Hello,

I would like to share my experience with my son, who is now 11 years old.

I introduced him to video games using emulators of old video games when he was 5 or 6 years old. We played together, and naturally, he developed a strong passion for video games. Playing together with video games was a stepping stone from earlier games, like Lego.

As he grew curious, he started asking me questions such as, "Have you ever made a video game? How difficult is it? Can you teach me?" In response, I provided him with context on how computers work and found some engaging books from the 80s on computers with good illustrations.

Later on, when he had a basic understanding of mathematics, I introduced him to Scratch. After playing together, he began creating his own projects. As his interest deepened, he expressed a desire for more, after some searches I've found that there was a videogame called "Game Builder Garage" for the Nintendo Switch, which I gave him as a Christmas present.

Similar to our experience with Scratch, we started playing together, and eventually, I let him explore and create on his own, leading to impressive results. He also began playing Minecraft, another excellent resource for children to develop creativity when supervised by adults. We spent time building various structures together.

Now, he has asked me to teach him how to code. I was initially concerned that coding might be tedious and frustrating for a 11-year-old, potentially taking away the fun. However, I found a Python book titled "Python Coding for Kids," and we began coding together, following the initial chapters. To make it more interesting, he suggested creating stats for Dungeons & Dragons characters, and we collaborated on such projects.

While he may not yet be able to code independently, he has acquired foundational knowledge about how things work in the field of coding.

Most importantly, we had a tremendous amount of fun together, and I had the pleasure of witnessing his skills grow.

I would encourage you to follow your own path and find tools that match your child's abilities.

Daniele

user:	lodevalm
created:	January 19, 2024
karma:	1
about:	Software designer, electronic musician, bass player