Who says you need years of experience to code?
Seven-year-old Zora Ball from Philadelphia is proving that idea wrong every day. She created and coded a mobile game that threads together ballet, jewelry and a hint of spooky drama. Zora is a first grader at the Harambee Institute of Science and Technology Charter School, and she built the game for a science, technology, engineering and mathematics class. Her teacher is Tariq Al-Nasir.
Tariq leads the STEMnasium Learning Academy, where open‑source tools once aimed at college coursework are taught with a kid‑friendly approach. Bootstrap and Alice 2.0 are used to introduce programming concepts, and Tariq has made the software accessible to younger students by using a language called Racket.
In the classroom, Tariq showed math in a playful light. The students were asked to create interactive games that include a player, a goal and something to avoid, all while moving along X and Y coordinates. After that, they chose a setting for their game.
Zora chose a ballerina on a quest to locate a jewel in a nail salon, all while dodging a vampire—a character she dislikes. He noted that she was clearly comfortable with the idea that the danger moves on the X axis and the player travels on the Y axis.
The Philadelphia Tribune highlighted Zora as the youngest person to create a full version of a mobile application game. She later attended Will.I.Am’s TRANS4M benefit in Los Angeles and showed him a new game she built. In this version, Will.I.Am acted as the player, microphones were the goal, and a bad note represented the danger. Pretty amazing for a seven-year-old!
These early milestones reflect a broader movement: kids can dive into code when the learning environment is hands‑on and infused with creative goals. The work with Bootstrap, Alice 2.0 and Racket demonstrates how accessible tools spark curiosity, build problem‑solving muscles and lay a foundation for more advanced studies in computing and design.
Zora’s story also highlights the importance of mentorship and community support in education. A classroom that blends art and logic, storytelling and systems thinking helps young students see themselves as builders and problem solvers. Her achievement stands as a reminder to parents, teachers and policymakers that age does not determine the potential to create, innovate and contribute in meaningful ways to technology and society.
Ultimately, Zora Ball’s experience serves as a testament to what happens when young minds are invited to code early. It shows that with the right tools, guidance and opportunities, children can turn playful ideas into real, working software. And it is a story that keeps inspiring others to give kids a seat at the table of invention, where big ideas can start small and grow quickly.