Ask HN: What is an ideal age for Kids to introduce them to coding?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4997844

by sk2code • 14 years ago

1 2 14 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

My son will be turning 7 soon and he is showing keen interest in computers. Often he is asking me how one can create websites and web pages?

For starters I am planning to teach him HTML and introduce him to Scratch. Am I starting too soon? Is 7 is an ideal age for Kids to introduce them to coding? When did you start with your kids as far as Computer education is concerned?

nnoitra• 14 years ago

Definitely 18. I've been programming since I was 15 and if I could back I would definitely spend that time studying more Math. It's very important to digest fundamental Math concepts before attempting to learn how to program.

rbrady• 14 years ago

I started my daughters at 4. We would play in a Python interpreter as a group. The idea was not about teaching syntax but showing them that code == fun stuff. We have continued with that theme for a while. At 6 they started playing more with Python on their own and one of them did Hackety Hack for a week or so. They're 7 now and we've played with Arduino a little but including them adjusting parameters in the source. I continue to expose and encourage them, but not require them. I try to keep the time blocks small to keep their attention. I would rather leave them wanting more than feeling like they were forced to learn.

Ask HN: What is an ideal age for Kids to introduce them to coding?

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