One method I have been using to teach my son is Project Euler. The language he uses has switched a few times (he keeps picking different languages, you'll see w

One method I have been using to teach my son is Project Euler. The language he uses has switched a few times (he keeps picking different languages, you'll see why in a minute). Project Euler isn't a programming tutorial, it's a math problem site. This works out well because it has interesting and challenging problems which pay off quickly. I generally read over the problem with my son and then he starts to work it out. At first he would show me what he wanted to do on paper ("I want to be able to take a number and add another number to it over and over again, quickly because I have to do it like 1000 times", he would say, for example). We would then sit down with a language and I would tell him how to make the language handle that ("Try creating a variable, which is like a box to put something in, put in your first number. Now lets loop and add things to it. See how that works?") He would type it out and get the logic rather quickly and solve the problem and feel great about getting the right answer. Here's the fun part about Project Euler. When you answer the question you are given access to a question specific forum where others post how they solved the answer. He would then read through the other answers and see if he could assess whether his method was better or worth than others (he's competitive). This gave him exposure to a lot of languages and techniques. He asks me millions of questions about this language or that. Then he tries them. Then he moves to the next problem. Over all, for an 11 year old, it has been a great experience. He's learned a lot about both math and programming. We also get to spend some good time together.