Ask HN: 12 year old tech savvy girl – books, programs, events, advice?

>What I would NOT recommend is starting straight up with traditional coding that is not designed with beginners and kids in mind. Don't throw python, java, C, etc. at them. Let them follow their interests: games, wearables, etc., and learn coding in pursuit of that interest, not force them to learn coding for coding's sake.

No, this isn't the best advice in my opinion. Don't decide for the kid what is for them or what isn't. Let them decide that. Remember, Bill Gates coded at 13 in languages "meant for adults". I personally learned C at 14 from a tutorial that came with a C++ IDE (I had no idea what programming was, I just downloaded the program from the internet). Don't underestimate the intelligence and ability of kids.

I second the "play" approach. My second programming experience was in assembly at age ~10 and it has made a huge difference in my growth and now in my career. Leave her alone with a compiler and an internet connection. :-)

I've been gradually teaching my daughter (7 years old) to code. I've primarily focused on slow, self directed pace (when she has an idea I help tune it to something she is capable of and we do it together). So far the best resources I've had are: 1. Code.org: The Hour of code and Tutorials using Blocky are hands down the best intro to the basics I've seen. You get through iterative programming up to loops with great tutorials. Blocky also helps when you haven't yet learned to type. 2. MIT Scratch: Also using blocky but has a great playground in which keeps it focused for lots of things my 7 year old wants to do (she animates Birthday cards, codes little games). 3. Arduino: So far we've built a few things together. This really takes more work on my part since she is still too young to get all the concepts but the main thing I'm trying to develop with her is that she can approach any of these problems and solve them. She doesn't have to be intimidated by software or hardware. So far we've built a greenhouse opener (servo activated by temp sensor) and we are working now on a programmable clock.

Things I see recommended here but which I personally wouldn't do: 1. Drop her in to a Linux/Command prompt with a book and ask her to go to town. I think this may work for some folks but I'll wager the success rate would be pretty low as a general solution. Also I disagree that letting a kid walk through man pages or technical books like K&R is the most effective for this age given how many awesome resource there are to get started. Those things can come at their own time when they have an actual problem which requires it. 2. Don't start on a language other than blocky unless she can type. The typing will come but if you want a clean start and not have her too frustrated with doing the programming while also slow typing I would handle learning these separately. 3. Let her to go on her own. I'm fortunate (and most people on this site are) to know how to code so this applies only in this case. Its much more motivating her for this to be "our" project where I can help get her unstuck when there is a challenge and its something we spend time together on. I also get to model learning and debugging for her which is hard to learn by yourself. On the flip side though you have to be patient and not be tempted to do it all yourself as the idea is that she learns it all eventually.

Remember the big picture: keep this mind and realize that knowing this is incredibly powerful but at an early age there is so much to learn that keeping it fun and engaging is the best way to have her want to continue to come back to it. Also remember that these kids want to learn and helping them pick up the right tools to help them solve their problems will enable them to do that as an adult.

What's she into? If she likes games I'd just have her download Unity and learn C#. Tons of videos, tutorials, and books to choose from.

I learned Python using Codecademy, then I did some fun projects from Python Playground.

Wearable electronics are good; the Make book seems like a good intro to that area.