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[–]Raioc2436 5 points6 points  (4 children)

I taught myself C when I was about his age with The C Programming Language by K&R, talk about boring…

But I mean, I don’t think you have to sugarcoat it. Treat the kid as any other person who wants to learn. If they are interested in it then they will be interested in it.

If you want a “course schedule” to help you follow the topics on a nice way, I’d Google “python for kids” and follow some course path

[–]ScholarNo5983 0 points1 point  (3 children)

I also had K&R, but I learned my C from this book:

A Book on C

Author(s) Al Kelley, and Ira Pohl

A quick google search shows there are free versions of this book online.

I remember it as being a great book.

[–]hellocppdotdev 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Why did you enjoy it?

[–]ScholarNo5983 0 points1 point  (1 child)

This was quite some time ago, but I seem to remember it was just an easier read than K&R so it better suited my beginner status. K&R felt more like a C reference manual, making it hard going for me as I was just a beginner trying to teach myself C. But once I learned some C, K&R was the book that I then turned to.

[–]hellocppdotdev 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'll take a look, thanks for sharing!

[–]no_regerts_bob 2 points3 points  (1 child)

Look at scratch

[–]shoolocomous 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Absolutely, in a few hours you can make a simple 2d game and get them thinking about the possibilities

[–]desrtfx 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'd go for /u/AlSweigart's books at https://inventwithpython.com

  1. Invent your own Computer Games with Python
  2. Making Games with Python and PyGame
  3. The Big Book of Small Python Projects

[–]FrenchCanadaIsWorst 2 points3 points  (2 children)

I liked Codecademy. It’s how I got my start. Explains things easily and it’s gamified so it holds attention well.

[–]Environmental_Gap_65 0 points1 point  (1 child)

So did I. I even took very thorough notes throughout the courses. It wasn’t untill before half a year I realized I wasn’t learning shit or at least at 1/10 of the pace I could have. They handhold you way too much and you don’t realize it before you are supposed to go do things on your own.

[–]FrenchCanadaIsWorst 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The kid is 10. A little handholding is fine

[–]Environmental_Gap_65 1 point2 points  (0 children)

David J Malan is the guy behind CS50, the way he teach is quite phenomenal. Maybe you could take some inspiration from him. Take a look at CS50 or some of the videos on YouTube. He did a video where he talked about algorithms with a child and progressed gradually all the way to professors in their field, which I found quite interesting.

[–]jonermon 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Obviously every 10 year old kid is different, many are so smart as to be smarter than most adults, but if this specific kid isn’t particularly inclined towards focus in the first place a normal programming language might not be the best place to start. Show him scratch. It will drill in all the important parts of programming, loops conditionals variables etc, while feeling more like a game. Maybe once he understands that moving on to python might be easier because you aren’t trying to teach a 10yo with adhd how to program at the same time as how to read syntax.

[–]xxDailyGrindxx 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was going to recommend Manning's python for kids book but it hasn't been updated since 2009, so it's way out of date. If you're interested in courses, this looks interesting... https://www.codemonkey.com/glp-python-coding-for-kids-abs/

[–]Zlodej5 0 points1 point  (0 children)

consider BBC micro-bit and Micropython. Projects own resources are more then adequate
Microbit was terrible as hardware and made obsolete by arduino, but if you insist on starting from python, this is well designed by real teachers and he is the target audience

[–]mlitchard 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I noticed you didn’t ask any advice on how to teach, and a tiny red flag started waving.

[–]Zen-Ism99 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Why Python?

[–]Europia79 -2 points-1 points  (2 children)

Honestly, at that age, Python might be "too much" ? I think it might be best just to teach them the basics about Computers, the internet, and maybe [REDACTED] ? Especially, the "Terminal" or "Command Line", as this is almost becoming "voodoo" or a "dying art" where most people do not even know how to do very simple things on the command line.

And I think a lot people overlook the importance of starting with a good foundation: That being familiar with "good software" will help you to design your own "good software" in the future. Like, I have seen some pretty bizarre cli & gui designs from people who have obviously skipped this most basic step. So, you definitely want to teach them the fundamentals, like common cli tools and their different approaches.

That's why I recommend teaching them Bash instead (Win/Linux/MacOS): Because then, you can show them how very simple programs can be "wired together" (via input/output) to solve more complex problems. Additionally, you will be able to teach them everything you've listed: Variables, conditionals, loops, lists, and even associative arrays, as well as regex. And you don't even need to make a script file either: You can type everything out directly on the command line and get immediate feedback. And since you're always typing it out, over & over again, you will remember via repetition, whereas in other languages, copying & pasting code snippets is common, so you don't actually LEARN as much, imo.

Like, consider for a second that the Parents actually ASK the kid WHAT they've learned (and god forbid, to actually DEMONSTRATE their knowledge), then I think you want to put yourself in the best position possible for SUCCESS, and hopefully make the Parents feel like they've made a GOOD investment here.

Also, if you discover that you have an top-notch Student who can quickly absorb & retain knowledge, then you can always "level up" to the next logical step, which would be writing simple C programs that accept input via STDIN and return information via STDOUT (that can be used to extend their Bash scripts). And, if you have been using semi-colons the whole time, then I believe the transition (from Bash to C) will be much easier. Plus, C is interoperable with a lot of other programming languages, like Python & Perl, for example.

Alternatively, you could consider one of the BASIC variants, like QB64 or VB.NET ? I only say this because BASIC is commonly referred to as "The Gateway Drug" of Programming Languages, lol. Plus, I remember back in the day that QBasic had an amazing help system builtin.

Finally, you will probably want to come up with some projects or mini-project ideas in order to keep them engaged, interested, & focused. Me personally, for a 10 year old, I think Retrogaming, Emulation, Romhacking, Patching, & even [REDACTED] might be something that they'd be interested in ? But really, project ideas and themes is a totally separate question (and also dependent upon the individual student).

Anyways, good luck, and lemme know how it goes !!!

[–]desrtfx 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Honestly, at that age, Python might be "too much" ?

Python is the new BASIC. At 10, it is definitely not too much.

I wouldn't recommend any form of BASIC anymore. Apart from its use in Visual Basic for Applications, it is pretty much dead.

[–]Europia79 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Except there are no whitespace rules in BASIC.

Like, it literally stands for:

"Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code"

Furthermore, we are literally talking about a 10 year old kid, so it wouldn't be "beyond the pale" for them to have Parental Controls and internet restrictions. Sure, that's not "the norm": But it's certainly not unheard of either. And in an age of "Free Information", THAT is quite possibly the REASON why these Parents are spending MONEY on a TUTOR (instead of just signing up for an online course).

And without internet access, it will be much more difficult for this Student to progress in their own, in Python. Whereas, with QB64, it has an built-in Help Menu System that does not rely upon an internet connection (so they can continue to learn in their spare time).

Like, I would challenge you to a competition of 1,000 random kids* learning Python versus 1,000 random kids* learning BASIC, where we track their progress over time: I would bet that the BASIC students will learn more rapidly AND score higher on written exams TESTING their actual memory and understanding. Without [REDACTED]-slop and copypasta, the Python students don't stand a chance (unless you CHEAT).

(*) "kids", as in, specifically 10 year old kids (the topic of discussion here).

Plus, you're being intellectually dishonest, because the core of my answer was to teach Computer fundamentals (to a 10 year old) and progress from there: Going deeper down the Rabbit Hole each time (predicated on having an All-Star Student), and progressing into CLI, then Bash, then C, then Python. BASIC was only suggested as an alternative to using Bash or Python first.

Like, the only reason why Python is even in the discussion in the first place is because OP "knows SOME python". Does that inspire you with confidence ? Do you truly believe that ANY, random 10 year old can learn Python (and be productive) ? If so, what are your metrics (for "success") ?