I learned programming through SilverCreator (http://www.silvercreator.net/?action=downloads) when I was younger than 10. SilverCreator is not updated anymore, it’s only for Mac, the official website doesn’t explain much about it, and there might be a few bugs, but nonetheless it’s a fun game-creation system.
It uses a card-based model where each “card” has an image area and a text area, plus buttons along the bottom, and you can switch between cards easily. You can start the kid off just implementing a guess-the-number game using dialogue boxes or the text area. There are built-in drawing tools for drawing to the image area, so it’s easy to create a simple choose-your-own adventure game and use the buttons along the bottom to switch screens. SilverCreator is made in REALbasic, and the programming language it uses is basically a slightly-more-easily-parsable version of REALbasic that uses global functions for everything. All code is started from an event, usually either a button click or entering a card. It’s missing some nice features for more advanced game creation, especially detecting whether a key is down or not (though it can detect key press events), but it supports sprites, sound effects, and even network connections with a simple API. The documentation for the programming language can be accessed from the program’s Help menu – many people have trouble finding it.
I created a Mayan number system translator, Collatz conjecture tester, Pong clone, and P2P chat client using SilverCreator, to give you an idea of what’s possible. You can check the forums on the SilverCreator site to view more examples of games or to ask for help.
It uses a card-based model where each “card” has an image area and a text area, plus buttons along the bottom, and you can switch between cards easily. You can start the kid off just implementing a guess-the-number game using dialogue boxes or the text area. There are built-in drawing tools for drawing to the image area, so it’s easy to create a simple choose-your-own adventure game and use the buttons along the bottom to switch screens. SilverCreator is made in REALbasic, and the programming language it uses is basically a slightly-more-easily-parsable version of REALbasic that uses global functions for everything. All code is started from an event, usually either a button click or entering a card. It’s missing some nice features for more advanced game creation, especially detecting whether a key is down or not (though it can detect key press events), but it supports sprites, sound effects, and even network connections with a simple API. The documentation for the programming language can be accessed from the program’s Help menu – many people have trouble finding it.
I created a Mayan number system translator, Collatz conjecture tester, Pong clone, and P2P chat client using SilverCreator, to give you an idea of what’s possible. You can check the forums on the SilverCreator site to view more examples of games or to ask for help.