Paul Python added this page on July 29, 2025

For this IncrediCoders book, we selected some key professional technologies for you to learn! We could teach the next generation of coders tools designed for kids, but if they learn professional tools, then they can be trained like a college graduate before they even get to middle school!

Meet the tools:

1. Python: The #1 programming language is also the best language to learn for AI development! It’s powerful yet simplifies some complex aspects of coding.
2. Pygame: This set of Python modules allows you to create videogames in Python!
3. Visual Studio Code: Microsoft’s IDE (integrated development environment) is the gold standard, cross-platform code editor.
4. GitHub: This web-based platform hosts Git repositories and provides us with tools for version control and collaboration, including our Wiki!

Python is the top programming language: https://lnkd.in/gK3mD4xv

It's also the most recommended programming language to learn: https://lnkd.in/g9-UV6M2

I believe the Python community is the most passionate programming community, because:

1. Python is powerful but simplifies some of the more complex aspects of coding. It catered to some core standard and important principles: procedural, object-oriented, and functional programming.

2. It has a vast ecosystem of technologies and modules, including a large standard library.

3. It banked on the future (placed the right bets), by differentiating and focusing on being a great language for AI, data science, automation, and web development. Since all those needs/uses have grown (and will continue to grow), so has usage of Python! This includes the rise of AI tools and frameworks, like TensorFlow and PyTorch. Some good Python AI libraries also include Numpy and Pybrain.

And, yes, that means Python is typically seen as the top programming language for AI right now: https://lnkd.in/g34s9RWa

There are other languages that teach programming to kids. Right now, kids often learn on tile-based programming (Code.org, Lego Mindstorm, Tinker, Scratch Jr., Kodu), and then they learn (or skip up to learning) block-based coding (Scratch, Code.org, and Microsoft MakeCode). At Microsoft, I helped with Small Basic (and I wrote a book for age 10+: https://aka.ms/SmallBasicBook), which is one of the only text-based languages that exists to teach kids to code.

Our goal with the IncrediCoders book is to see if we can help kids learn the #1 programming language much earlier in the typical computer science education journey!

Part of the vision of the IncrediCoders comic was to make games! The IncrediCoders comic is divided into 7 chapters, called Levels, which feature games, but we have a few "visual programs" before we get into the games.

Level 1 (Turtle Map) guides you to move the turtle along the map to find the route to their school, IncrediCoders Academy. Level 2 (Class Introductions) allows you to flip through the students who give their introductions to learn about them. Level 3 (Classroom Quiz) is a quiz game that tests you on how well you paid attention to the introductions. Level 4 (SpaceWars) is an Asteroids game, where you compete with another player. Level 5 (Creeper Chase) is a side-view single-room game inspired by Donkey Kong, Mario, Metroid, and more (kids love to play this one, so I think we might have landed on something a little addicting). Level 6 (Boss Battle) is inspired by Legend of Zelda single-room boss battles. And then Level 7 (IncrediCards) is inspired by Pokemon Cards and Magic the Gathering.

Pygame is a Python module that gives us the graphics, images, text, audio, events (keys and clicks), math, timers, and game mechanics that we use in Levels 2-7. It especially gives you a lot more control over the elements on your graphical interface (you can make your game look good). To learn more, head to pygame.org.

If you're looking, another solid option for a Python game library is Arcade (graphics performance, physics, a more complicated platformer, etc.).

Other Python books for kids have typically used an out-of-box IDE like IDLE. Or they might build their own IDE for kids, like Tynker or Trinket. But we wanted to set up kids to use a professional programming IDE that's free but available on different operating systems.

That led us to VSC, where we keep it fairly simple (in how we use VSC) so that kids can get a taste of professional programming. To help with this transition, we have a setup page, a page to load the files, and a page for some VSC tips and tricks.

If you have any suggestions to improve any of those pages, leave a comment and let us know!

We found that VSC is an industry standard and can offer some advanced features, a lot of customization, and a large ecosystem of technologies, as developers continue to learn. Some interesting technologies you can use with VSC include EduBlocks (and other block-based learning tools) and notebooks for data science!

In addition to the Wiki, we also have setup instructions for VSC in the book, but the more detailed information is here, on the GitHub Wiki, so that we can more easily add to it and keep it up to date. Head to the setup page to get started!

Developers around the world use GitHub to work together, solve problems, and improve their projects. At its core, GitHub is about making knowledge open and accessible so that anyone, whether a beginner or an expert, can contribute and grow. This culture of teamwork and curiosity reflects the very spirit of coding itself, where the best solutions often come from working side by side and building on each other’s ideas.

For our book, we wanted to bring that same GitHub spirit into our book. That’s why we created a GitHub and Wiki filled with code templates, solutions, challenges, bonus articles, and extra resources that expand on what’s in the book. Each level in the Wiki connects directly to the book’s chapters, giving readers a place to review lessons, try extra challenges, or dive deeper into topics they’re curious about. Teachers and parents can also use these pages as talking points to guide students through the learning journey.

We provide the Repo Structure article to go into details of all the files you'll find on our GitHub repo:

• Repo Structure

We hope you took all that to heart, and you're ready to learn (or to continue learning)! Let's get back to the book! And you should probably also check out the rest of our resources, at IncrediCoders: Python Adventures - All Online Resources.

And you can take a gander at all the rest of our Big Book Buddies, which are pages we have on the Wiki that help out as buddies of the book!