6-Week Curriculum
From first line of code to published game in 6 weeks. Here's exactly what your child will learn, build, and accomplish.
Week-by-Week Breakdown
Each 60-minute session builds on the last, with projects that get progressively more sophisticated.
First Steps: Movement & Control
From zero to playable in 60 minutes
Projects:
- Pixel Playground - Moving character with arrow keys
- Wall-Dash - Bouncing, wrapping, and collision detection
Skills Learned:
What Your Child Accomplishes:
Your child creates their first interactive character that responds to keyboard controls and makes decisions about what happens when it hits walls.
Students build a glowing square they can move around the screen, choosing whether it bounces, wraps to the other side, or explodes on impact.
Interaction & Randomness
Click, spawn, and score
Projects:
- Whack-a-Minion - Click game with scoring
- Alien Blaster - First space shooter
Skills Learned:
What Your Child Accomplishes:
Games become interactive with mouse controls, random spawning enemies, and the ability to create/destroy objects dynamically.
Build a clicking game where targets appear randomly on screen, with rare 'golden' versions worth bonus points—then evolve it into a space shooter with multiple enemies.
Functions & Organization
Writing reusable code
Projects:
- Cosmic Chaos - Space shooter with custom shapes
- Turbo Street Racer - Dodging obstacles
Skills Learned:
What Your Child Accomplishes:
Your child learns to organize code into reusable functions, creating custom enemies and effects that can be called whenever needed.
Design unique enemy shapes (hearts, stars, custom sprites) using helper functions, then add rainbow trail effects and progressive difficulty.
Gravity & Physics
Making games feel real
Projects:
- Gravity Jumper - Platformer basics
- Super Bounce - Advanced jumping mechanics
Skills Learned:
What Your Child Accomplishes:
Games gain realistic physics with gravity, jumping, and platform collision—the foundation of classic platformers.
Create a character that falls realistically, jumps when on platforms, and can even double-jump or bounce off springboard platforms.
Win Conditions & Polish
Adding challenge and victory
Projects:
- Volcano Escape - Goal-based platformer
- Custom Game Development
Skills Learned:
What Your Child Accomplishes:
Students add winning and losing conditions, creating complete game loops with challenges and rewards.
Build a platformer where lava rises from below, requiring players to climb quickly to reach the flag—or design their own custom challenge.
Your Game, Published
Final project showcase
Projects:
- Indie Arcade Expo - Student's original game concept
Skills Learned:
What Your Child Accomplishes:
Your child creates, refines, and publishes their own original game—showcased on the TurboCreate student gallery for friends and family to play.
Students choose their favorite game from weeks 1-5 and transform it into a polished, published game with a title screen, instructions, and unique features.
Core Skills Developed
Our Teaching Approach
AI as a Creative Partner
Students learn to describe what they want in clear, precise language—then watch AI bring it to life. This mirrors how professional developers work in 2025, making your child's skills immediately relevant.
Learn by Building
Every concept is taught through hands-on game creation. No lectures, no passive watching—just immediate application of new skills in projects that kids actually want to build.
Iteration, Not Perfection
Bugs become learning opportunities. Students see instructors make mistakes, then fix them—teaching resilience and problem-solving rather than fear of failure.
Progressive Complexity
Each week builds on the last. Early wins (moving a pixel) create confidence. Later challenges (physics, multi-jump systems) feel achievable because foundational skills are solid.
How Each Session Works
Instructor Demo (10 minutes)
Michael demonstrates the day's concept by prompting AI in real-time, showing both successes and how to recover from mistakes. Students see the exact process of turning ideas into code.
Concept Quick-Talk (5 minutes)
Brief explanation of the programming concept behind the demo—why it works, when to use it, and how it connects to what they've already learned.
Student Build Time (40 minutes)
Students create their own version, make it unique, and explore variations. Instructors circulate, answer questions, and encourage experimentation. This is where the magic happens.
Share & Celebrate (5 minutes)
Volunteers demo their creations. The group celebrates what worked and discusses what to try next session. Every student leaves knowing they built something real.