Game Development For Kids
Many leading technologists, such as Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, first became interested in computer science because they wanted to create games. Today, building their own games remains one of the key motivators that draws young students to coding. The tools available today are far more diverse and better designed for kids compared to when Bill or Mark were growing up, making it easier for almost every child to find something they love. Learn how to get started with game development for kids.
Free Game Development Classes For Kids
Join free game development classes for kids to start building games with popular beginner-friendly Scratch coding, and customizing games you play such as Minecraft and Roblox.
In this free Scratch class, learn the basics of how to use the Scratch block-coding interface. Experience our fun live online class with an awesome teacher. Enjoy programs created by other students, and work together to build a fun game of your own!
Ready to learn and have fun?
Learn and apply your coding power to escape Dr. Breakowski’s mysterious mansion by dawn in this free event. Solve puzzles using computational thinking to unlock secrets, open trap doors, and reveal hidden clues. Check out this trailer video for more. Our teacher will lead the students to solve the puzzles together.
If you are new to Create & Learn, check out our most popular free coding classes:
Scratch Ninja (grades 2-5)
Accelerated Scratch (grades 6 - 9)
Python for AI (grades 5 - 12)
Have fun and learn!
Join this fun free intro class to get a taste of what creating Roblox games is like, and start learning Roblox coding! This class is designed for students who have not had any prior experience with Roblox Studio, the official tool for building Roblox games. We help students install and activate Roblox Studio, and go through a step-by-step tutorial to build an interactive Obby game with different shapes, colors, and materials!
Due to the popularity of this free class, there might be more than five students per intro class. Please note that the full course has a cap at five students maximum to ensure ample attention is provided to each student.
How To Choose Game Development Classes For Kids
Game development is an exciting and creative field, but how do you pick the right class for your child? Here are some key factors to consider:
- Scratch Coding: Scratch, created by MIT, is specifically designed to introduce young students to coding. For the vast majority of students, this is the best place to start.
- Interests: If your child already enjoys playing Minecraft or Roblox, Minecraft and Roblox coding are likely good options. A student’s interests are often the best motivators.
- Experiences: Check out the table below to see how the level of challenge matches your student's previous experience and knowledge.
- Career Goals: If your child is interested in becoming a professional game developer, then Roblox Lua and Unity are professional tools to pursue.
| Live Online Classes | Best For Grades | Class Highlights | Grades 2-4 | Grades 4-6 | Grades 6-9 | Grades 9-12 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Scratch Ninja (Free Intro Available!) | 2-6 | An essential coding class for almost all grade 2-5 learners using Scratch, an MIT-developed platform, to create fun stories, games, animations, and more. | Foundation | Foundation | ||
 | Accelerated Scratch (Free Intro Available!) | 5-9 | Fast-paced introduction to coding using Scratch: build games, stories, and animations. Recommended for all middle-school beginner coders. | Foundation | |||
 | Intermediate Game Building with Scratch | 3-6 | For grades 2-4 Scratch learners who have learned basics, but want to practice more before taking on more advanced Scratch classes. Build a fun project in each session. | Intermediate | |||
 | Minecraft Redstone Engineering | 2-5 | Elevate Minecraft skills and use Redstone to build light shows, automatic doors, flying machines, and explore engineering and computer science concepts. | Foundation | |||
 | Minecraft Modding Quest (Free Intro Available!) | 3-6 | Learn coding concepts by controlling agents in Minecraft to solve puzzles, interact with in-game characters, build intricate structures, and create mini-games. | Intermediate | Foundation | ||
 | Minecraft Code to Mod | 4-8 | An intermediate Minecraft modding class that teaches how to create fun puzzles, adventures, and battle games mods for Minecraft Java edition. | Intermediate | Foundation | ||
 | Beginner Roblox Game Coding (Free Intro Available!) | 4-9 | Learn essentials of how to code for Roblox and create fun Roblox games using a platform that is friendly for elementary and middle school students. | Advanced | Intermediate | ||
 | Coding with Roblox Studio in Lua | 6-12 | Create Roblox games using Lua in Roblox Studio. | Intermediate | Intermediate | ||
 | Advanced Roblox Game Coding | 6-12 | Explore and build complex Roblox games with different themes. | Advanced | Intermediate | ||
 | Unity Game Development | 6-12 | Learn core techniques for developing 2D and 3D games in Unity, including character control, coding in C#, asset management, level design, and more. | Advanced | Advanced |
Award-Winning Education
Featured by Minecraft Education, Code.org, Meta, Roblox Education, ActivityHero, and more.
Very Small Group Classes
Enjoy personalized attention from your teacher with just 3-5 students per class.
Expert Teachers
Less than 5% of teacher candidates are selected as instructors, and our state-of-the-art technology ensures on-going quality.
100% Satisfaction Guarantee
Have fun learning computer science. Find the perfect class, or get a full refund.
Parents And Kids Love Our Classes
These virtually taught classes are so engaging, my son really enjoys them and is so excited to show us the coding projects he has completed on all 3 levels of Scratch Ninja. We will definitely be signing him up for more classes and thoroughly recommend Create & Learn to other parents.
Amanda E.
Create & Learn Parent
Amazing instructor. Can really keep my daughter engaged in a fun way. Thanks to Create & Learn my daughter's tech scores have skyrocketed at school.
Bhavi P.
Create & Learn Parent
Amazing virtual classes that taught my son about coding. He has taken 3 classes and he loves them all. They have some really good programs. I would definitely recommend this website and I plan to sign him up for more classes.
LM P.
Create & Learn Parent
What Is Game Development For Kids?
Game development is the process of making a video game - from the start of an idea to the end where it is ready for others to play - and everything in between.
Just like playing a game, making one involves creativity and problem-solving, as kids figure out how to make characters move, obstacles work, and storylines unfold. It's a fun way to explore technology, storytelling, and coding, all while creating something they can share with others!
Through game development, kids can use coding and design tools like Scratch, Roblox, or Minecraft to create their own interactive worlds, characters, and challenges, and bring their ideas to life. It's like being both an artist and an inventor!
Game Development Careers: Imagine Your Child's Future
Become a VR Game Developer working on Horizon Worlds, Meta’s virtual reality platform. These developers use coding to create immersive VR experiences, coding how characters move in 3D space, how objects behave when touched, and how players interact with the environment, making the VR experience feel real and engaging.
Imagine being a Gameplay Engineer working on popular games like FIFA or The Sims.
These engineers write the code that controls how characters move, react, and interact with the environment. For example, in FIFA, they code how a soccer player kicks the ball, how the ball curves in mid-air, or how the AI players make decisions during a match.
Your child could be a Technical Director who works on the animation and special effects in movies. These directors use coding to create tools and systems that help animators bring characters and environments to life. For example, they write code to simulate realistic movements like hair blowing in the wind, water splashing, or how light and shadows change in a scene.
Learn Game Development For Kids: Projects and Tutorials
Learn how to make a Mario game in Scratch. Super Mario Bros, released in 1985, is arguably one of the most popular video games of all time.
Learn how to build an obby. And enjoy an overview of how to use Roblox Studio, with a walk through of some of the most popular features.
Customize Minecraft! Find out how to start installing and finding some of the most impressive Minecraft Education Edition mods.
Game Development News For Kids
NSF announces its first ever Game Maker Awards for grades K-12 to commemorate NSF's 75th anniversary, encouraging students to imagine life in the year 2100. (mentoring classes).
At RDC 2024, Roblox highlights its initiatives to help creators bring people together, scale their creations and audience, and build their businesses.
For 42 years, the Flight Simulator game has entertained 45 million pilots, now better than ever, with so much more details and being incredibly realistic.
