I have taught all my kids some programming using Scratch (then lua, python, C#, Janet, ...). Scratch is great as a first introduction because it lets kids get

I have taught all my kids some programming using Scratch (then lua, python, C#, Janet, ...). Scratch is great as a first introduction because it lets kids get something working almost immediately. From there, they mostly self-motivate. One big issue I have is with Scratch's 'deliberate, because, pedagogy' limitations with the language. I find there's a big gap to jump between just tinkering around with moving things around, playing sounds, very simple games (catch the falling apple etc), and getting into 'real' programming. IMHO, as an example, the fact blocks cannot return values (functions are such a fundamental concept in programming) is inexcusable. And there are just so many hacks required to work around other features or lack-of-features. Eg, adding parameters to messages and maybe clones, would clear up whole areas that currently need complex hackery. For the really motivated/talented, most of these limitations can be overcome, but they're an unnecessary barrier for everyone else, and kind of lead to a 'haves' and 'have-nots' split.