I started my kid with Scratch. Then had him do some of the Hour of Code challenges on Code.org and then some of their courses (recommended). Did a couple Arduino projects programmed with ArduBlock. Now we are working with a VEXIQ kit from Vex Robotics and working our way through the RobotC course. All graphical programming so far. Want to start looking under the hood at the actual code soon.
I've started working with my third child who is 10 years old. The older two weren't interested, but my youngest is really interested. We first tried to use Scratch and some of the online learning sites, but they all drove me crazy because things would break or wouldn't work like the videos. We switched to Python using Pygame Zero which is going MUCH better. Definitely recommend Python: using whitespace for blocks is very understandable and easier than balancing {}.
At 10 my child is able to exclusively drive the keyboard and make many of the changes he wants. We've been doing this for about 6 weeks spending 1-2 hours on Sat and Sun.
My older son is much more interested in mechanical engineering so I'm mentoring his robotics team for programming.
I have taught my kids ages 5 and 10 some coding in ScratchJr/Scratch/MakeCode.
I also volunteered at the school to teach kids how to build their own robot from lego, servos, and microbits.
What I have found is that most younger kids are not as drawn to coding.
It is the hands on projects that keeps them interested.
For ScratchJr I did put out a 30 minute project based course on Udemy. It has a few students here and there. But what really works is when I sit down with a class and show them live how to build a project on Scratch Jr.
Mostly trying to get my 5 year old into some light programming :D
- I bought her Lego Boost (well, mostly myself, but we still have fun with it) and she is getting better at actually programming it
- I installed scratch junior on the chromebook she's been using (nice for mostly lightly interactive animations), we wen't through few of the work-assigments and she likes to fiddle with the included project-samples
I ended up getting my son into programming by using codakid.com as he was obsessed with Minecraft and Roblox so when I showed him he could make his own content he was hooked. We have been doing some hands-on builds with Raspberry Pi projects as well. We are lucky that our school has a good STEM program to further develop and encourage these skills. The hardest part is always making it run and relatable.
My daughter is the same age. I teach her basic coding skills.
We tried an arduino kit we picked up from Micro Center. It has a project book which is quite good.
However, all the code is in C.
I tried the microbit and it was a lot easier for her to get started on her own. Having the option between visual block coding and Python was a good option to have.
In spite of learning Logo at 6, I didn’t try to introduce programming to my kids, but my 7yo daughter picked up Scratch-based web programming during school where they did Hour of Code. (Pleasantly surprised considering Texas’ slow bleeding of public schools.) It’s a free site filled with focused, guided activities using block programming and probably other languages. One is Dance Party where you sequence dancers and their stage to a music track, and in another you teach Elsa to skate patterns into the ice in a modern twist on Logo.
They do a lot of Minecraft now but are interested in TinkerCAD, which I’ll solidify by printing some of their designs. Not sure any of the beginner CAD apps are really easy, though.
My son's experience has generally been self-driven via Scratch. I introduced him to Scratch at around age 7 through CoderDojo and he really enjoyed it (I'm a big fan of Scratch for kids--it's the perfect balance of art, creativity and logic with programming concepts mixed in.
I introduced Python, then Javascript, after he asked me about what I do (I was excited that he actually asked, so I ordered the book). I'm more of a web designer/developer, not a software engineer, so I showed him to the tools I know (trying to keep things at his level) and set him on his way. The thought of being able to write his own video game keeps him motivated. He plays with the examples on phaser.io/examples and sees it as something he might be able to do after working through the lessons.
My biggest concern is pushing him into something that he doesn't want for himself. It should never feel like work. He likes the CodeSchool videos, jingles and exercises, so he does it. He got tired of the books, so he stopped. There are many long gaps, diversions and pivots, which is totally fine. If he just wants to play outside, build with Legos, read, watch a movie or do nothing, I don't bother him. Programming is not his job, it's just a skill that I think will be useful for him and is something I can actually help him with.
Side Note: I originally had a section in the post about how in the past it was more common to pass knowledge and skills down to your children in the form of trades (farming, sewing, blacksmithing, etc.) and is "computer programming" something worthy of passing down. I thought it digressed a bit too much, so I removed it.
http://www.tynker.com. My daughter started with Scratch Jr. When she turned 9, we got her a chromebook for her birthday, and I read about this site in a WSJ article. She took to it right away. Kids can progress through extensive programming-puzzle tutorials and make their own projects, using a "block" language, python, or Javascript. They can switch between the three supported languages within projects. She is still most comfortable with the block style, given that it abstracts away free-form syntax, but has started working through the python tutorials. A year later she has made dozens of her own projects (mainly simple games) of increasing complexity, which can be published and shared with other kids. She now understands relatively complex concepts like generating random behavior, method calls, variables and even physics engines. Highly recommended.
It's a text based language, but you program a graphical robot to do various tasks. I've found that it's a great combination of fun and actual coding that helps kids transition from something like scratch to more advanced languages and concepts. I'd say it's good for kids around 12 years old.
I saw the MIT scratch(lego style) coding for kids, which is nice. Also in the early days we did draw flow diagrams like this IDE does before coding, and there is the PLC logic coding in the factories, and there are also nice programming tools for artists etc(e.g. processing), I am just honestly thinking where to fit this one. Will try it sometime.
My daughter has been "coding" since she was three and my son since he was two. They began with the code and go robot mouse, where you push arrows in the direction and order you want the mouse to go totally ignoring the course and just trying to get the mouse to the cheese on the floor. Next I bought Cubetto, which comes with a board with pieces that give instructions and you place on the board. Mostly one kid sits on the floor and the other will "program" Cubetto to come over to the them.
Now my daughter is five and plays with Scratch Jr. She makes short clips of characters moving around, recording and timing the characters voices, allowing presents and balloons to magically appear, she's not tying in code but instead uses "graphical programming blocks". She also likes codeSpark.
My kids do not distinguish programming from play. I intend to keep up programming = play which I will later transition to a more advanced version of, "I want to make a thing, writing a program will allow me make it." than what my daughter is currently doing. Make it fun, and don't do much in the way of suggestions/feedback, just let them know you'll answer any questions and let them make mistakes.
I introduced my daughter to ScratchJr when she was 5 and Scratch when she was 7.
I taught her class Scratch. It does make a big difference which language you start with. I think how much you are involved with your child’s learning make also is a big part of the success.
I introduced her to MakeCode at 8 and we used the microbit to build a robot with legos and servos.
This project was such a hit that her principal asked me to teach it to the middle school kids.
Thanks for that recommendation. My kid started with Scratch and then did several of the Code.org courses and Hour of Code activities. Been wanting to move him on to learning "real" programming. Was trying to find an easy, online, self-paced Python course but have not found what I want. We've been working through "Invent Your Own Computer Games with Python" book. The programming concepts are not too advanced for him but there is a lot of reading between each step so I have to sit with him and read through it together or boredom and attention span become an issue.
For my daughter (she's now 7), I followed this sequence:
- Exact instructions challenge (from YouTube)
- LightBot app on Android
- Scratch with Harvey Mudd College's course on edX
Snap! has some nice features but the community aspects of Scratch are so much better that she's happy building games there.
Same as you, our goal was not to "learn programming", but just to have fun making things move with your ideas. Just creating rather than passively consuming something.
I started my kid with Scratch. Then had him do some of the Hour of Code challenges on Code.org and then some of their courses (recommended). Did a couple Arduino projects programmed with ArduBlock. Now we are working with a VEXIQ kit from Vex Robotics and working our way through the RobotC course. All graphical programming so far. Want to start looking under the hood at the actual code soon.
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