"We are doing a disservice to kids by assuming that they can't grasp industry-standard languages, complex computer science topics, and applications. By limiting

"We are doing a disservice to kids by assuming that they can't grasp industry-standard languages, complex computer science topics, and applications. By limiting them, we undermine their capabilities and stifle their creative and inventive potential." I have felt this way for awhile with the direction some of these learn to code courses take with the younger kids. I think we sometimes forget just how quickly younger kids learn. They soak things up so much quicker than adults and even teens. Last summer I ran a learn to program class for 8 to 12 year olds and it was a very interesting experience. We taught them how to program Minecraft mods in JavaScript. The biggest hurdle was critical thinking and trouble shooting. We taught groups of 15 kids at a time and out of each group only 1 to 2 kids had the critical thinking/trouble shooting skills needed for programming. These kids were the ones that really excelled in the class and wanted to learn more. They couldn't get enough. By making things too easy, I worry we are losing those 10% of kids that have the potential to be really great programmers. That 10% get bored with the drag and drop stuff and bail out if they are not challenged.