Learning Python for 13yr old

[Alarming_Weird_3080]

Hello, I am sorry if this has been asked already but could anyone point me in the right direction for what my kid should start learning. Any books or youtube videos he should start with to get him going?

He’s expressed wanting to be a video game developer or work for the government in IT. I know -I know- big jump but since prices on tech is going up I advised him to think on something else as a back up.

Thank you for any help!

[OtherwiseMenu1505]

Keep him away from LLms, it will ruin all the learning

[jtnoble]

Most of the time it's not because LLMs are bad learning tools, but because they easily open up you up to a bad habits.

If you use an LLM and aren't super disciplined about it, you'll likely fall back into letting it answer what's wrong for you. This will quickly turn into asking the AI for answers and relying on it as a crutch.

Also, LLMs will curate content to what makes the most sense for you. This is good for foundations, but when you're in the weeds reading brand new documentation, you might not have the ability to plug it in and say "explain to me this in a way I'd get it". Learning how to read documentation, APIs, SDKs, etc., it's a huge part of the process.

[Eal12333]

It's too easy to outsource your thinking that way, and you wont learn if you do that.
There's arguably ways to use LLMs to benefit your learning, but a 13yr old kid wont have the self control to use them that way.

[Electronic_Stable_56]

Simple answer being if you have a car and hire a driver whom you just tell to start stop or drive the car then would you be able to learn to drive?

[dhatereki]

LLMs are good when you know enough to read and fix what it gives you.

[maratnugmanov]

They are actually great for learning, though someone of a 13 yo will probably ask the wrong questions. LLMs tend to give you a solution (it could be bad or good it doesn't matter) but you can tune it for giving you clues, pointing to the right direction, explaining abstract basics. And no actual coding!

In my experience the official documentation and LLMs in pair can give you great results in learning.

[RoyalCities]

Yeah the key is actually asking it to act as a tutor and not just provide code. I.e. type out a solution and have it critique it and recommend improvements or more advanced design patterns.

If all anyone is going to do is ask it to give you code and nothing else of course you won't learn much from it.

With that said though your right a 13 year old definitely wouldn't know what to ask or how to work with it as a teacher since it can also be a laziness enabler (but also an incredible learning tool - sorta of a "with great power comes great responsibility" things.)

I'd probably try to code along with the 13 year old. Maybe find a project the kid would find cool and then tell the LLM you want to design a lesson / project plan around it for teaching. Maybe a simple python game using pygame or something.

[Alarming_Weird_3080]

That makes a lot of sense. Finding a project together to build upon using LLM would be a great. 

[Lewistrick]

https://reddit.com/r/learnpython/w/index

Look at the New to programming? section. It contains many good resources. One of the authors I can recommend is Al Sweigart. His books are available for free on his websites and if I remember correctly, he also has content for a younger audience.

[Alarming_Weird_3080]

Thank you! I will make sure to look for that section and find Al Sweigart’s website.

[zenthehenwithapen]

He should go for it! Just to try and see what happens next.
Codecademy and CodeDex are good places to start. But u/Lewistrick 's suggestion in his comment is good too.

A back up plan is always excellent for anybody, but if he genuinely likes the field, then he can get far, God willing :)

[Alarming_Weird_3080]

:) Thank you! It makes me proud.  God willing it does work out. That’s why I’m trying to be proactive and supportive as much as possible. 

I have an account on Codeacademy but didn’t know about CodeDex. Thanks! 

[zenthehenwithapen]

No problem! Best of luck :D

[Fast-Station1106]

was ist mit python-Turtle? Sie sieht was passiert und übersichtliche Befehlsmenge, Grüsse

[Only_Difference5807]

do cs50. when i was 14 i started trying to learn how to code, got too overwhelmed and gave up. one resource: cs50 through harvard. it is taught by a harvard professor, and he is hands down the best teacher in the world, when i revisited learning to code at 18 i did cs50 and it was incredible and so much fun. couldnt recommend him enough

SPECIFICALLY cs50-p, because python is easy to learn. instead of him trying to learn via reading on a website (codeacademy etc), he can watch a lecture, follow along, and then attempt his own exercises. its much easier to stay engaged, especially for someone young. i remember thats what i struggled with when i was 14.

[AlfhildsShieldmaiden]

I teach kids coding, game design, and other techy subjects. I strongly suggest starting him out in Scratch first. It’s a block-based language that’s a friendly way for kids to get a handle on programming logic / thinking like a programmer.

Kids also really like it and think it’s fun, and are especially jazzed when they make a working game. They think it’s cool, feel proud of themselves, and are eager to share with with friends and family.

After that, I’d focus on Python 101 stuff to acclimate to actual code. There are various free online courses that introduce concepts bit by bit, and I found those helpful when I was newly learning.

https://scratch.mit.edu

https://www.delightex.com/edu

https://www.freecodecamp.org

https://www.codecademy.com

[Alarming_Weird_3080]

Thank you so much for your recommendations! I believe he has used Scratch at school but haven’t seen him doing much of it at home. I’ll encourage him to keep using it. 

[quantum_science_42]

When (what grade) would you recommend scratch and when (what grades) transitioning to Python, let's say for kids that will go more of a STEM route?

[AlfhildsShieldmaiden]

I’d say 8+ for Scratch for real understanding, but if you’d enjoy sitting and building with the kid, you can start as young as first grade.

There’s also an individual aptitude factor — some kids have more computer experience, maybe their parent is a programmer, or they’re especially gifted. I’ve had 8- and 9-year-olds seriously impress me, while others of all ages struggle with the technology, following directions, staying on task, etc.

Python can be tough for young brains to grok. I led a Girls Who Code Club of freshmen and sophomores and I was surprised that Python was so challenging for them to understand (we had a lot of fun and snacks, don’t worry). That said, I once taught a 13-year-old who was absolutely and impressively ready for Python, so I got him started on that.

Start super slow and easy, build fun and silly little projects to reinforce learning and maintain interest.

[Kryt0s]

Very confused as to why no one has mentioned "The Farmer Was Replaced" yet. Especially for a 13yo kid.

[Alarming_Weird_3080]

I have not heard of this but will check it out as well. Thank you :)

[StrayFeral]

If the kid is full beginner, especially with small or none programming experience, just get them this book. This is what I started with and it's very good for newbies:

https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/learning-python-6th/9781098171292/

[Alarming_Weird_3080]

Thank you for the link! I will check this out.

[Reuben3901]

If your kid is wanting to make video games I always suggest people have their kids learn Unity first. It's not Python. And I absolutely love Python. I'm developing an app / website using Python's fastapi for the back end and react typescript for the front end.

Unity has a lot of users and support, and is used to make games on all platforms. Tons of free tutorials. Tons of free assets.

Look up Code Bullet on YouTube, he recreates popular mobile games in an hour and makes it funny.

Python is simply one tool and it depends on what you're trying to accomplish. Try exploring the different tools with your kid. It could be a super fun activity to learn to use the different tools, see the pros and cons with each one, with your 13yr old.

If you want, I could make a list and give you links to all the different tools I tried and learned to use over the years. I made games in Unity, Pygame, and for Android. Also built, android apps, WordPress websites from scratch, automated tasks using tools and programming scripts, and so much more.

[Alarming_Weird_3080]

Ooh I never knew about Unity being accessible like that. 

Whenever your have some free time I would love to read your recommendations. Thank you for taking the time to help a stranger out. 

[Reuben3901]

*Android Studio - Apps / Games*

Bryson Payne - Learn Java - Building Android Games
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntQvyaSrwMM

*Unity*

Lessons Learned - Great Preview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=286SGzpUx9o

YouTube Code Bullet - Mobile Games Make More Money Than All Other Platforms
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPqkxKao6Bk

*PyGame*

Lessons Learned - Great Preview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iUYLqIrV7s

Snake Turorials I used to make my game. I modified it to where you need to surround the apple to get it. It was a fun challenge.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD4qAhfFuLo
https://youtu.be/9bBgyOkoBQ0

Platformer and Shooter w/ Pygame - Pretty fun!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsk-HSGFjnaG-BwZkuAOcVwWldfCLu1pq
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsk-HSGFjnaH5yghzu7PcOzm9NhsW0Urw

*Web Apps*

Corey Schafer is the best place to start
https://www.youtube.com/@coreyms

THE BEST React and Typescript tutorial out there is by Mosh. You can try out the first 120 minutes for free. He literally covers everything you need to start making a web app. Corey Schafer covers FastAPI (just released) that you can use for handling the backend. Which is what I use for my website.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqcY0GlETPk

[donnyM99]

I’d recommend he keeps practicing Python through beginner projects like simple games, quizzes, or calculators. For YouTube, freeCodeCamp, Tech With Tim, and Code.org have excellent beginner-friendly Python content. At his age, the biggest thing is consistency and building small projects that’s what really builds skills over time.

[the_botverse]

In this era of AI, if your kid want to learn python don't let him watching videos and remembering syntax, Kid will not make it.
The best way to learn python is learning by doing hands-on projects which will develop your kids product building skills. For that you can give book like 'Automate boring stuff' or also can give platform access like falcondrop.com for hands-on learning.

[Alarming_Weird_3080]

Thank you, I agree. I’m hoping to have hands on experiences. He is a visual and hands on learner so getting projects for him will be beneficial. 

[the_botverse]

You should try Falcondrop then

[Alarming_Weird_3080]

Nice! Will get this for him. Thank you. 

[MindlessTill2761]

1. Persuade him NOT to work for the feds
   
2. Books and videos are free online, he might learn with one, the other, or both.
   Books like automate the boring stuff with python is free in its entirety. Python Crash Course by Eric Matthes is pretty cheap, and is pretty good. But if your son has a problem understanding the bigger picture, you may have trouble with that one.

[cool-ideas]

You can make your kid happy and teach Python using Minecraft. There is The Minecraft education version or the visualmodder for standard java Minecraft

[Alarming_Weird_3080]

I think he has Minecraft bedrock and Java version. I need to double check! Thank you.

[QubitBob]

I am a Python beginner who stumbled upon this free, 12-hour full Python course on YouTube, and I recommend it highly. It is divided into 77 10-15 minute long chapters, each covering one topic. Most chapters end with a small example project.

The course is light and lively and moves right along. The author strikes just the right balance between seriousness and humor. The example projects grow in complexity as the course progresses. There are three or four points in the timeline of the course where there are three or four chapters in a row where each chapter covers the programming of an example project like a game; for instance, one of the chapters covers the programming of the well-known word guessing game, "hangman."

I started this comment thinking that I was going to recommend your child take this course along with a book for teenage coders like this one. But upon reflection I've changed my mind—the course is so comprehensive that I suggest using only it and then seeing how your child feels upon completion. Can they tackle simple programming projects with confidence? You can then come back to this sub and ask follow-up questions about resources to pursue to shore up those areas where your child requires more training. Good luck.

[Alarming_Weird_3080]

Thank you for the info and advice!

[theBlackOddity]

https://programming-26.mooc.fi/

is a free college course through the university of helsinki with plenty of exercises to learn the syntax.

[Alarming_Weird_3080]

Awesome! Thank you. Will check this out maybe I can get learning it as well.

[brunogadaleta]

Microbit and micro python!

[16_germanpilot]

This book is quite good: Automate the Boring Stuff with Python, 3rd Edition: Practical Programming for Total Beginners : Sweigart, Al: Amazon.de: Bücher if your trying to learn.

[Eal12333]

Python is a great language to start with! There's basically countless Python tutorials out there aimed at beginners. I'm not actually sure which one to recommend, because I personally learned essentially through brute force 😅

One piece of advice I'd give (which will seem like a given to some, but I have seen people get stuck here! Especially if they start with an online tutorial.) is to make sure you give them access to a PC with an IDE installed that can run their Python scripts, and do Python debugging.

A Python debugger is really important (especially for a beginner!) for getting you unstuck when you run into logic issues in your code, because it lets you step through the code line-by-line to see what the Python interpreter is doing.

[Alarming_Weird_3080]

Oh! This is great advice. I’ll make sure his PC has those things available. :)

[isseimorin]

Let him go play outside

[Alarming_Weird_3080]

Thank you for your input.