Python is a great language, and it is one good path among several. What matters most is learning to think like a programmer: breaking down problems, using loops and conditions, and finding bugs. Those ideas carry over to Python whenever your child is ready for it.
Python comes up in a lot of conversations with parents, and for good reason. It is widely used, and its own documentation describes it as having “a very simple and consistent syntax”. If you have heard it is the language to learn, you have heard something fair.
The more useful question is what your child needs first, and that depends on their age and where they are starting.
The ideas are the same in every language
Most of learning to code is learning a way of thinking. Once a child understands an idea, a new language is mostly new spelling. Here is the same idea written in Python and in JavaScript:
| The idea | Python | JavaScript |
|---|---|---|
| Repeat something 5 times | for i in range(5): | for (let i = 0; i < 5; i++) { |
| Check a condition | if score == 9: | if (score === 9) { |
| Show a message | print("Hello") | console.log("Hello") |
A child who understands loops and conditions in one language already knows what to look for in the next. That is why the first language matters less than it seems.
What suits each stage
- Just starting out: visual blocks let a child focus on the logic, with no spelling or punctuation to trip over. Scratch, for example, is primarily designed for 8 to 16 year olds.
- Comfortable with blocks: typed code is the next step, once a child is ready for exact spelling and punctuation.
- Ready for typed code: Python and JavaScript are both good choices. In the 2025 Stack Overflow Developer Survey, 66% of respondents used JavaScript and 57.9% used Python.
What we teach, and why
Our core Create program teaches through building games. Ninjas start with MakeCode Arcade blocks, move to typed JavaScript at Blue Belt, and go on to Unity or Godot at the advanced belts.
We chose this path because games keep kids building, and JavaScript suits that well: it is best known as the scripting language of web pages, so what a ninja learns connects to things they use every day.
Create does not teach Python. A ninja who moves through the belts does learn the variables, loops, conditionals and functions that Python is built on too, so picking it up later is a much smaller step.
When Python should come first
Sometimes it is the right call. If your child has a school course, a competition or a project that uses Python, start there. A clear reason to learn something is a great motivator.
If you would like to try Python with us, our LEGO Python Coding camp has ninjas driving LEGO robots with typed Python.
Common questions
Do you teach Python?
Our core Create program teaches MakeCode blocks, then typed JavaScript, then Unity or Godot. Our LEGO Python Coding camp uses typed Python with LEGO robots.
Is JavaScript harder than Python?
They ask for different punctuation, and the ideas are the same. A child who is ready for typed code can learn either.
Will my child be able to learn Python later?
Yes. Variables, loops, conditionals and functions all carry over, so much of the work is already done.
What age should my child start typed code?
It depends on the child more than the birthday. Being ready for exact spelling and punctuation is a good sign, and a sensei can help you judge it.
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