Coding
Pencil Code
Kids steer a drawing turtle with code to make pictures, tunes and games, flipping between blocks and typed text.
Pencil Code’s headline trick is a toggle: one click flips a program between blocks and typed code, which makes it look like a natural next stop after Scratch. The main character is a turtle that leaves a line as it moves. Kids tell it to go forward and turn, and before long the screen fills with spirals, stars and patterned flowers. There are also commands for notes and tunes, simple games, graphing math functions and putting together a small web page. Code is written in CoffeeScript or JavaScript, and seeing the same program in both forms seems to demystify the text version. Projects are public, so kids can open what others made and remix an idea. It appears aimed at kids who are comfortable reading and typing and are curious about what lies beyond blocks.
- Ages
- Kids ready to move from blocks to typed code
- Works on
- Web browser
- Topics
- Coding, Art, Math, Music
- Languages
- English
- Listed
- 2026-10-18
What kids do
- Draw a spiral with turtle code
- Flip a program between blocks and text
- Play a tune with music commands
- Remix someone else’s game
Who it suits
Kids ready to move from blocks to typed code.
Notes for parents
Run as an open-source project by the nonprofit Pencil Code Foundation. An illustrated book with more than 100 short projects accompanies the site.
What you need
- Computer with a web browser
- Internet connection
More Coding
- Code.org / CodeAI: Guided coding activities alongside open tools for making games, animations, apps and web pages.
- ScratchJr: Picture-based programming blocks for making characters move and telling interactive stories.
- Scratch: Interactive stories, animations and games built by snapping visual coding blocks together.
- Kodable Basics: Maze-style coding challenges that begin with sequences and patterns.
- codeSpark: Coding for Kids: Coding puzzles that don’t rely on reading, leading into tools for making stories and games.
- Tynker: Coding for Kids: Guided coding puzzles, game-making and Minecraft-related projects.
- Hopscotch: Programming for Kids: Tutorials and open creation tools for building games and other interactive projects.
- Tynker Junior: Coding for Kids: Picture commands, voiceovers and themed adventures that introduce sequencing, loops and conditions.