Everything parents like you need to know to make it easier and faster to choose the right Minecraft coding class for their child (without having to try every one yourself)

Your child wants to learn how to code. And you love the idea of them making friends with other smart, like-minded kids. Minecraft coding classes are the right choice because they’re fun and educational. 

By learning to code in Minecraft, your child will combine something fun (a video game they enjoy) with a super valuable skill (coding).

It’s almost like they’re learning by accident! And many students become coders, win competitions, and even start their own companies!

But how do you know which is the right program to choose for your child’s needs (without having to sign up for every single one yourself?)

In this article, we will review the 5 best Minecraft coding classes for kids, so that you know which option is the best choice for your child. You’ll learn all the pros and cons of each option, and be confident that you have everything you need to choose the best possible Minecraft coding program for your child’s personal needs.

Table of Contents

• Live Minecraft Coding Classes for Kids
  • MakerKids
  • CodaKid
  • BYJU’S Future School
• Pre-Recorded On-Demand Minecraft Coding Classes for Kids
  • Tynker
  • Code Kingdoms
  • Final Thoughts

How this article will help you make the right decision, faster

Before we dig into each Minecraft coding class, here are the frameworks we’ll use to evaluate each Minecraft coding class:

✔️ Live or On-Demand: Are classes live, or are they pre-recorded and on-demand?

✔️ Price: How expensive are each of these classes?

✔️ Unique Features that Stand Out: What does each Minecraft coding class include that makes it special and different?

✔️ Company: We’ll explore who offers each class, including where they’re based and what their customer support is like

✔️ Pros/Cons: We’ll sum up each option with a list of pros and cons

To begin, consider this question: does your child do best a) with self-directed learning, where they advance at their own pace; or do they do best b) when they have the attention of an instructor who sets the pace for them and provides accountability and feedback?

As a company, it’s our mission to help kids learn to code. That’s why we’re providing an honest, intensive comparison of all the best coding options for parents. After all, when more kids learn to code with the program that’s right for them, we all win!

At the bottom of this article, we’ll provide a simple comparison chart that you can use to see everything in one place, and really understand which class is best for your child, even if you don’t have time to read the entire article.

Live Minecraft Coding Classes for Kids

Live Minecraft coding classes are a lot like regular classes at school. A teacher takes your child through a lesson in real-time. Often this is over Zoom or some other online software. 

The teacher will guide your child, help them along the curriculum, and answer any questions that your child might have right away.

These classes are more expensive than on-demand classes, but many children will learn faster this way.

MakerKids

Quick Facts

Free Trial details: First class is free

Recommended age range: 6 – 13

Where the company is based: Toronto, Canada

Live or pre-recorded classes: Live 1-1 and groups

Features:

Based in Toronto, Canada, MakerKids offers live online or in-person Minecraft coding classes for kids. Instruction is available in either 1-1 private classes or group classes with a max of 5 students per class.

Instructors are vetted through a 7-step process, including multiple references and background checks. They’re also chosen for their ability to be fun! MakerKids instructors do a great job of keeping the focus and attention of students by engaging with them. Classes focus on technical and social skills.

Founded by Jennifer Turliuk in 2010, MakerKids began as an in-person coding school with a number of locations across the Greater Toronto Area. As the original tech program for kids, MakerKids is a pioneer in the industry and has helped transform education. They’re responsible for developing a lot of the curriculums and learning strategies used by a number of other programs around the world.

During COVID, MakerKids added a wide range of virtual classes to help keep students safe.

Minecraft Coding Classes offered:

Mini-Makers (grades 1-2): Students are taught basic technical, creative, and social skills. No experience is required.

Beginner (grades 3+): Students perform group-based activities that change from class to class. No experience is required.

Intermediate (grades 3-5 and 6-8): Students learn a new skill each week. More advanced topics include intermediate circuit logic using Redstone, coding elements using command blocks, and 3D design using geometry and mathematics. Prior experience with Minecraft is recommended.

Advanced (grades 3-5 and 6-8): Students will add to and edit a game’s files. They will learn all the different parts of coding in Minecraft and how the parts fit together. Prior experience with Minecraft is required.

Price:

$129 / month for 1 weekly hour class ($32.25 / hour of class)

$199 / month for 2 weekly hour classes ($24.88 / hour of class)

MakerKids Pros:

• MakerKids focuses on advancing both computer skills and social skills for kids, which can be very beneficial for students’ mental health
• Small class sizes allow students to make friends
• Patient, professional staff who possess excellent English-language proficiency and are all based in Canada
• Offers in-person classes to students in the Greater Toronto Area (Ontario, Canada)
• Extremely affordable for live classes
• All classes are interactive and offer immediate feedback for students as they learn
• Parents get custom feedback videos of their child’s progress in class

MakerKids Cons:

• Group classes sometimes create a disorganized group atmosphere if not all the students are focused on learning
• Customer service can be difficult to reach by phone

“My boys flourish here and look forward to it every week. They show social skills improvement and more confidence since coming to MakerKids and finding their “tribe.”

TAMMY ISBELL – ACTRESS

Click Here to Try MakerKids

CodaKid

Quick Facts

Free Trial details: (Pre-recorded): Try free for 14 days; (Live): First class is free

Recommended age range: 6 – 18

Where the company is based: Scottsdale, Arizona

Live or pre-recorded classes: Both live 1-1 and pre-recorded

We’re putting CodaKid into the “live” section of this article, but this Arizona-based company offers both live and pre-recorded Minecraft coding classes.

Pre-Recorded Class Features

CodaKid offers 15 pre-recorded Minecraft coding classes, broken down into 85 quests with 180 challenges.

Students can choose from introductory, beginner, intermediate, or advanced difficulty levels, and they will learn professional coding languages like Python, Javascript, and Java.

Your child can access these self-paced, on-demand classes whenever they want, so they can learn at their own speed. During each class, students will watch a video tutorial, perform interactive activities, and complete end-of-chapter quizzes to cement their learnings.

Inspired by YouTube, each class is fun, humorous, and highly engaging. Students receive badges as they advance.

If students have questions, they can chat with the teacher team via the chat widget, email, or by screen share.

Pre-recorded Class Prices

Solo plan: $31.93 / month or $254.18 / year

Family plan (up to 3 students): $54.48 / month or $344.87 / year

Live Class Features

CodaKid live classes are 1-1. Students choose a skill level and work with the same teacher each week who is chosen on the student’s needs and learning style. 

Every instructor is based in the USA, and classes take place via Zoom. Scheduling is flexible, and payments are month-to-month with no long-term commitments. Students who sign up for live classes also get access to all pre-recorded classes.

Each live class is 50 minutes long and includes optional homework for the students and post-session progress reports for parents.

Pre-recorded Class Prices

$318 / month for 4 classes ($79.5 / hour of class)

$574.79 / month for 8 classes ($71.85 / hour of class)

CodaKid Pros:

• Students can learn a range of topics, including Roblox and Scratch
• 10% discounts are often available
• Pre-recorded content has a fun, YouTube style for maximum entertainment and engagement
• 2-week trial on pre-recorded classes makes it easy to see if CodaKid works for your child

CodaKid Cons:

• Very limited support for mobile learning (phones or tablets)
• Involves both browser-based and downloaded software, which can be difficult to set up
• For pre-recorded classes, customer service often does not respond on the same day
• Live classes are only 50 minutes long, compared to 1-hour classes from competitors
• Price is high for live classes compared to other options

Click Here to Try CodaKid

BYJU’S Future School

Quick facts

Free Trial details: First class is free

Recommended age range: 6 – 14

Where the company is based: Bangalore, India

Live or pre-recorded classes: Live 1-1

Features:

Although their parent company is based in Bangalore, India, BYJU’S Future School offers classes in 7 countries around the world: the USA, Mexico, Canada, UK, Australia, Brazil, and Indonesia.

New members join a community of 141 million students. Classes are chosen based on coding concepts, and instructors are handpicked. Parents receive regular progress reports and report cards during parent-teacher meetings. 

Each live, online class is 1-1 and instructors follow a proprietary, activity-based curriculum that highlights problem-solving, creative thinking, grit, confidence, and communication.

Classes are offered in four levels:

• Beginner (grade 1)
• Intermediate (grade 2-3)
• Advanced (grade 4-6)
• Professional (grade 7+)

Price:

Basic: $399 / month for 8 classes ($50 / hour of class)

Standard: $399 / month or $1,869 for 48 classes over 6 months ($38.93 / hour of class)

Premium: $399 / month or $5,039 for 144 class over 18 months ($34.99 / hour of class)

BYJU’S Future School Pros:

• Teachers are passionate, patient, and very available to students
• 1-1 learning can help students learn faster
• Scheduling is flexible and committing to more classes decreases the price per class
• Very large online community 
• Extensive progress reports let parents follow their children’s learning progress

BYJU’S Future School Cons:

• No in-person options
• Money-back guarantee can be complicated to use
• Learning interface can be unintuitive for some students
• Customer service is not very responsive
• Many students complain that their teachers speak English poorly and are difficult to understand
• BYJU can be aggressive with marketing and sometimes sends a large number of messages to parents who sign up for trial classes

“The lessons gave her something to look forward to and a path to follow.”
Fajr’s Mom

Click Here to Try BYJU’S Future School

Pre-Recorded On-Demand Minecraft Coding Classes for Kids

Pre-recorded or on-demand Minecraft coding classes are a lot like your favourite TV show on Netflix. When your child is ready to learn, they log in, load the latest lesson, and watch on their own.

With pre-recorded content, there is no live teaching, but students can rewind and review lessons. These classes are much more affordable and work well for students who are self-directed and driven in their learning.

Tynker

Quick facts

Free Trial details: (Pre-recorded): 20 free coding games. 30-day money back guarantee

Recommended age range: 7 – 11

Where the company is based: Bangalore, India

Live or pre-recorded classes: Pre-recorded

Tynker, like BYJU’S Future School, is owned by BYJU’S, a multinational educational technology company headquartered in Bangalore, India.

Features:

When you sign up for Minecraft classes at Tynker, your child gains access to 300 carefully designed lessons in 6 levels. 

These lessons are not specifically focused on Minecraft. They teach students broader coding subjects like Python, web development, and data science. Subscribers get unlimited access to 5,000 creative learning modules.

At level 1, students start with the foundations of coding. Over 40 lessons of 30 minutes each, students will learn the basics. Coding is presented like a puzzle, and creative sandboxes help show the fundamentals in a fun and intuitive way.

After completing level 3 on Coding Proficiency, students can access 26 elective courses on Minecraft and game design, including modding, skins, blocks, and items.

Once students complete all 6 levels, they will have a portfolio of 100+ original projects and can earn several certificates.

Lessons are designed to be fun, interactive, and story-based with a focus on real-world computer skills. Tynker has 3 mobile apps for learning and a community of 60 million users.

Price:

Individual: 

$60 / quarter ($20 / month)

$126 / year ($10.50 / month)

$315 / 3 years ($8.75 / month)

Family (up to 3 accounts):

$90 / quarter ($30 / month)

$168 / year ($14 / month)

$472.50 / 3 years ($13.13 / month)

Tynker Pros:

• 20 free coding games make it easy to get started for free and see if your child enjoys Tynker
• 3 mobile apps (Tynker Junior, Tynker, and Mod Creator) offer a range of mobile-friendly options to learn on the go
• Join a creative community of 60 million students
• Interactive, story-based learning makes it easy for kids to follow along
• Students can learn at their own pace with a huge database of 70 courses with 5,000 lessons
• Students learn both drag-and-drop and text-based coding. Templates make it easy to start at any experience-level

Tynker Cons:

• Students must purchase Minecraft separately
• Lessons don’t focus on Minecraft specifically if that’s your child’s main area of interest
• Customer service is not very responsive
• The online interface can be buggy and crashes often

“Tynker has made programming fun, exciting, and simple and will help lead kids into their future.”
Valerie S. – 5th Grade Teacher

Click Here to Try Tynker

Code Kingdoms

Quick facts

Free Trial details: (Pre-recorded): Code your first game course for free. 30-day money back guarantee for annual or lifetime plans

Recommended age range: 8 – 14

Where the company is based: London, UK

Live or pre-recorded classes: Pre-recorded

Features:

Students at Code Kingdoms learn at their own pace by watching pre-recorded video lessons and completing coding tasks in the web-based editor. Then, students can build and run games on their own private Minecraft server.

New projects are added every month, and students can learn to code real languages like Java in a simple, drag-and-drop interface. The code editor is simple and beginner-friendly. Once students are ready, they can advance to text code and other programming languages.

With over 100 hours of interactive video content, students work alongside each lesson in the code editor. 

Price:

Individual: 

$24 / month

$149 / year

$299 / lifetime

Family (up to 5 accounts):

$34 / month

$199 / year

$399 / lifetime

Code Kingdoms Pros:

• Students and parents who are uncomfortable with a recurring subscription can save money with a lifetime plan 
• Code Kingdoms is more generous with their family accounts than competitors, allowing 5 different users
• The company is based in London, UK, and provides excellent live support to students
• Interactive video content allows students to learn as they go, at their own pace

Code Kingdoms Cons:

• Unlike many competitors, Code Kingdoms does not offer any live instruction
• Some courses can be confusing for beginners
• The prices listed are just for Minecraft courses. Other courses are available but students must pay extra for access
• The total library of courses available is not as large as some competitors

“Both my boys love it – intuitive and give them a fair bit of choice on how and what they created b their games – they absolutely adore it ( & learn in the process )!”
Gorst S 

Click Here to Try Code Kingdoms

Final Thoughts

Taking Minecraft coding classes can be an incredible experience for kids. They can be fun and educational, and help pave the way to an incredible career down the road. 

There are so many options available, and each one offers its own unique benefits and drawbacks. 

The most important thing for parents to decide is if:

✔️ Your child is self-directed and prefers to learn on their own, at their own pace.

If so, parents should choose a pre-recorded, on-demand option.

✔️ Your child benefits from feedback from teachers, and enjoys learning and making life-long friends with peers their own age.

If so, parents should choose an option with live classes, where their children can get instant feedback from their teachers and connect with other students their own age who might become life-long friends.

Each option has a different price point and level of quality, so be sure to focus on the criteria that are most important to you:

• Price
• Features
• Location of the company
• Pros and cons