United States · Ages about 6 to 12 · CSEdWeek, December 7 to 11, 2026

After the Hour of Code: next steps for your child

Every December, millions of children try one hour of coding at school, and many come home asking to do more. This guide explains what has changed, since the Hour of Code is now the Hour of AI, lists the free next steps for each grade from the organizations that run them, and teaches the one idea that separates an hour of clicking from real coding: noticing when something repeats and writing it once.

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In short

The Hour of Code, a free one-hour coding activity run by the nonprofit once called Code.org and now CodeAI, has become the Hour of AI, held around CSEdWeek, December 7 to 11 in 2026. After it, children can continue free with Scratch or CodeAI’s courses. Modern Age Coders teaches the next stage live online, in a batch or 1-on-1, in our Coding for Kids course.

Learn with a teacher

Courses for the week after the hour

Blocks while the excitement is fresh, then games, then a first taste of Python.

Coding for Kids course thumbnail

AHC / 01

Coding for kids

Ages about 6 to 12. From blocks to games, apps and AI, at the child’s pace.

Open the syllabus →
Scratch Coding for Kids course thumbnail

AHC / 02

Scratch coding for kids

For children who loved making things move and want their own games.

Open the syllabus →
Python and AI for Kids course thumbnail

AHC / 03

Python and AI for kids

For ages about 9 and up, once blocks start to feel easy.

Open the syllabus →

What changed

Is the Hour of Code still happening in 2026?

Yes, under a new name. CodeAI, the nonprofit formerly known as Code.org, now says the Hour of Code is the Hour of AI, and hourofcode.com now opens hourofai.org. Classic coding activities are still listed beside the new AI ones, and the week to watch is CSEdWeek, December 7 to 11, 2026.

The key facts, from each organization’s own site (read 31 October 2026)
QuestionAnswerSource
What is it called now?The Hour of AI; the Hour of Code is now the Hour of AICodeAI
Who runs it?CodeAI, which says "Code.org" is its former trademarkCodeAI
How long is an activity?About one class period or a lunch breakhourofai.org
Who is it for?From kindergarten upward; no AI or coding experience neededhourofai.org
When in 2026?Around CSEdWeek, December 7 to 11; new activities previewed from November 16hourofai.org
Who runs CSEdWeek?The Computer Science Teachers Association; free virtual events with a free CSTA accountcsedweek.org
A date in the weekDecember 9, Grace Hopper’s birthdaycsedweek.org

What the activities look like

The hourofai.org list mixes coding with AI ideas. Examples include Dance Party: AI Edition and Music Lab: Jam Session from CodeAI, a Minecraft activity where an AI helper needs a child’s guidance, MakeCode Bug Arena from Microsoft, and Scratch face sensing blocks.

CodeAI’s page also keeps the older description: the Hour of Code as a global movement reaching tens of millions of students in 180+ countries, with 100 one-hour tutorials in over 45 languages.

Why one hour is not enough

An hour-long tutorial is designed to succeed: every step is laid out, and the child gets a finished result. That is exactly what makes it a great start and a poor finish.

Real coding begins when a child has a blank screen and an idea of their own. The gap between those two is small, but it needs a few weeks of practice, which the rest of this guide plans out.

Sources: hourofai.org (reached from hourofcode.com), CodeAI: Hour of AI and CSEdWeek, read 31 October 2026. Hour of AI, CodeAI and CS Discoveries are trademarks of CodeAI. We are not connected with CodeAI, CSTA or any activity partner.

Free next steps

What should my child do after the Hour of Code?

Keep going within a week, while the interest is fresh, and pick a tool that lets them build their own things. For most children aged 8 to 12 that is Scratch; for school-based learning, CodeAI’s free courses are organized by grade.

Free courses by grade on CodeAI’s curriculum page (code.org/en-US/curriculum, read 31 October 2026)
Grade bandCodeAI courseSize, as listed
K to 5Computer Science Fundamentals, including Express and Pre-reader Express courses9 units
3 to 5Computer Science Connections, linking CS with math, language arts, science and social studies11 units
6 to 8AI Discoveries8 units
6 to 10Computer Science Discoveries6 units
9 to 12Computer Science Principles; AP Computer Science A in Java; AI Foundations3, 4 and 6 units

Scratch, the open canvas

The Scratch Foundation describes Scratch as block-based coding with no tricky syntax, free, and run by an independent nonprofit, with over a billion Scratch projects created. For a child who liked the hour, it is the natural place to make something with no instructions.

If Scratch misbehaves on a school laptop, our Scratch not working guide covers the usual fixes.

CodeAI’s own labs

CodeAI’s student page points ages 5 to 11 toward block-based coding and videos, and ages 11 and up toward self-paced courses in App Lab, Game Lab and Web Lab.

App Lab is also used in school courses. Our App Lab help page is for students who get stuck there.

Sources: CodeAI curriculum, CodeAI for students and the Scratch Foundation, read 31 October 2026. Scratch is a project of the Scratch Foundation; we are not connected with it.

The loop habit

What is the first real coding skill after an Hour of Code?

Spotting repetition and writing it once, with a loop. Most hour-long tutorials introduce a repeat block; the step after is a child seeing, on their own, that their twelve blocks are really one pattern four times.

How many blocks a repeating pattern needs, with and without a loop (our counting)
PatternBlocks without a loopBlocks with a loop
A 3-step dance move, 4 times124 (one repeat block holding 3)
A 2-step square side, 4 times83
A 3-step move, 10 times304
Any k steps, n timesk times nk plus 1

Why the table matters

Without a loop, a pattern repeated ten times takes ten times the blocks, and fixing one step means fixing it ten times. With a loop, the program stays the same size however many times it repeats, and one fix fixes every repeat.

Children feel this the first time they change "4" to "40" and watch the program still work. That moment is worth more than another hour of tutorials.

The fencepost trap

Loops bring the first classic bug. To draw 5 squares in a row with a gap between each, a child writes "repeat 5: square, gap" and gets an extra gap at the end. Five squares need only four gaps, as five fence posts need four rails.

The fix is to ask, every time, "how many times does this really happen?" It is a habit, not a rule, and it saves real programmers too.

Worked example (ours). A child’s animation makes a character step, jump and spin, then do it again three more times: 12 blocks. Asked to find the pattern, they spot the step, jump and spin trio and wrap it in a repeat 4 block, leaving 4 blocks. Asked for a longer dance, they change one number to 8 and get 24 moves with no new blocks. Then we ask them to add a bow at the very end, once. If the bow goes inside the loop, the character bows 8 times, which is a fencepost bug they can see and fix by moving one block.

First Python

When should a child move from blocks to Python?

When blocks feel slow rather than hard, often around age 9 to 11. The first Python program should do something the child already understands from blocks, so that only the typing is new.

Five squares and four gaps (our program)Python
# Our first Python program after block coding: five squares in a row.
import turtle

pen = turtle.Turtle()

def square(size):
    for side in range(4):        # the same two steps, four times
        pen.forward(size)
        pen.right(90)

for number in range(5):          # five squares...
    square(40)
    if number < 4:               # ...but only four gaps between them
        pen.penup()
        pen.forward(60)
        pen.pendown()

turtle.done()

Our own program, using only Python’s built-in turtle module. It is the fencepost lesson from blocks, written in text: a loop inside a function, and a check so the last square gets no gap.

What changes, and what does not

The ideas are the same: a repeat block becomes for side in range(4), and a custom block becomes def square(size). What is new is spelling, spacing and colons, which is why this step should come after the ideas are secure.

A child who can explain the block version first usually types the Python version in one lesson.

Signs a child is ready

They build projects in Scratch without a tutorial, they make their own custom blocks, and they get frustrated dragging the same blocks again and again. Those are signs, not an age.

Younger children, around 6 to 8, are usually better served by more block projects first. There is no prize for typing early.

Practice set

Five practice puzzles after the hour

Original puzzles, written by us, for a child aged about 8 to 11 who has finished an hour-long activity. Parents can read the answers aloud and ask the child to explain.

  1. Find the pattern. A program has: move, turn, move, turn, move, turn, move, turn. How few blocks can it be? Answer: 3: one repeat 4 block holding move and turn.
  2. Change one number. That loop draws a square. What shape does repeat 3 with a turn of 120 degrees draw? Answer: a triangle, because three turns of 120 degrees make one full turn of 360.
  3. Fence posts. A garden needs 6 posts in a line. How many rails join them? Answer: 5. A loop that adds a rail after every post would add 6, one too many.
  4. Inside or outside? A cat should say "Ready!" once, then jump 5 times. Where does the say block go? Answer: before the repeat loop, outside it. Inside, the cat would say it 5 times.
  5. Count the work. A loop repeats 4 times and holds another loop that repeats 3 times. How many times does the inner block run? Answer: 4 times 3, which is 12.

How to use them at home

Let the child guess first, then try it in Scratch or a CodeAI activity to check. Being wrong and then seeing why is the whole point.

Five puzzles take about twenty minutes. Spread over a week, they keep the habit going after CSEdWeek ends.

A word on AI activities

Some Hour of AI activities use AI tools that have their own age rules. Check each activity’s teacher notes and the tool’s terms before a child uses it at home.

For understanding AI without chat tools, our AI literacy guide for elementary students starts with patterns and training data.

Six weeks

A six-week plan from the Hour of Code to a first game

Our plan for a child aged about 8 to 11, with one live lesson a week and two short practice sessions at home. It fits the weeks from CSEdWeek into the new year.

Six weeks after the hour (our plan)
WeekLesson focusAt home
1Sequences: telling a sprite exactly what to doRemix the hour’s project with three changes
2Loops: finding the patternThe five practice puzzles
3Events: when clicked, when key pressedMake a sprite move with arrow keys
4Conditions: if touching, thenA sprite that bounces off walls
5Variables: keeping scoreAdd a score that counts catches
6A first game, planned and built by the childShow it to someone and explain one part

Keeping it the child’s

The game in week 6 should be the child’s idea, even if it is simple. A small game they invented teaches more than a big one copied from a video.

Our teachers ask questions rather than giving block-by-block instructions, so the child does the thinking.

After six weeks

Children who want more move into longer projects, then into Python around age 9 to 11. See our coding milestones by age for what is typical at each stage.

Others are happy to pause. One good experience of building something is a fine result, and the door stays open.

Readiness

Four steps from one hour to real coding

The Hour of Code gets a child to step one. These are the steps after it, as we see them in our classes.

From tutorial to own projects (our steps)
StepWhat the child can do
1. FollowerFinishes a guided activity step by step
2. RemixerChanges a finished project to make it their own
3. Pattern spotterSees repetition and writes it once with a loop
4. MakerStarts from a blank screen with their own idea

For parents

Ask your child to show you what they made and explain one block. Explaining is how they discover what they understand.

A week is long for a seven-year-old. The sooner after the hour the next session happens, the more of the excitement carries over.

For teachers

A follow-up lesson the next week, asking students to change three things in their hour’s project, moves a whole class from step one to step two.

CSTA’s CSEdWeek events are free and virtual, including a preview on Wednesday, November 18, for teachers new to computer science.

The catalogue

Nine courses for young coders

Every course is taught live by the same teacher each week, to a class or to one child.

I

First steps

Ages about 6 to 10
II

Building more

Ages about 8 to 12
III

Typing code

Ages about 9 and up

How lessons run

Small weekly lessons that keep the spark going

Weekdays or weekends, flexible: choose your batch, or for a very personalised plan choose 1-on-1 at your convenience, weekend mornings or weekdays.

Weekdays

Right after school, before the evening rush.

Weekends

A relaxed morning lesson.

1-on-1

Paced for one child’s age and attention.

Their ideas

Children build what they imagine.

Questions first

Teachers prompt, children think.

Blocks then Python

Text code when they are ready.

Short and regular

A weekly habit, not a cram.

All US time zones

Live online, any state.

Group size

Fifteen to twenty per batch, or one child.

Student work

Made by children in our classes

Games, apps and AI projects by our young learners. See more in the student labs.

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AI and ML

NutriLife

An AI nutrition coach that reads what you eat and works you toward a target.

by Bhavya · Open it

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AI and ML

Misti

A chatbot that answers mathematics and programming questions, built and deployed by a student.

by Harshit · Open it

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AI and ML

GuardianX

An assistant that helps a young person recognise unsafe situations online.

by Vivaan · Open it

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Web app

SkyCast

A weather forecasting site with live conditions for any location.

by Krish

Fees

Fees

The Hour of AI, Scratch and CodeAI courses are free, and a child can go a long way with them. Our fee is for live teaching with a regular teacher, billed monthly, so a family can try a term after CSEdWeek and decide.

Free first class

USD 0

no card required

  • A free first lesson
  • A short pattern and logic task
  • No card details
Book it

Group batch

USD 100

a month, billed in US dollars

  • Fifteen to twenty children
  • The same teacher each week
  • Choose your batch
  • Monthly
Start here

One to one

USD 150

a month, billed in US dollars

  • A private teacher
  • Paced to your child
  • Blocks or Python
Enquire

What families say

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Questions from parents and teachers

After the Hour of Code: what people ask

Is the Hour of Code still a thing?

Yes, under a new name. CodeAI, formerly Code.org, says the Hour of Code is now the Hour of AI, and hourofcode.com now leads to hourofai.org. Classic coding activities are still listed alongside the new AI ones.

When is CSEdWeek 2026?

The hourofai.org page gives CSEdWeek as December 7 to 11, which is Monday to Friday in 2026. CSEdWeek is run by the Computer Science Teachers Association, and its site highlights December 9, Grace Hopper's birthday.

What should my child do after the Hour of Code?

Keep building within a week, ideally something of their own. Scratch is free and suits ages about 8 to 12, and CodeAI offers free courses by grade, such as Computer Science Fundamentals for grades K to 5.

Is Code.org now called CodeAI?

Its website now uses the name CodeAI and says "Code.org" is a former trademark of CodeAI. The site address code.org still works and leads to the CodeAI pages.

What free coding courses are there for middle schoolers?

CodeAI lists Computer Science Discoveries for grades 6 to 10 and AI Discoveries for grades 6 to 8. Its student page also points ages 11 and up to App Lab, Game Lab and Web Lab.

What is the first coding skill to learn after the hour?

Loops: spotting a repeated pattern and writing it once. A 3-step move repeated 4 times is 12 blocks without a loop and 4 with one, and the loop version stays small however many repeats you add.

When should a child start Python?

When blocks feel slow rather than hard, often around age 9 to 11. The first Python program should repeat something they already built in blocks, so only the typing is new.

Are Hour of AI activities safe for young children?

Many are designed for classrooms from kindergarten up, but some use AI tools with their own age rules. Check each activity's teacher notes and the tool's terms before a child uses it at home.

Do you offer paid classes after the Hour of Code?

Yes. We teach live online coding classes for children aged about 6 to 12, in a group of 15 to 20 or one to one, and the first lesson is free.

When are your classes?

Weekdays or weekends, flexible: choose your batch, or for a very personalised plan choose 1-on-1 at your convenience, weekend mornings or weekdays.

Are you part of CodeAI or the Hour of AI?

No. We run our own classes and have no link to CodeAI, CSTA, the Scratch Foundation or any Hour of AI partner; their names and marks belong to them.

Elsewhere on this site

More for young coders and their parents

Help with tools, ages and next steps.

Coding for elementary students

Classes for grades K to 5.

Scratch not working?

Fixes for common Scratch problems.

App Lab help

For older students stuck in App Lab.

Coding milestones by age

What is typical, age by age.

AI literacy for kids

Understanding AI before using it.

Coding for middle schoolers

The step after elementary.

Related pages in this guide

Part of the guide: US math and coding competitions guide

Projects and next steps

Math contests

Coding and robotics

More guides: US state math tests by state · US gifted and selective school tests · US math placement and college readiness tests · Homeschool and school math curricula guide

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