Learn Python with Turtle

Lesson 1 - Getting started

Exercises

• Can you make a zig-zag line?
• Can you make a tic-tac-toe board?

Lesson 2 - Loops

Exercises

• Can you create a triangle using a loop?
• Can you create a hexagon using a loop?
• Can you create a grid of squares?

Lesson 3 - Simple calculations and circles

Exercises

• Draw a house in a landscape scene, with a door, window, clouds and a sun.

Lesson 4 - User input

Lesson 5 - Make decisions

Lesson 6 - Lists

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Turtle command cheatsheet

This cheatsheet is your quick guide to the most useful Python Turtle commands.

Getting Started

Command	What It Does	Example
import turtle	This is the very first thing you need to do! It brings the turtle library into your program.	import turtle
t = turtle.Turtle()	Creates a turtle for you to control. We’ll call it ‘t’.	t = turtle.Turtle()

Moving the Turtle 🚶‍♂️

These commands tell your turtle where to go. The number inside the parentheses is the number of “steps” or “degrees.”

Command	What It Does	Example
t.forward(steps)	Moves the turtle forward.	t.forward(100)
t.backward(steps)	Moves the turtle backward.	t.backward(50)
t.right(degrees)	Turns the turtle to its right.	t.right(90)
t.left(degrees)	Turns the turtle to its left.	t.left(45)
t.goto(x, y)	Moves the turtle to a specific location on the screen.	t.goto(50, -20)
t.circle(radius)	Draws a circle. The radius is how big it is.	t.circle(50)

Changing the Pen ✍️

These commands control whether the turtle draws a line or not.

Command	What It Does	Example
t.penup()	Lifts the pen up. The turtle can move without drawing.	t.penup()
t.pendown()	Puts the pen back down. The turtle will start drawing again.	t.pendown()
t.pensize(size)	Changes how thick the line is.	t.pensize(5)
t.color("color_name")	Changes the color of the pen. Use quotes!	t.color("red")

Filling Shapes 🎨

You can use these commands to fill in a shape with a color.

Command	What It Does	Example
t.begin_fill()	Starts the “filling” process.	t.begin_fill()
t.end_fill()	Stops filling. Everything between this and begin_fill() will be filled.	t.end_fill()
t.fillcolor("color_name")	Chooses the color to fill with.	t.fillcolor("blue")

Helpful Reminders 💡

• Variables: A variable is like a container for information. You can use it to store numbers or text. size = 100 or my_color = "red".
• Loops: A for loop is used to repeat code a certain number of times. It’s super useful for drawing shapes!

  # This will repeat the code inside 4 times
  for i in range(4):
      t.forward(50)
      t.left(90)
  

• Selection: An if statement lets your program make a decision.

  # This checks if the color is "red"
  if my_color == "red":
      t.color("red")