Coding Classes for 5 and 6 Year Olds in Australia

In short

Coding classes for 5 and 6 year olds teach the ideas underneath programming: putting instructions in order, making simple choices and repeating steps. At five, those ideas are easiest to learn through games without a screen. From six, most children can begin a block language such as Scratch in short, guided online lessons. The Australian Curriculum expects the same: by the end of Year 2 students "follow and describe basic algorithms involving a sequence of steps and branching".

Start here

First courses for the youngest coders

Live coding lessons begin at six. The third card is a maths course that suits curious five year olds.

KFIV / 01

Scratch Coding for Kids

From age 6. Snap-together blocks, moving characters and first small games, at a gentle pace.

Open the syllabus →

KFIV / 02

Coding for Kids

From age 6. A longer path that starts with Scratch and grows into apps and simple games over the year.

Open the syllabus →

$Early Math Foundations course thumbnail$

KFIV / 03

Early Math Foundations

Ages 4 to 7. Playful number sense and patterns, the maths that early coding leans on.

Open the syllabus →

Five or six?

What is realistic at five, and what changes at six

The difference between a five and a six year old is large for coding, mostly because of reading, attention and fine motor control. Neither age is too young for the ideas.

Coding at five and at six: a practical guide (our teaching experience)
	At five	At six
Reading	Recognises some words; relies on pictures	Reads short labels such as "move" and "say"
Attention	Short bursts with lots of movement	Can follow a short guided lesson with a teacher
Mouse and keyboard	Dragging is still tricky for many	Can drag blocks and click accurately enough
Format that suits	Games at home with a parent, no screen needed	Short live online lessons, ideally with a parent nearby
What they build	Step-by-step instructions for a toy or a friend	A character that moves, speaks and reacts on screen

Why we start live classes at six

Our online lessons need a child to recognise a few words on screen, use a mouse with some control and stay with a teacher for a whole lesson. Most children can do that at six; many five year olds cannot yet, and that is entirely normal.

Starting too early can turn coding into a frustration. Waiting a few months, while playing the kind of games below, usually means a child starts at six already confident.

What five year olds can do now

Five year olds are often superb at the thinking itself: they notice when a story is told out of order, they argue about the right way to make a sandwich, and they love giving instructions to adults who follow them too literally.

All of that is programming in disguise. The arrow-card game further down turns it into something deliberate, with no screen at all.

The name of the first school year varies around Australia (Kindergarten, Prep, Reception, Pre-primary or Transition, depending on where you live), but the curriculum calls it the Foundation year everywhere. Most five and six year olds are in the Foundation year or Year 1. Our page on online coding classes for Australian kids lists each state's name and starting age, and our guide to the right age to start coding looks at readiness more generally.

The Australian Curriculum

What the Foundation year and Years 1 and 2 expect

Digital Technologies starts in the Foundation year of the Australian Curriculum v9. The early expectations are modest and very sensible, and they describe thinking more than screens.

Early Digital Technologies expectations, Australian Curriculum v9 (quoted)
When	What ACARA expects
By the end of Foundation	"students show familiarity with digital systems and use them for a purpose. They represent data using objects, pictures and symbols"
Foundation, digital systems (AC9TDIFK01)	"recognise and explore digital systems (hardware and software) for a purpose", for example a "programmable toy"
Foundation, privacy (AC9TDIFP01)	"identify some data that is personal and owned by them"
By the end of Year 2	students "follow and describe basic algorithms involving a sequence of steps and branching"

A sun on a weather map

ACARA's description of the Foundation year gives a lovely example of early computational thinking: representing an idea "with a symbol, object or picture that is understood by others, such as a sun indicating fine conditions in a weather forecast".

That is the same idea as a block in Scratch: a picture that everyone agrees means "move forward" or "say hello".

Socks before shoes

For Years 1 and 2, ACARA suggests children work out when the order of steps matters, with the example that "socks must be put on before shoes but a jumper can be put on before or after shoes".

Spotting which steps can swap and which cannot is a real programming skill. Professional programmers spend whole careers on the grown-up version of it.

Checked on 7 October 2026 against ACARA's Word download of the Digital Technologies content for Foundation to Year 6.

Try this at home

The arrow-card game: a first program with no screen

This is the unplugged activity we recommend most for five year olds, and we use a version of it in first lessons with six year olds too. You need paper, a pencil and a small toy.

1. Draw a grid

Draw a 4 by 4 grid of squares, big enough for the toy. Put the toy in the bottom-left square and draw a star in the top-right square.

2. Make cards

Cut out small cards and draw one arrow on each: up or right to begin with. Each card means "move one square that way".

3. Program the toy

Your child lays cards in a row, then "runs" the program by moving the toy one card at a time. If it misses the star, they find the wrong card and fix it.

The maths hiding in the game

To reach the star, the toy must move up 3 squares and right 3 squares, so every shortest program uses exactly six cards. How many different six-card programs work? By our count, 20, because a program is just a choice of which 3 of the 6 cards point up (six choose three).

Five year olds will not calculate that, but they will discover that "up, up, up, right, right, right" and "right, up, right, up, right, up" both work, which is the real lesson: there is more than one correct program.

Making it harder, slowly

Add a "wall" square the toy cannot enter, and some of the 20 programs stop working. Add left and down arrows. Let your child design a grid for you to solve.

For six year olds, add a "repeat" card: a card that says "do the next card three times". Suddenly six cards can become two, and the child has invented a loop.

Watch for the moment a child says "that one's wrong" and points at a single card. That is debugging, and it is the most important habit in programming. Praise the fix more than the first attempt.

From six

What a first live lesson looks like for a six year old

Our first lessons for six year olds are built around one small success at a time, with a teacher guiding every step and a parent welcome to sit alongside.

A typical first month for a six year old (Scratch)
Week	The child makes	The idea underneath
1	A cat that walks across the screen when the green flag is clicked	A program runs in order, from the top
2	The cat says hello, then waits, then says goodbye	Steps happen one after another; waiting is a step too
3	The cat dances by repeating a few moves	Repeating saves blocks: the first loop
4	A second character answers the first	Two characters can each have their own program

Short and lively

Lessons for this age switch between watching, trying and talking often, because six year olds learn by doing, not by listening for long.

A grown-up nearby

For six year olds we ask that a parent or carer is in the room, especially for the first few lessons, to help with the mouse if needed.

Celebrating small wins

Each lesson ends with something on screen that moves, so the child leaves proud of what they made.

Scratch is free and runs in a web browser, so there is nothing to buy. A laptop or desktop with a mouse is easier than a tablet for little hands. Once a child is comfortable, our guide to coding at seven and eight shows what comes next.

Screen time

Coding and screen time for young children

Parents of five and six year olds often worry about adding more screen time. It is a fair concern, and it is one reason the unplugged games matter so much at this age.

Making, not watching

An hour of coding is a different kind of screen time from an hour of videos: the child is deciding, testing and fixing, and nothing happens unless they make it happen.

Even so, at five and six the right balance is plenty of off-screen play around a short lesson.

Privacy from the first day

The Foundation curriculum asks children to "identify some data that is personal and owned by them". We follow the same principle: young children never need to share personal details in a lesson, and accounts are set up by a parent.

If a class uses a username, it is chosen with a parent and contains no surname or school name.

Stages

Four early stages, from cards to Scratch

Five year olds usually spend months on the first two stages at home; six year olds in live lessons reach the third within a term.

Early coding stages for ages 5 and 6
Stage	What your child can do
1. Orders steps	Puts picture cards for a familiar routine in the right order and explains why
2. Programs a toy	Lays out arrow cards that move a toy to a target, then fixes a wrong card
3. First Scratch	Snaps together blocks so a character moves and speaks when the green flag is clicked
4. First loop	Uses a repeat block instead of copying the same blocks again and again

Does my child need to read?

For the arrow-card game, no. For Scratch lessons at six, only a little: blocks have short labels such as "move" and "say", and the teacher reads anything longer aloud.

Coding often gives reluctant readers a reason to decode words, because the words make something happen.

Fitting into the school week

Six year olds are often tired after school, so many families choose a weekend lesson. Billing is monthly, so it is easy to stop over the holidays.

We agree the day and time in the free first class.

The catalogue

Courses for young children

Live coding courses start at six; the maths courses suit children from four.

I

First coding

From age 6

KFIV / CODE / 01

Scratch Coding for Kids

Snap-together blocks, characters and first games.

Open the syllabus

KFIV / CODE / 02

Coding for Kids

A full year from first blocks to small apps.

Open the syllabus

KFIV / CODE / 03

Microsoft Office for Kids

Computer confidence for children from seven.

Open the syllabus

II

Early maths

From age 4

KFIV / MATH / 01

Early Math Foundations

Number sense, shapes and patterns through play.

Open the syllabus

KFIV / MATH / 02

Mental Maths for Kids

Quick, confident calculation for primary children.

Open the syllabus

KFIV / MATH / 03

Abacus Mental Maths

Calculation with an abacus, then in the head.

Open the syllabus

III

Next steps

Ages 7 and up

KFIV / NEXT / 01

Problem Solving for Kids

Patterns, logic and algorithms from age seven.

Open the syllabus

KFIV / NEXT / 02

Minecraft Coding for Kids

Coding inside a world children already love, from seven.

Open the syllabus

KFIV / NEXT / 03

Game Development for Kids

Real games in Scratch and beyond, from eight.

Open the syllabus

How lessons run

Gentle live lessons, at Australian times

Our teachers are in India, and India time is behind every Australian state, so weekend mornings and after-school times in Australia are easy for us to cover.

Saturday or Sunday morning

Often when six year olds are freshest, before they tire.

Weekday, after school

Works for children who are fresh after school.

One to one

For a shy child or a family with an unusual timetable.

A free first class

The teacher checks whether your six year old is ready, and tells you honestly if waiting would be better.

Groups

Fifteen to twenty children of a similar age and level, with plenty of turns.

One to one

Every minute is your child's, at exactly their pace.

Their own clicks

The child moves every block. The teacher guides with questions and demonstrations.

Parents in the room

For this age we encourage it, and you will see exactly what your child learns.

Nothing to install

Scratch runs in a browser; you just need a computer with a mouse.

Student work

Projects built by our students

Older students made these; every one of them started with a first program as small as a moving cat. More are in our student labs.

AI and ML

NutriLife

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

by Bhavya · Open it

AI and ML

Misti

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

by Harshit · Open it

AI and ML

GuardianX

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

by Vivaan · Open it

Web app

SkyCast

A weather forecasting site with live conditions for any location.

by Krish

Fees

Fees for early coding

Families in Australia pay a single monthly fee in US dollars. There is no joining fee, and lessons can stop after any month.

Free first class

USD 0

no card required

A short, playful first lesson
An honest view on readiness
No card or bank details

Book it

Group batch

USD 100

a month, billed in US dollars

Five to ten young children
A familiar teacher each week
Plenty of turns for everyone
Stop after any month

Start here

One to one

USD 150

a month, billed in US dollars

A lesson shaped around one child
Pace set by attention span
Ideal for a shy first coder

Enquire

What families say

Rated 4.9 across 547 Google reviews

These are the families' own words, unedited, from our Google listing.

★★★★★

"The one step solution for my son. Modern Age Coders make learning coding so simple that kids love it. The teachers explain complex concepts clearly with practical exercises and interactive content."

Ria Mukherjee

Parent

★★★★★

"Modern Age Coders has been a game-changer for me. I struggled to grasp IT concepts and coding before joining, but their classes transformed everything. I can now confidently write complex programs with ease."

Samriddha Mondal

Student

★★★★★

"One of the most wonderful education centres out there. Education is not limited to school syllabus but focuses on skill development."

Vansh Agarwal

Student

★★★★★

"My child Dhairya is really enjoying the Modern Age Coders classes. This is his first online class and he eagerly looks forward to it. I can already see his improvement, and the teachers are very cooperative."

Sonam Oswal

Parent of Dhairya

★★★★★

"Modern Age Coders have wonderful teachers who teach in a clear, easy and practical way. The teacher boosts students' confidence and inspires them to learn without hesitation."

Sonu Goyal

Parent

★★★★★

"I highly recommend this computer coding class! The teachers are incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about coding."

Ritu Kedia

Parent

Questions from parents

What parents of 5 and 6 year olds ask

Can a 5 year old learn coding?

Yes, the ideas: ordering steps, making simple choices and repeating actions. At five these are learned most easily through games without a screen, such as programming a toy with arrow cards. Typing and screen-based coding usually come a little later.

Are there coding classes for 5 year olds?

Our live online classes start at six, because they need a little reading and mouse control. For five year olds we suggest the unplugged games on this page and a first class once they turn six.

What do coding classes for 6 year olds involve?

Short, guided lessons in a block language such as Scratch, where children snap blocks together so a character moves, talks and reacts. Each lesson ends with something the child made and can show.

What is unplugged coding?

Unplugged coding teaches programming ideas without a computer: putting instructions in order, following them exactly and fixing mistakes, using cards, toys, drawings or games.

Does coding count as screen time?

It uses a screen, but it is active making rather than watching. For five and six year olds we still recommend short lessons and plenty of off-screen play around them.

Is coding part of the Foundation year at school?

Digital Technologies starts in the Foundation year of the Australian Curriculum v9, focused on recognising digital systems and representing ideas with objects, pictures and symbols. Sequencing steps follows in Years 1 and 2.

Should my child use a tablet or a computer?

A laptop or desktop with a mouse is easier for Scratch. Tablets are fine for picture-based apps, but dragging small blocks with a finger frustrates many young children.

Do I need to know how to code to help?

Not at all. Playing the arrow-card game, asking your child to explain their program and celebrating fixed mistakes help more than any technical knowledge.

How long should lessons be for a 6 year old?

Shorter and livelier than for older children, with frequent changes of activity. The teacher adjusts to your child's attention on the day.

What does it cost?

The first lesson is free and asks for no card. Group places and one-to-one lessons each have a monthly fee, listed under Fees above, with no sign-up charge.

Elsewhere on this site

Related pages

More for families of young children in Australia.

Coding classes in Australia

Where every page for Australian families is listed.

Coding for 7 and 8 year olds

The next stage, with first loops and stories.

Online coding for Australian kids

Year levels and lesson times by state.

Kids coding languages

Why blocks come before typing.

The right age to start coding

Readiness at six, nine and twelve.

Scratch coding classes

The block language in detail.

Start here

Book a free first class

Leave your details and we will call at a time that suits you. If your child is six, the free class is a short, playful first lesson. If they are five, we are happy to talk through the games on this page and suggest when to start.

Before booking, you might like how we teach, which follows one lesson from start to finish, or the courses for older children.

WhatsApp us · +91 91233 66161 · connect@modernagecoders.com

The quickest way to reach us from Australia is usually WhatsApp. The number starts with +91 because the team works in India; we have no office in Australia.

Want a class sooner? Book a priority demo

A priority demo is a full class of about 45 to 60 minutes. After the class the mentor sends a written skill report and a personal learning roadmap on WhatsApp. If you enrol, the demo fee is adjusted against your first month's fee. Share your demo Order ID with us on WhatsApp and we take it off.

Book a priority demo

First courses for the youngest coders

Scratch Coding for Kids

Coding for Kids

Early Math Foundations

What is realistic at five, and what changes at six

Why we start live classes at six

What five year olds can do now

What the Foundation year and Years 1 and 2 expect

A sun on a weather map

Socks before shoes

The arrow-card game: a first program with no screen

1. Draw a grid

2. Make cards

3. Program the toy

The maths hiding in the game

Making it harder, slowly

What a first live lesson looks like for a six year old

Short and lively

A grown-up nearby

Celebrating small wins

Coding and screen time for young children

Making, not watching

Privacy from the first day

Four early stages, from cards to Scratch

Does my child need to read?

Fitting into the school week

Courses for young children

First coding

Scratch Coding for Kids

Coding for Kids

Microsoft Office for Kids

Early maths

Early Math Foundations

Mental Maths for Kids

Abacus Mental Maths

Next steps

Problem Solving for Kids

Minecraft Coding for Kids

Game Development for Kids

Gentle live lessons, at Australian times

A free first class

Groups

One to one

Their own clicks

Parents in the room

Nothing to install

Projects built by our students

NutriLife

Misti

GuardianX

SkyCast

Fees for early coding

Rated 4.9 across 547 Google reviews

What parents of 5 and 6 year olds ask

Can a 5 year old learn coding?

Are there coding classes for 5 year olds?

What do coding classes for 6 year olds involve?

What is unplugged coding?

Does coding count as screen time?

Is coding part of the Foundation year at school?

Should my child use a tablet or a computer?

Do I need to know how to code to help?

How long should lessons be for a 6 year old?

What does it cost?

Related pages

Coding classes in Australia

Coding for 7 and 8 year olds

Online coding for Australian kids

Kids coding languages

The right age to start coding

Scratch coding classes

Book a free first class

Want a class sooner? Book a priority demo

Keep exploring Modern Age Coders

By class and age

Learn more

Free resources

From the blog

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