I've helped a lot of children learn Python (volunteering) and the whitespace hasn't actually been a huge issue. They seem to get the hang of it quickly. The typ

I've helped a lot of children learn Python (volunteering) and the whitespace hasn't actually been a huge issue. They seem to get the hang of it quickly. The typing, dealing with syntax errors which don't explain clearly the problem, and motivation are the main barriers I would day. It is quite nice for them to learn a language that is used in anger professionally. The first experience of most children here (in the UK) at school and elsewhere with programming is Scratch, a visual block-based programming language. So no typing or syntax errors, and very quickly you can makes games etc. It's got its pros and cons.