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How should I introduce my 13-year-old daughter to programming?

7 points AsifMushtaq | 1 comments | 30 Aug 25 00:58 UTC | HN request time: 0.2s | source

I’m an experienced developer, but recently my 13-year-old daughter told me she wants to learn programming—and surprisingly, I find myself unsure about how to get her started.

There’s an overwhelming amount of advice out there. Some suggest beginning with Scratch or other no-code platforms, while others recommend jumping straight into the command line or a “real” programming language.

I’m torn between a bottom-up approach (teaching the fundamentals first and building up) and a top-down approach (starting with something more visual and practical, then filling in the gaps later). If we go top-down, should we start with Scratch or dive directly into a language? If it’s a language, should it be Python, JavaScript, or something else?

Even on the hardware side, I’m debating whether it’s better to get her started on Windows, macOS, or something else entirely.

I’d love to hear from those of you who have introduced programming to kids (or started young yourselves). What worked, what didn’t, and what path would you recommend?

1. jas0n ◴[30 Aug 25 03:02 UTC] No.45071576[source]▶
What interests her? What excites her? My philosophy of childhood education mostly comes down to inspiring and growing their curiosity. If you can guide her to things that are most interesting, over time she will become more interested in more complex, robust things and will need your help navigating how to do those things.