[Tutor] Teaching an 8-year-old programming.

[Jugurtha Hadjar]

On 05/20/2012 09:07 PM, boB Stepp wrote:
> This is, in a sense, a related question to the ones I just posted.
> While observing me studying programming, my son has become interested
> in learning how to program as well. I have given him a very old
> Gateway PC to play around with. It was new when W95 came out. I have
> started him out with QBASIC, which comes with W95. He seems to be
> doing fine, but I am wondering if this is the best way to start him in
> the world of programming? Any thoughts about this?
>
> Thanks!

This sounds great! I started programming around 8 or 9 too with BASIC 
(QBasic, GWBasic,,,).

Your son is very lucky in two ways:

1- He is an english speaker: When I was his age, all I spoke were four 
languages (french, arabic, kabyle and algerian dialect) and none of them 
was english. English is the language to really access good resources on 
programming.

2- There is Internet in 2012: I didn't log in until I was a teenager and 
it was from an internet café because it was very expensive.

3- (I know I said two ways, but you shouldn't have believed me): He has 
a father who's an insider. It's a tremendous plus because you "get it".

The syntax is kind of merciful so he'd be up and running in no time, 
tackling what he really wants to do.

If I may suggest Zed Shaw's excellent series:

http://learnpythonthehardway.org/

The book can be found here (HTML):

http://learnpythonthehardway.org/book/

I'm biased, the guy has similar stuff for C too.


Later, he could do things with C/Python. I'm reading a book called "Real 
World Instrumentation with Python" where the author shows a combination 
between hardware level programming with C and wrapping/binding with 
Python. It's very interesting.


Good luck to both of you!

-- 
~Jugurtha Hadjar,