Slashdot Mirror
Ask Slashdot: Best Book Or Game To Introduce Kids To Programming?
New submitter connorblack writes "My very gifted nephew is about to turn nine this month and I would love to get him some sort of fun, engaging book or game to introduce him to the basic concepts of programming. I have a feeling if approached correctly he would absolutely devour the subject (he is already working through mathematics at an 8th grade level). What I first was looking at were the Lego Mindstorm programmable robots- which would have been perfect, if only they weren't around 300 dollars... So if there's anything similar (or completely new!) you've either heard praise about or used yourself with your kids, it would be great to get a recommendation. Also if possible I would want to stick to an under 100 dollar budget."
Would a nine year old be able to follow The Little Schemer?
Scratch, visual multimedia programming system from MIT. http://scratch.mit.edu/
This blog posting seems apropos:
http://hostilefork.com/2012/03/06/a-word-on-programming-education-and-spacechem/
I don't care if it's 90,000 hectares. That lake was not my doing.
Mentors are the most significant educational source. Match wits with the kid. Say "look what I can do, and here's how I did it". Then challenge the kid to do something similar himself. Build from "Hello, world" to a text adventure, or an animation, or a video game, or whatever else he shows some talent in. First just spend time with the kid, and let the programming interest grow naturally. If it doesn't, don't force it.
You do not have a moral or legal right to do absolutely anything you want.
Another good option is Arduino. Easy to teach basic structure while wiring up lights and buzzers and stuff to make it fun.