
7. Example 28 (Part 2) - Age Program with Turtle Graphics
8. Example 29 - Display Different Messages for Different Age Ranges
9. Checkpoint: Multiple Conditions in an if-else
10. Hands On - Writing expressions with AND and OR
11. Checkpoint: Writing expressions with AND and OR
12. Example 30 - Park Admission Calculator
13. Checkpoint: Park Admin Calculator
14. Programming Challenge 17 - Weather Alert!
15. Programming Challenge 17 - Solution
16. Programming Challenge 18 - Mood Graphics
17. Programming Challenge 18 - Solution
18. Example 31 - Enhancing the Weather Alert with Nested If
19. Checkpoint: Nested If
20. Programming Challenge 19 - Weather Alert 2.0
21. Programming Challenge 19 - Solution
22. Mastery Check: Writing Programs that Make Decisions
1. Introducing Loops
2. Checkpoint: Loops Intro and Terms
3. Example 32 - Making Python Count
4. Checkpoint: Loops for Counting
5. Example 33 - Using Input Variables to Control a For Loop
6. Checkpoint: Using Input to Control a For Loop
7. Programming Challenge 20 - Counting Practice 1
8. Programming Challenge 20 - Solution
9. Programming Challenge 21 - Skip Counting
10. Programming Challenge 21 - Solution
11. Programming Challenge 22 - Counting and User Input
12. Programming Challenge 22 - Solution
13. Example 34 - Tuples and For Loops
14. Checkpoint: Tuples and For Loops
15. Programming Challenge 23 - The Color Loop Animation
16. Programming Challenge 23 - Solution
17. Example 35 Part 1 - Counting with a While Loop
18. Checkpoint: Example 35 Part 1
19. Example 35 Part 2 - More Counting with While Loops
20. Checkpoint: Example 35 Part 2
21. Programming Challenge 24 - Skip Count with a While Loop
22. Programming Challenge 24 - Solution
23. Example 36 - The Fruit Tuple While Loop
24. Checkpoint: Example 36
25. Programming Challenge 25 - The Color Loop Using a While Loop
26. Programming Challenge 25 - Solution
27. Example 37 - Growing 5 Point Star
28. Checkpoint: Example 37
29. Example 38 - For Loop Color Spiral
30. Checkpoint: Example 38
31. Example 39 - Looping Fan
32. Checkpoint: Example 39
33. Example 40 - Rows and Columns of Polka Dots
34. Checkpoint: Example 40
35. Programming Challenge 26 - Rows and Columns of Squares
36. Programming Challenge 26 - Solution
37. Mastery Check: Loops
1. Introducing Functions - Making Code Reusable
2. Checkpoint: Introducing Functions
3. Example 41 - Defining and Using Functions
4. Checkpoint: Defining and Using Functions
5. Programming Challenge 27 - Write Your Own Greeting Function
6. Programming Challenge 27 - Solution
7. Example 42 - Using a Function to Perform a Calculation
8. Checkpoint: Example 42
9. Challenge 28 - Create a Function to Calculate the Area of a Circle
10. Challenge 28 - Solution
11. Example 43 - Variable Visibility (aka Scope)
12. Checkpoint: Example 43 Variable Visibility
13. Example 44 - Making One Function that can Draw Different Spirals
14. Checkpoint: Example 44
15. Challenge 29 - Make a Function to Draw a Star with Turtle Graphics
16. Programming Challenge 29 - Solution
17. Mastery Check: Functions
1. Introduction to Pseudo Random Numbers
2. Checkpoint: Introduction to Random Numbers
3. Example 45 - Generating Random Numbers
4. Checkpoint: Example 45
5. Programming Challenge 30 - Write a Program to Generate a Random Number Sequence
6. Programming Challenge 30 - Solution
7. Example 46 - Create a Program to Draw a Random Name from a List
8. Checkpoint: Example 46
9. Example 47 - Drawing Stars in Random Places
10. Checkpoint: Example 47
11. Programming Challenge 31 - Drawing Stars at Random Locations with Random Colors
12. Programming Challenge 31 - Solution
13. Example 48 - Crazy Turtle Scribbles
14. Checkpoint: Example 48
15. Mastery Check: Random Numbers
1. Final Code Along Project
2. Space Game Step 1 - Setting the Window Background
3. Checkpoint: Game Step 1
4. Space Game Step 2 - Adding a Ship Graphic
5. Checkpoint: Game Step 2
6. Space Game Step 3 - Keyboard Events
7. Checkpoint: Game Step 3
8. Space Game Step 4 - Animating the Spaceship
9. Checkpoint: Game Step 4
10. Space Game Step 5 - Boundary Checking
11. Checkpoint: Game Step 5
12. Space Game Step 6 - Animating a Laser Blaster
13. Checkpoint: Game Step 6
14. Space Game Step 7 - Sound Effects
15. Checkpoint: Game Step 7
16. Space Game Step 8 - Animating Enemies
17. Checkpoint: Game Step 8
18. Space Game Step 9 - Detecting Collisions
19. Checkpoint: Game Step 9
20. Space Game Step 10 - Animating the Explosion
21. Checkpoint: Game Step 10
22. Space Game Step 11 - Adding a Score Counter
23. Checkpoint: Game Step 11
24. Space Game Step 12 - Adding a Game Over Message
25. Checkpoint: Game Step 12
1. Capstone - Student Design Project 4 (Optional)
1. Continuing Your Programming Journey

About this course

Grades 6-12
One price for the whole family
Scope and Sequence for 32 weeks (245 lessons)

Choose What Works for Your Family

An affordable alternative to paid live classes or hourly tutoring — built exclusively for homeschool families.

Both options include 15 months of access, free email support, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Continued access is conditioned on all payments being completed.

One price for the whole family! Any child in the family may use the course for the duration of enrollment. Please email us after purchase to setup individual child logins. Flexible checkout options available: Klarna, Cash App Pay, and Afterpay.

$199.00

Save 20% with a single payment. Full 15 months of access starts immediately.

Get started now
12 installments of $19.50

Pay by monthly installments

Get started now

Testimonials

First Place Award for Computer Science/Coding

Practical Homeschool Magazine

First Place Award for Computer Science/Coding in Practical Homeschooling Magazine's 2025 Reader Nominated i-Learn Awards

"It made learning fun"

by Rachelle F. (Homeschool Mom)

My daughter learned so much from this class and taught me a few things as well. The instruction was simple and straightforward and it made learning fun! I definitely recommend this class to those interested in learning more about programming.

"My son learned so much in a very short space of time"

by Jennifer E. (Homeschool Mom)

My son (13 yr old) took Matt's coding class last semester and thoroughly enjoyed it! Matt is an extremely competent, thorough teacher and my son learned so much in a very short space of time. This class was definitely worth it in every way and I highly recommend Matt and his expertise in this field.

My boys took this class and absolutely loved it!

Cricket W. (Homeschool Mom)

My boys took this class and absolutely loved it! Matt is a wonderful teacher who makes it easy for the kids to follow his instructions. My boys were so excited when they finished each project and would say, "Mom, look what I just did!"

"Very impressive and easy to follow"

Gabriele G. (Student)

Thanks for teaching Python. I'm really enjoying your course. Very impressive and easy to follow and easy to learn with your path. :) I`m 57 years old and wanted to learn Python so I was looking for a good course I can follow along easily and this is the one. I highly recommend this course for Beginners who want to dive into Python.

Built by Someone Who's Lived the Story

Matt Bohn

Matt Bohn is a homeschool dad, a 20-year veteran software engineer, and a former homeschool student who taught himself to code from outdated library books — because nothing better existed.

He's built applications for IBM, Microsoft, the USDA, and Transamerica. He has built a freelance software development business, while making his own family the priority. When he started teaching coding to his own kids and their friends, he discovered that self-paced video changed everything. Kids could learn at their own pace, pause, rewind, and take control of their own learning.

That was the light bulb moment that became Homeschool Code Academy. This isn't a classroom curriculum adapted for homeschoolers. Matt built this from scratch, for students like yours — because he remembers exactly what it felt like to figure it out alone.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I don't know anything about coding or technology?

That's exactly who this course is for. The videos do all the teaching — your student learns directly from the video instructor, at their own pace, without you needing to understand a single line of code. And if they ever get stuck, you can email us directly. You don't need to have the answers.

How much time will this require of me as a parent?

Once you set up a login for your student they can work through the video lessons independently and at their own pace. The course tracks their progress automatically and returns them to where they left off. No lesson plans to create, no sessions to schedule. Most students can complete lessons with minimal supervision — you stay focused on the parts of homeschooling you're already great at.

Is this course graded?

After each lesson there is a short checkpoint quiz of usually about 5 questions that displays a score when completed. At the end of each major section there is a longer mastery assessment (typically between 10-20 questions) that also displays a grade. While the course doesn't assign a single final grade, these built-in assessments give you everything you need to evaluate your student's progress and use for your own grading records.

What does my student need to know before starting this course?

This course is designed for beginners 6th thru 12th grade. We have had students as young as 5th grade complete the course. At a minimum your student should have covered the following topics:

Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division
Decimal notation and place value
Fractions
Simple geometric formulas (area of squares, rectangles, triangles, and circles)
Degrees in a circle, diameter, and radius

Helpful but not required:

Basic typing skills
Ability to open and save files on a computer
Exposure to cartesian coordinates — though the course assumes the student is learning coordinates for the first time

Is this course only for students who want to become professional programmers?

Not at all. Whether or not your student pursues a career in technology, coding builds skills that carry into every area of their education and life — problem solving, logical thinking, creativity, and the confidence that comes from building something real. Any student can benefit from learning to code.

Is this a live virtual class?

No. The course is delivered as self-paced, pre-recorded video lessons your student can watch anytime, on your schedule. There are no fixed class times and no pressure to keep up with a group. Email support is available whenever you need it.

Do I need to buy additional software?

No. The Python software used in this course is completely free and the course walks you through exactly how to install it step by step.

What kind of computer do I need?

Your student needs a Mac or a Windows 11 or later PC. The instructor uses a PC in the videos so most students will find it easiest to follow along on a PC. Please note that devices running Windows in S-Mode may not be able to install the required Python software.

30 Day Money Back Guarantee

If after 30 days, you are not satisfied with your purchase you may request a full refund. For pre-order courses, you have 30 days from the date the first lessons are released to request a refund.

For robotics if you received a robot shipped to you. You will receive a refund for the course portion only.

Watch, Code Along, and Try It Yourself

Nobody Gets Left Stuck

Built to Build Confidence Early

Create Colorful 2D Graphics

Real Coding Skills

They Build a Real Space Game.

Master Building Blocks of Code

Think Like a Problem Solver

See Math Come Alive

A Game. Built Line by line.

Develop Genuine Confidence

Have a Clear Path Forward

Course Information

Introduction

Hardware and Software

Working with Output

Working with Variables and Keyboard Input

Doing Math with Python

Student Designed Project 1 (Optional)

Lists and Tuples

Turtle Graphics

Student Design Project 2 (Optional)

Student Design Project 3 (Optional)

Writing Programs that Make Decisions

Loops - Writing Code that Repeats and Counts

Re-using Code with Functions

Getting Unpredictable with Random Numbers

Space Game Code Along Project

Capstone - Student Design Project 4

Conclusion