> to write some games, > or alternative to write some tools to be used for themselves to automate or simplify some of their tasks. This is exactly how I learn

> to write some games, > or alternative to write some tools to be used for themselves to automate or simplify some of their tasks. This is exactly how I learned programming as a kid. The one difference I would recommend is to not focus on 3D, low-level programming, AI, data structures, etc. at least for younger children. When I was a kid these things confused me (I specifically remember getting random memory management issues and confusing EXC_BAD_ACCESS, and generally resorted to just liberally retaining everything). I just wanted to make things and got bored easily, so I accomplished most making simple projects on Scratch (very basic game-engine) and high-level IDEs. Of course ultimately it's up to the kid what they want though. If they're more interested in the low-level mechanics and how things actually work than just getting them to work, good for them.