Leo, age 8, built his first video game: here's how

We often describe our teaching approach in general terms — progressive, adapted to the child's pace, one-on-one. Here's what that actually looks like, through the representative journey of Leo, age 8, who discovered coding a few months ago. The narrative details are illustrative, but each stage matches a progression genuinely observed in children this age.

Week 1: discovering Scratch, no pressure

The first session doesn't start with a theoretical explanation, but with direct hands-on work: assembling two or three blocks, making an orange cat move on screen. Leo had never coded before. Within half an hour, he already had a character reacting to the arrow key — the basic logic (give an instruction, observe the result) was in place, without him needing to "understand programming" in the abstract sense.

Weeks 2-3: the character becomes a real game

Once the character was under control, the teacher gradually introduced rules: an obstacle to avoid, a coin to collect, a score that increases. This is also when the first real bugs appeared — a character walking through a wall, a score that wouldn't increase. Rather than fixing it for him, the teacher guides with questions ("what is the character supposed to do here, and what is it doing instead?"), so Leo learns to locate the problem himself.

Week 4: difficulty and polish

A single level wasn't enough anymore — Leo wanted "a harder game". A second level was added, with more obstacles and increasing speed. Background music and a victory screen completed the project. This is often the stage where pride becomes visible: the project no longer feels like an exercise, but like a real game someone else can play.

Representative example of a Scratch project at this stage of progression.

What this progression shows

Nothing in this journey is exceptional or reserved for a particularly gifted child: it's the standard progression for a child from age 7 following a structured programme, at their own pace, with a teacher who adapts each session rather than following a rigid lesson plan. This is exactly what our STEM approach covers, designed by EPFL and ETHZ graduate engineers.

Curious what this would look like for your child, without waiting several weeks? A one-week camp lets a child live a similar progression in a condensed format, 4 half-days to walk away with a finished project.