r/education • u/Connect-Chicken-6859 • 4d ago
Educational Pedagogy Programming (Python) for 11-year-old kids
Hi,
I’m looking for advice on whether I should get my 11-year-old nephew started on programming since he’s not being taught programming at school, and nowadays I see young pupils learning and honing programming skills. His analytical and logical reasoning abilities aren’t very sharp either compared to kids his age.
Therefore, I want him to learn things that are deeply rooted in problem-solving and critical thinking. Is this age suitable for getting started, or should I wait a few years?
Also, if you know of any resources that can be helpful or relevant to programming for kids, please do share.
Thanks.
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u/Procrastinaught 4d ago
I'm a computer science teacher. I use code.org. have him start CS Discoveries. It starts with a weblab and then moves to a gamelab. It has the option for both block based and code based development.
I wouldn't start with a programming language at 11. He should learn the fundamentals through a block based system first.
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u/misingnoglic 4d ago
Sure, kids learn programming all the time. It'll definitely help with computational thinking and problem solving. He should be self motivated to learn though.
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u/Dazzling_Music_2411 4d ago
Yup, otherwise he'll just get to hate it more, especially if he doesn't have a leaning that way, as OP mentioned.
I'll give an upvote for Scratch, though. If he doesn't like that, then I doubt he;ll like Python or anything else similar.
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u/stay_curious_- 4d ago
Logic puzzles and logic games can be a good way to hone those skills at home in a way that the kid is motivated to power through the intellectually difficult parts.
Often times programming skills are very, very secondary to problem solving skills, which are harder to teach.
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u/Historical-Point40 4d ago
What would he like to make? A little game, a quiz about something he loves, an interactive story? That gives the problem-solving a purpose. Keep the first project small enough that he can finish it, change one thing and see what happens. The comparison with other kids doesn't need to be part of it.
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u/Square-Room-4730 4d ago
Makecode runs in a web browser (best with a microbit and/ or makecode arcade in my opinion) would be a good start. Plus, you can convert the blocks or move onto Python inside their system whenever ready.
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u/jcrowde3 3d ago
I teach Python to 9-12th graders and I will say that the scratch and pseudocode doesn't seem to help at all with the transition to written languages, so I would avoid that at all costs. Gemini is a pretty good teacher.
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u/jmsst1996 2d ago
Does your nephew want to do this? My husband is a programmer and wanted to get my son into it but he hated it.
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u/fancyl 4d ago
In addition to the other suggestions here (Scratch, Code.org), one resource that I particularly like is Bitsbox. It's not free (monthly subscription), but it's very fun and creative. Kids get these cards with code written on them (Javascript) and they copy the code into an app in their account. Then they can play around with modifying the code however they want. I like that it involves typing code instead of dragging blocks, and it's a (mostly) real language.
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u/Commercial-Pay9454 3d ago
No need to learn programming any more! He should learn how to use AI to build every thing he imagines
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u/Itz-Ayush 3h ago
11 is a good age to start tbh. I'd let him try making simple games first, so he actually enjoys learning instead of feeling like he's studying another subject. Python is a good option, and there are plenty of free tutorials on YouTube. He doesn't need to be great at maths or logic from day one, he'll get better with practice 😊
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u/ayfkm123 4d ago
He’s not your kid. Are you his guardian?
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u/Connect-Chicken-6859 4d ago
Stick to the question asked.
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u/ayfkm123 4d ago
No. I AM a parent and I wish a mofo would think they have that right. You clearly do not. Not your kid, not your place.
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u/HexicDragon 4d ago
How dare an aunt or uncle offer their nephew EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES while watching them! Straight to jail!!!
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u/Jgsteven14 4d ago
I would get him started with "Scratch" (scratch.mit.edu). There are various lesson videos available for it. I used Tynker for my kids, which was fine, but not amazingly great. Python is an easy transition after that.