Did you know that Bill Gates started coding in his early teens? By age 19, he had already co-founded Microsoft, which would go on to dominate the tech landscape for years to come. 

As the need for getting job-ready skills at an early age increases, more grade schools are teaching students to learn to code. But before you start assigning coding tasks to your own child, keep reading for our specific tips related to Python coding for kids.

Then and Now

Kids have been programming ever since personal computers found their way into homes in the late 70s. Back then, if you wanted to play a game or even just type out some text on a Commodore 64 or BBC Micro, you had to be an enthusiast. Kids with access to a computer had no choice but to code, usually in the BASIC programming language.

That’s how Gates’s generation and the following one first got into programming. Today, the situation is slightly different. While most of us have access to one or more devices, these are designed to be used without any technical knowledge. Much of a computer’s complexity is now hidden well beneath the shiny surfaces. Does this mean that there’s no longer any reason for kids to learn how to program? Of course not.

Why Should Kids Learn To Program?

While adults often emphasize the professional benefits of programming, this probably won’t be a driving factor for your child. Tanmay Bakshi, who was already working for IBM Watson at age 12, started coding when he was just five years old. Apparently what drove him was that he had nothing else to do and programming seemed like fun. 

Brittany Wenger got into coding in 7th grade. She had been interested in learning more about AI and its relationship to human intelligence. At age 17, Wenger created a piece of software for cancer detection powered by deep learning. The project was motivated by a cancer case in her own family.

Avi Schiffmann, another 17-year-old, gained fame for building a coronavirus tracker that became the web’s foremost resource on global COVID-19 numbers. Combining a passion for learning with an interest in progressive causes, the young programmer recently launched another website related to the 2020 BLM protests.

When asked in an interview whether everyone should learn how to code, the young coding genius said no, because “a lot of people just can’t stay on their computer for a long amount of time.” Instead, he suggested that students learn about “the actual concept of coding,” as it teaches a lot about problem-solving.

Is Python a Good First Language for Kids?

Programming languages can be intimidating. We don’t even have to mention esoteric languages like Whitespace. Even a language like JavaScript might be hard to grasp intuitively — what with its brackets and declaration keywords. But Python is constantly praised for its simple syntax, which comes pretty close to everyday English. Let’s look at two examples:

The first example is a classic “Hello World” program. It does exactly what it says: It prints our short greeting to the screen. In the second example, we created a friends list and added one new name to it, using the “append” method. Because of its comparatively simple syntax, Python is very beginner-friendly. 

The second big argument for Python as a first language is that, unlike a language like Scratch (whose purpose is purely educational), it’s used in the real world. In fact, Python is frequently cited as a top programming language for a wide range of applications. With Python, much of what your kid learns may be used in future projects. And if your child is curious about a specific real-world project, they might be able to check out the source code! 

Even if you don’t know how to code yourself, you can still support your kid’s learning process. If your child is stuck, ask them to explain their code to you. Going through a program step by step and explaining what each snippet does is a great debugging technique — so much so that seasoned programmers use it in a trick dubbed “rubber ducking.”

What are Some Suitable Python Projects for Kids?

99 Bottles of …

Implementing the reverse counting song “99 bottles of beer” in Python includes loops and manipulating an integer variable. This exercise nicely illustrates how code can save us plenty of time by doing the repetitive stuff for us. Make sure to replace the beer with a more child-friendly drink, though.

Write a Game

Everyone loves games. What can be more exciting than writing one’s own in a newly learned programming language? And we’re not talking about complex 3D graphics. Your kid can try a simple text-based adventure game. If that’s peanuts for your little ones, they can use the Pygame Zero library to add some fun visuals. Check out this Python tutorial for kids on Pygame Zero, written by a father.

Draw Some Turtle Graphics

Much like adults, kids are drawn to visual things. With turtle graphics, you program a cursor (the “turtle”) to move around the screen, drawing a picture. This can produce pretty images like spirographs.

Program a Raspberry Pi

The Raspberry Pi is a tiny and inexpensive single-board computer. Its creator, Eben Upton, concluded that computers had become too complex and expensive as a learning tool for kids. So in 2011, he came up with this little machine that derives the second part of its name from its closeness to the Python language.

From training machine vision models that distinguish cats from dogs, to building a laser tripwire, the Raspberry Pi website offers many ideas for projects that will delight your children.

Do a Code Review

What’s more important than writing code? Reading code. Programmers spend more time trying to understand programs than actually writing them. Still, this is a skill that’s rarely taught. We recommend sitting down with your child and looking over a piece of Python code together. Why did the programmer implement it like that? Was that a good or a bad choice? Answering such questions helps us develop our coding style.

Do a Data Science Project

Is your child passionate about a specific topic? If they’re a bit older and already have some Python coding experience, they might be interested in doing a data science project. Your city or state might provide public, real-world data that’s waiting to be explored. In a world where data is becoming increasingly important, learning to read the stories behind the numbers can feel very empowering.

Where Can Kids Learn Python?

Nowadays, many countries are introducing programming languages as early as grade school. If your child’s school doesn’t offer programming courses, fear not, there are plenty of other resources on how to learn Python for kids. Your kid can join afternoon or online classes, or may even visit a summer boot camp (they might even come back with a cool project). Alternatively, you could use a book like “Teach Your Kids To Code” by Bryson Payne and teach them at home. 

What If My Child Is Too Young To Learn Python? 

You probably shouldn’t introduce your child to Python before they’ve gone through the absolute basics. Many kids start programming in Scratch, which is a visuals-based language designed specifically for children. In Scratch, rather than writing words, children can drag and drop coding blocks around. 

Another option is to incorporate basic programming concepts into the games you play with your children. This WSJ article suggests training algorithmic thinking by writing instructions for Lego toys. You could also try out one of the many board games designed to teach coding. For example, Coder Bunnyz teaches general concepts like loops and inheritance. Fittingly, creator Samaira Mehta designed the game when she was only nine years old.

Python Coding for Kids: The Next Level

Our stories of kids doing big things in the world of Python show that it’s never too early to get started. Are your children cruising through all of the Python resources and exercises you’re throwing at them? Perhaps it’s time to look into our expertly-taught Introduction to Programming Nanodegree. There’s no age limit!

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