Python for kids?

[Russ P.]

I have a 12-year-old son who spends too much time playing Xbox live
and watching silly YouTube videos. I would like to try to get him
interested in programming. Is anyone aware of a good book or website
that addresses this concern, preferably (but not necessarily) using
Python? I could try to teach him Python myself, but I'm afraid I would
just frustrate him and kill his interest in programming. I did a
Google search and found a few things, but not a lot. Thanks.

 

[Andreas Waldenburger]

I have a 12-year-old son who spends too much time playing Xbox live
and watching silly YouTube videos. I would like to try to get him
interested in programming. Is anyone aware of a good book or website
that addresses this concern, preferably (but not necessarily) using
Python? I could try to teach him Python myself, but I'm afraid I would
just frustrate him and kill his interest in programming. I did a
Google search and found a few things, but not a lot. Thanks.

Since your son seems to enjoy games, getting him interested in game
programming seems the most appropriate thing to do.

I'm not much of a Gamer myself, but I should think maybe modding a
shooter or other kind of game should be within the grasp of a 12 year
old (provided you let him play shooters).

Also, there's AGS (and friends) for making Adventure games.

Depending on his interests, smaller projects might work out as well,
such as Sudoku, Mahjongh, Card Games and whatnot.

Any of those could well become father and son projects as long as you
let him have the lead.

Has he ever expressed an interest in programming at all?


/W

 

[Brian Blais]

I have a 12-year-old son who spends too much time playing Xbox live
and watching silly YouTube videos. I would like to try to get him
interested in programming. Is anyone aware of a good book or website

check out:

http://www.briggs.net.nz/log/writing/snake-wrangling-for-kids/

it's specifically for Python, and geared for the age of your son.


bb

 

[bearophileHUGS]

I have a 12-year-old son who spends too much time playing Xbox live
and watching silly YouTube videos. I would like to try to get him
interested in programming.

Lot of people learn to program even before age of 12.
But I think it's better for you to help him get interest in problem-
solving and some of the other bases of the mathematic, scientific and
computational mindset. Once those interests are in place, he will
probably go looking by himself for things like programming languages,
math and science (of course at that point a gentle guide toward good
ideas, good problems to solve, good books to read and good programming
languages, helps).

Otherwise you risk pushing a person to learn using a tool (programming
is interesting by itself, but it's mostly a tool still) before having
any use for such tool or desire to learn it. And this may lead to
someone with no passion to solve problems and learn.

Bye,
bearophile

 

[André]

I have a 12-year-old son who spends too much time playing Xbox live
and watching silly YouTube videos. I would like to try to get him
interested in programming. Is anyone aware of a good book or website
that addresses this concern, preferably (but not necessarily) using
Python? I could try to teach him Python myself, but I'm afraid I would
just frustrate him and kill his interest in programming. I did a
Google search and found a few things, but not a lot. Thanks.

http://rur-ple.sourceforge.net

André

 

[Rhodri James]

I have a 12-year-old son who spends too much time playing Xbox live
and watching silly YouTube videos. I would like to try to get him
interested in programming. Is anyone aware of a good book or website
that addresses this concern, preferably (but not necessarily) using
Python? I could try to teach him Python myself, but I'm afraid I would
just frustrate him and kill his interest in programming. I did a
Google search and found a few things, but not a lot. Thanks.

The LiveWires Python Course, http://www.livewires.org.uk/python/home
is aimed at your son's age-group. There are several worksheets that
involve building games using a simple veneer over pygame, if you
need to entice him with something!

 

[Russ P.]

I have a 12-year-old son who spends too much time playing Xbox live
and watching silly YouTube videos. I would like to try to get him
interested in programming. Is anyone aware of a good book or website
that addresses this concern, preferably (but not necessarily) using
Python? I could try to teach him Python myself, but I'm afraid I would
just frustrate him and kill his interest in programming. I did a
Google search and found a few things, but not a lot. Thanks.

 

[Russ P.]

Thanks to everyone who replied. The information was very helpful.

Someone might want to consider putting a kids section on python.org
(if it doesn't have one already -- I didn't see one).

 

[MRAB]

Thanks to everyone who replied. The information was very helpful.

Someone might want to consider putting a kids section on python.org
(if it doesn't have one already -- I didn't see one).

You have a kid. Why don't you?

 

[Luis M. González]

This is a very good advice.
I learned from my own experience in college that trying to learn a
solution to a problem I never had, is wasted time.
The first step is confronting your student with an specific problem,
then let him try to find a way to solve it by himself.
After he tried hard many approaches to solving the problem with his
limited knowledge, show him the right way.
This way he will see the light.

I believe that many teachers don't know this basic concept, and they
simply teach in a mechanical way, without having their students
interested in the subject or without having explained them what
exactly these skills are good for.

Luis

 

[bearophileHUGS]

Luis M. González:

After he tried hard many approaches to solving the problem with his limited knowledge,<

You may even be surprised to see he/her/hir find a solution without
your help Or maybe you will see a different solution, this happens
often in math and computer science, even basic ones.

show him the right way. This way he will see the light.<

Sometimes if the problem is interesting there are more than one "right
way". And showing the light is more a purpose for priests than
teachers ;-)

Note that such things are well known, you can find similar things in
tons of (most) books about pedagogy. For example you can try a simple
but delicious book, "Brainstorms" by Seymour Papert (who also was one
of the inventors of Logo language and is currently learning to talk
and walk again).
You can even find similar ideas in books more far from pedagogy ones,
like "Deschooling Society" by Ivan Illich.

Bye,
bearophile

 

[Benjamin]

I have a 12-year-old son who spends too much time playing Xbox live
and watching silly YouTube videos. I would like to try to get him
interested in programming. Is anyone aware of a good book or website
that addresses this concern, preferably (but not necessarily) using
Python? I could try to teach him Python myself, but I'm afraid I would
just frustrate him and kill his interest in programming. I did a
Google search and found a few things, but not a lot. Thanks.

Perhaps what he really needs is some time away from the screen.

 

[News123]

Hi,

. . .
But I think it's better for you to help him get interest in problem-
solving . . .
Once those interests are in place, he will
probably go looking by himself for things like programming languages,
. . .

Otherwise you risk pushing a person to learn using a tool (programming
is interesting by itself, but it's mostly a tool still) before having
any use for such tool or desire to learn it. And this may lead to
someone with no passion to solve problems and learn.

People are different.

I for example learnt programming at 13 without having any initial use
for it.
My main motivation was, that my father brought the first computer, I
ever saw (AIM-65) from work, but didn't want to spent time to explain me
what it does and how it works.
Instead he just gave me a book about BASIC and hoped I wouldn't bother
him anymore.
(For me as a slightly stubborn teenager this was challenge enough to
show, that I could write a (whatever) basic program.

If the book, that teaches programming has just a few 'fun examples' it
could be enough to get him (Rus' son) started thinking about his own
problems he could then solve with writing programs.

Russ should best be able to know what could be 'fun-examples' for his son.

Fun-examples could be things like:
- high low number guessing program
- drawing funny pictures with turtle graphics
- printing out all possible combinations / permutations of som digits
letters.
- towers of hanoi
- a very basic pong game
- writing a mini data base for his 'whatever' - collection


It might however be a little more complicated to motivate somebody to
write some small rather simple programsm when it's so simple to google
and download so much SW without knowing anythng about programming.
20-30 years ago it was basically impossible to locate and download (even
did'nt have a modem ) ready made SW

Depending on his interests he might also be more interested in learning
a spreadsheet SW / a drawing program and then attack the related macros
/ scripting language



bye


N