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Logo has been successfully taught to 4 year olds. It has very simple syntax (lisp without parentheses), and the imperative style is easy to reason about. Direc

Logo has been successfully taught to 4 year olds. It has very simple syntax (lisp without parentheses), and the imperative style is easy to reason about. Direct control of the turtle has a lot of appeal-- probably more than making a text adventure. [How to train your robot](http://drtechniko.com/2012/04/09/how-to-train-your-robot/ http://drtechniko.com/2012/04/09/how-to-train-your-robot/) is a programming game that follows similar ideas.

ThomPete 14y ago
I agree that the turtle is good but again remember Paperts point is to allow children to assimilate knew knowledge into their already existing library of models. The power of the computer is that it can simulate virtually everything and thus allow for children (or anyone else) to build their knowledge by using models they already have an intuitive understanding about.
objclxt 14y ago
I can't believe we're 30 comments in and nobody has mentioned Scratch yet! (http://scratch.mit.edu/ http://scratch.mit.edu/ or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scratch_(programming_language) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scratch_(programming_language)) If you're not familiar with it, Scratch was developed by the Media Lab and heavily influenced by Logo. It's used in thousands (tens of thousands?) of elementary schools to teach programming concepts. It's a really great language, and is incredibly visual. One of the great things about Scratch is that whilst it's certainly heavily slanted towards children it's not exclusively for them. Actually, Scratch is used at Harvard for the first week of their Intro CS course. If you're interested in programming languages for children and those new to CS then Scratch is well worth a look.
- creamyhorror 14y ago
  Yep. I introduced my little brother to Scratch and he quite enjoyed playing with it for a week or two, making a little game or three in the process with a bit of help from me. It's a great experience. I think it might be slightly confusing for younger people, because it's almost 'real' programming, especially once you try implementing things like side-scrolling animation. But it's certainly powerful, and the way the code is created by dragging and snapping parts together is neat. Give it a try with your young cousins, and give them an early taste of programming! When they're modding their games in the future they'll thank you for it.

ThomPete 14y ago

I agree that the turtle is good but again remember Paperts point is to allow children to assimilate knew knowledge into their already existing library of models. The power of the computer is that it can simulate virtually everything and thus allow for children (or anyone else) to build their knowledge by using models they already have an intuitive understanding about.

objclxt 14y ago

I can't believe we're 30 comments in and nobody has mentioned Scratch yet! (http://scratch.mit.edu/ http://scratch.mit.edu/ or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scratch_(programming_language) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scratch_(programming_language)) If you're not familiar with it, Scratch was developed by the Media Lab and heavily influenced by Logo. It's used in thousands (tens of thousands?) of elementary schools to teach programming concepts. It's a really great language, and is incredibly visual. One of the great things about Scratch is that whilst it's certainly heavily slanted towards children it's not exclusively for them. Actually, Scratch is used at Harvard for the first week of their Intro CS course. If you're interested in programming languages for children and those new to CS then Scratch is well worth a look.

creamyhorror 14y ago
Yep. I introduced my little brother to Scratch and he quite enjoyed playing with it for a week or two, making a little game or three in the process with a bit of help from me. It's a great experience. I think it might be slightly confusing for younger people, because it's almost 'real' programming, especially once you try implementing things like side-scrolling animation. But it's certainly powerful, and the way the code is created by dragging and snapping parts together is neat. Give it a try with your young cousins, and give them an early taste of programming! When they're modding their games in the future they'll thank you for it.