My little sister wants to learn coding, she's 11 and a complete beginner, where do I actually point her
Posted by shy_guy997@reddit | learnprogramming | View on Reddit | 34 comments
I'm in college doing CS and she keeps asking me to teach her but honestly I'm not a good teacher, I skip steps that seem obvious to me and she gets lost fast. I know enough to point her in the right direction just not to be the person who explains it.
She's motivated tho like genuinely curious, not just saying she wants to because she thinks I'll be impressed. Where do you send an 11yo who's actually ready?
cladamski79@reddit
You could try https://cladam.github.io/hica/hica-for-kids/introduction.html, my goal is to make programming with hica very approachable for kids and beginners. The concepts transfers over to many other languages although hica is a functional flavoured language.
Effective_Promise581@reddit
I have my kid, 9 years old, enrolled at Code Ninja. They are doing block coding but also some basic Javascript. There are Code Ninjas all over the country in major metro areas. They are pretty good and my kid enjoys it. If you dont have a location near you there probably other options perhaps at high schools or community centers.
Pitiful_Road3614@reddit
Honestly the "skipping steps" problem is why non-programmers sometimes make better intro teachers, someone who learned recently remembers being confused, you've forgotten what confusion felt like
shy_guy997@reddit (OP)
that's a fair point, I genuinely don't remember not knowing this stuff
111shadesofpink@reddit
Scratch. The thigh that made me so in love with programming as a kid and its super easy.
saintsinjai@reddit
What does she want to learn?
Some people start at basics and build up. Some people want to see finished products and tear down. It's a choose your own adventure. And you don't have to be the teacher you can be a guide.
LeaderAtLeading@reddit
Codecademy and Khan Academy work well for 11 year olds. Start with visual programming like Scratch first so she sees results fast. Once she understands logic, move to actual code. Do not start with syntax overload.
Infamous-Extent8726@reddit
Imo she should start with scratch, then python(make smth like tick tac toe), later go to something like cpp with graphics.h to make chess, this is at least how i learned
TH_UNDER_BOI@reddit
for a motivated 11yo who needs someone patient and structured I'd look at live 1:1 tutoring, my cousin started with codeyoung at that age and the instructor went at exactly her pace, much better than any app for a kid who actually wants to understand rather than just click through
Chimkandi_pro_max@reddit
The motivation is the asset, protect it, don't throw her into something with bad UX or a condescending tone, that kills it fast
SparksBun@reddit
scratch first if she hasn't touched it, it's block-based so there's zero syntax barrier and the projects are immediately visual, she can make something that moves on day one
CroweBird5@reddit
Maybe start her out on web design
mredding@reddit
For YOUR sake, you ought to GET GOOD at teaching.
I've been at this for 37 years, and I'll tell you your programming classes are the least important. I don't care what languages you know. I want to know how you think. The most important classes are the ones that exercise your brain, so your math and fundamentals classes. Most of the job is reading comprehension and communication - the work is softer than you think. You won't work alone, but along with a team that takes planning and organization. You don't get to just code. I think the industry average is something like 25 LOC a day.
So back to your sister and you, TEACHING her is YOU exercising YOUR skill set, and is going to prove invaluable in your career. You will have to work with all manner of business oriented people who don't understand tech at all. They can barely manage Excel, or a web browser with ANY proficiency. And these aren't old people and management - they will be your peers, vendors, and clients.
So explain it like I'm 11, everything you know about math and programming.
Yes, you should teach your sister, BECAUSE SHE ASKED YOU. Don't disappoint her. Don't abandon her. Don't teach her that you can't or won't do it, that she isn't worth it, that its easier to give up or ignore her because you're too busy to spend time with her.
Young man, she's asking for more than a tutor out of you.
Here's a lesson for you - negative feedback is still feedback. If she's not getting it, then you need to correct yourself. Learn how to do this now, and you'll be ahead of your peers in even your first interview. If you can't explain it - then you don't know it. She's 11, you can't give her a college level education, but you can give her something that will make sense for where she is. We don't master loops before we move on - I bet you I can teach you some SHOCKING revelations about their implications you don't even know you don't know. No, learning is about growth. That tuft of little leaves has to come up all together over time. That's how you did it, probably without even realizing.
This is an opportunity for THE BOTH of you, different things, different reasons, different outcomes. You both can get a lot out of this. So give her the time.
sad_ant0808@reddit
start her with scratch to help her learn basic concepts then move onto python. again, use a good course rather than explaining yourself. now u can explain doubts to her rather than being her teacher. like for example if she has a doubt like whats the diff b/w a list and a tuple then u can explain that specific doubt to her. idk i just came up with this. hopefully it helps you. and wishing ur sister all the best for her programming journey and wishing u the very best for ur CS degree!
Flashy-Abalone-9212@reddit
It's very good. I also started learning at 13. Now I'm 17 and a good programmer. I am self taught with sololearn. it's available on play store. Currently you will not get access to the project building or the practical part in the free plan. But as you are also a programmer you can give task to her. I genuinely recommend to use sololearn. there are a lot of course, like python for beginners and intermediate, fundamentals of programming, logical thinking, C++, python in finance, AI etc. I think this will help you.
benjith17@reddit
Those programmable lego thingies are pretty good. Thats how i learned
Sea-Past-4654@reddit
Scratch is the go-to for her age — it's visual, fun, and actually teaches real logic like loops and conditions without overwhelming her. Once she gets comfortable there (maybe 1-2 months), move her to Python. There are YouTube channels like CS Dojo or freeCodeCamp that explain Python in a beginner-friendly way.
The key at 11 is keeping it fun — let her build small things she actually cares about, like a simple quiz game or a calculator. The moment it feels like studying, she'll lose interest.
You're already doing the right thing by not forcing her to learn from you — sometimes a third party resource works way better than a sibling who skips the obvious steps 😄
usercust@reddit
https://scratch.mit.edu/
Sea_Surprise716@reddit
Also Khan Academy.
shy_guy997@reddit (OP)
Thanks
Whatever801@reddit
+1 to scratch
usercust@reddit
no problem! i started with this back in 2012 or so, and when i took the Harvard CS50 free course back in 2022, the first projects taught are in scratch! it's a lot of fun, especially for getting the fundamental understanding down.
MinimumCertain8651@reddit
scratch is perfect for that age, my cousin started there when she was around same age and now she doing really well in programming classes
SpiciKimchi@reddit
Does she have an iPad? If so, download playgrounds and try it out.
Initial-Process-2875@reddit
I ran into this with my brother too. Just get her started on Codecademy or Scratch and be the person she asks when she's stuck. You're probably way better at debugging questions than explaining from zero.
shy_guy997@reddit (OP)
Thanks for sharing your experience with ur brother
Leading-Tailor-6000@reddit
I’m in college for CS and my little sister (she’s 11) keeps asking me to teach her how to code. She’s genuinely curious, not just doing it for attention, but I’m honestly not a good teacher. I accidentally skip steps that feel obvious to me, she gets confused, and then I feel bad for overwhelming her.
She really does want to learn though, so I don’t want to brush her off. I just don’t know what resources are actually good for an 11-year-old who’s starting from zero.
If you had to send a smart, motivated kid to the “right” place to learn coding basics, where would you point them?
Looking for things like:
beginner-friendly courses
fun platforms for kids
YouTube channels that actually start slow
games that secretly teach logic
anything that worked for your younger siblings/kids
I want her to enjoy it, not get frustrated and quit on day two.
pat_trick@reddit
https://javascript.info/ and https://eloquentjavascript.net/ are both good resources to cut your teeth on. JavaScript is everywhere in all modern browsers so setup and go is straightforward.
Otherwise, poke at Python and the https://pll.harvard.edu/course/cs50-introduction-computer-science is a good kickoff.
https://missing.csail.mit.edu/ will teach the inbetween stuff that's not covered well when she gets more familiar with programming.
Fexelein@reddit
After scratch: https://processing.org/tutorials/
nog642@reddit
https://www.w3schools.com/js/
This is pretty good I think, web stuff is interactive and you can make cool stuff early on
Scratch exists and teaches programming concepts but it's specifically not really "coding" on purpose (you don't write code, you click and drag blocks), so if actual coding (writing code) appeals to her then scratch might partially defeat the purpose.
Caddy666@reddit
c++ if you want a pointer....hurrr
MikeUsesNotion@reddit
Encourage her to find things on her own, and you can be a resource to help when she gets stuck. I started playing with programming when I was 12, but that was during the Windows 3.1/Windows 95 era, so I had QBASIC available to me. Python is the modern equivalent.
When I was high school age, internet was more prevalent so I was able to start finding things online. Before that it was QBASIC's help and maybe a book or two.
The point is, there are more resources today than I had. It'd also be a good way to encourage her to learn to find things online, with or without AI. I also believe that if she wants to do it, she'll want to do it. You shouldn't have to spoon feed it to her if she's really interested.
ImaJimmy@reddit
I think makecode arcade gives you the option to switch between block coding or JavaScript. I'd recommend that. I'd also recommend knowing how to touch type. 30WPM is a good minimum.
a3th3rus@reddit
If she's really into programming, those things would be enough to let her explore by herself.