Parent guide
You do not need to know JavaScript to be useful. This page tells you what a good week looks like, how to help without taking over, and what to do when they get stuck.
The four-week plan
- Week 1 — lessons 1–7. Drawing, movement, arrow keys, a bouncing ball, loops, and score with win and lose states. Expect a lot of number tweaking; that is the point.
- Week 2 — lessons 8–14. The first big project — their own Breakout — then arrays, the mouse, sound, and the famous clones: Snake, Flappy, a maze and whack-a-mole.
- Week 3 — lessons 15–22. Eight brand-new games: a keyboard piano, Pong against the computer, a runner, a jumper, memory match, a maze chase, falling blocks and minesweeper.
- Week 4 — lessons 23–26. The final Space Blaster, their own game from scratch, and the two bonus levels.
Twenty minutes beats two hours
One lesson takes 10–18 minutes, so a session ends at a natural stopping point. Short and frequent keeps it a game instead of homework — and progress saves on the device, so stopping is free.
How to help without coding
- Ask what the code is supposed to do before anything breaks. Explaining out loud is half the learning.
- When it breaks, ask what changed — that question is debugging, and it is the real skill.
- Let them change numbers freely. A broken game is fixed by pressing Run again, so nothing can be lost.
- Do not read the solution for them. The Hint button is the better route every time.
If they get stuck
Every lesson has a Hint and a Show the solution button. Use the hint first; the solution exists so that nobody quits. If the mission text is unclear, switching the language at the top of the page often helps.
When something breaks: error cheat sheet
The console under the game prints the exact words of anything that broke. You do not need to understand them — find the name or bracket it complains about, then match it against this table together.
| The console says | What it means, and the first thing to try |
|---|---|
… is not defined |
A name that does not exist was used. Check the spelling and the capital letters — and remember the only helpers are clear, rect, circle, text and beep. |
Unexpected token |
A bracket, quote or parenthesis is missing or in the wrong place. Count the { and } on that line — every one needs a partner. |
… is not a function |
Something was called like a command but is not one: usually a missing pair of parentheses, or a variable that took a helper's name. |
| No error, but nothing moves | Lessons 3 and up need an update(dt) function — the code that runs 60 times a second. If it is missing or misspelled, the screen just sits still. |
| The Complete button still refuses | The check reads the code, not the screen. Run it first, then compare the mission wording line by line — one small piece is usually missing. |
Screen time & safety
Everything runs in the browser with no account, no chat, no ads and no other players. Nothing your child types leaves the device — the privacy policy spells out the little that is stored, which is only their progress and code on this device.
When they finish, mark it: the completion certificate prints with their name on it, and the JavaScript cheat sheet is handy next to the screen.
After the course
They will understand variables, loops, functions, keyboard input, collisions and game states — the foundations every game framework is built on. From there, any framework becomes readable.
Questions about the purchase? See the refund policy or contact us. You can start lessons 1–2 free on the main page.