[guiambros]

My 12yo son is doing Strive Math [1], and loving it. They use p5.js running on Repl.it as the base layer, so there's zero set up time, and instant gratification. In the first or second class you're coding Pong-like games and doing other interesting visual puzzles and explorations. And it's mostly Python underneath (admittedly with tons of synthetic sugar on top), so you're not tied to the training wheels of a Scratch-like environment.

Strongly recommend to check them out. Their tutors are excellent, and fairly priced. And a lot of their work is open source, in case you want to leverage their libraries to build your own curriculum [2].

Another interesting option is PICO-8, the 8-bit virtual console. It has a nice editor, and uses Lua, which is also beginner-friendly. But I wanted something Python-based, and easier to extend beyond the pure educational environment, hence P5.js.

[1] https://www.strivemath.com/

[2] https://github.com/StriveMath

[3] https://www.lexaloffle.com/pico-8.php