Coding for kids in Zurich: online classes and the Coding Lab

Zurich is one of Europe's leading tech hubs: ETH Zurich trains computer scientists from all over the world, and Google runs one of its largest engineering centres outside the United States here. Many parents in Zurich work with software themselves and would like their child to understand early on how programs work. The reality: classes fill up quickly, times are fixed, and between school, sport and music there is little room left.

What Lehrplan 21 already covers

Since Lehrplan 21, "Media and Computer Science" (Medien und Informatik) has been part of school: children discover algorithms, program their first sequences and learn how data is represented. But school time for it is limited. Children who want more need a regular activity alongside, one that builds on what they learn at school and goes further.

The Coding Lab: in English or German, at their own pace

The Coding Lab is our online space for 7 to 15-year-olds, available in English, German, French and Italian; many international families in Zurich use it in English while their child is schooled in German, switching at any time. Your child progresses alone, guided by Neo, our little robot who reads the instructions aloud. From age 7, they start with Smart Blocks: snapping blocks together to guide Neo through a village, with loops, conditions and their own games. Around 10 comes real Python, with automatically checked lessons and workshops: drawing with a turtle, programming a virtual robot, making games and a website, understanding artificial intelligence.

You follow progress in a dashboard and, if you like, receive a summary by e-mail every Monday. Nothing to install, no ads, no chat with strangers. The Lab costs CHF 49 per month (12-month commitment) or CHF 490 per year; CHF 79 or CHF 790 for two children. A mission can be tried without an account, right on the page.

With a teacher

If your child needs adult guidance, our online Solo classes (from CHF 249/month) or Duo classes (from CHF 169/month per child) offer one session a week with a teacher, in English, German or French, at a time between 9 am and 7 pm. The Coding Lab is included. The 30-minute trial class is free.

During the Zurich school holidays

The sports, spring and autumn holidays are a good moment for an online coding camp: children build a first game of their own in a week. With the Coding Lab, the momentum carries on afterwards.

Frequently asked questions in Zurich

My child goes to school in German but speaks English at home: which language? The one they read most easily. In the Lab they can switch at any time without losing progress.

My child already knows Scratch: what next? They can start real code straight away through the bridge from Scratch to Python; see Scratch or Python.

From what age? From 7 with Smart Blocks, Python around 10. See at what age to start programming.