
Ask HN: How early did you get your kids into Progrsmming? - perseusprime11
What apps, methods, tools did you use?
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danielvf
The kids and I play MineCraft with the fantastic open computers mod
([http://ocdoc.cil.li](http://ocdoc.cil.li)). Doing this gives a good base
understanding of what is easy to program and what is not. When I'm programing
they are pretty interested in whatever problem we are solving, and suggests
ways we could solve them.

I'm somewhat a believer in teaching kids things when they want to learn them.
So I'm teaching my daughter who is six years how to code, even though I've not
taught her older siblings yet.

For actually getting started teaching though, I just use the JavaScript
console in Chrome. You get live feedback, and there's a lot of stuff to make
happen.

Functions are monsters that hold arguments in their hands and either make
things happen, or transform into something else. Variables are boxes. My six
year old literally calls her programing "playing with the monsters".

On another tangent, I think the kid's world right now in professional America
has a little too much emphasis on STEM. It's worshiped like the football team
in coal America or being a doctor twenty years ago in Asia-American circles. I
love coding, breathe coding, and can't help but pass on, but I know that my
kids have unique, individual gifts. I'm not going to force them code. I'm just
going to support them if they want to, and coding is always going to be around
the house simply because that's what I do.

------
ankurdhama
Teach them problem solving and not just programming.

~~~
perseusprime11
How are you teaching problem solving? Any thoughts?

