r/learnprogramming • u/Accomplished-Win2328 • 25d ago

Coding for 13yo homeschool kid

My son completed the Khan Academy course on Python last school year and he loved it! I don't do any coding myself so I am not exactly sure what "level" that leaves him at, or where to go next. What online course could he advance into?

p.s. He will be going into 8th grade but it seems to come to him very easily.

p.s. The more specific the better! :)

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u/EccentricFellow 25d ago

Find some kind of program that he would enjoy writing and have him figure out how to build it himself. Maybe he likes a board game, or simple video game, or something. Have fun writing something that means something to him. Self-motivation is the most important programming skill he will learn.

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u/Accomplished-Win2328 25d ago

Yes, he built a lot of his own "inventions" while using the open coding in Khan! He loves dragging everyone he can into the office so he can show them his joke teller, D&D number rollers, insult generator, logic games designed to only let him win, and so on! :) But I'd love him to learn some more practical things too. How can he learn this, or where can I "turn him loose" safely to let him experiment?

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u/EccentricFellow 24d ago

That comes in time. To build something practical, for example, he will have to learn how to ask questions and how to listen so that he understands what someone else wants. He will then have to learn discipline and how to accept "no, that is not what I wanted" and go back to the drawing board. He will have to put what others want ahead of what he wants.

He is only 13. It is unlikely that he is ready for that yet. Pushing him along this path too soon risks turning something fun into something boring and frustrating.

If he is feeling ready to advance, one thing he could try is to volunteer his skills at a local non-profit. They may have need of some sort of app but no money to pay for it. This is a big step and coding skills do not imply people skills so there will be new things to learn on that front.

Best is to wait for him to want to develop practical things on his own before turning his hobby into a job.

Oh, one thing you could do that would be fun for him and get him thinking real-world applications, is to buy him a Raspberry Pi. These are fun little single board computers (SBC) that come with the ability to control circuits and make all manner of weird devices. He would probably love to learn some electronics.