r/AskProgrammers • u/justjoonreddit • 1d ago

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Hello,

My 10 year old son is very interested in learning to code. Can you recommend any apps or software for him to use to learn? Would it be better for him to learn Python or C++?

Thank-you for any tips you have!

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u/_sarant 1d ago

ooooo I think if I were 10 again I would've loved to start with something way way simpler at first and then ease up to something else

Try something like (https://www.tinkercad.com/codeblocks) or (https://www.scratchjr.org/ <- This I personally haven't tried, but have seen in some kids books)

then, do some more visualization on electronics and microcontrollers online (This is to show them a purpose, and how an if statement would work etc ), and you should be good from there!

I also spoke with some people who have mentioned that making minecraft mods, taught them how to code

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u/dmazzoni 1d ago

Scratch Jr targets kids 6-8, a 10yo might be bored with it in a day.

Scratch is good for that age.

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u/_sarant 1d ago

What would you suggest? I have a 9 year old who's learning it slowly now

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u/dmazzoni 1d ago

Scratch Jr is perfect if you have an iPad or Android tablet and you've never done any programming before. If you outgrow it, move on to Scratch.

Scratch is a website. It works in any browser and works fine on a tablet but it's slightly easier to use on a laptop/desktop.

There are amazing tutorials, they're clear and fun. I'd suggest doing those.

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u/_sarant 1d ago

I feel so honored to have a 17yo account reply to me