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For Kids

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A Playful Guide to Coding
by Max Wainewright

Build Your Own Computer Games with Scratch 3

Learn how to make fun games with Scratch—a free, beginner-friendly programming language from the MIT Media Lab. Create mazes, road-crossing games, and two-player games that keep score. Colorful pictures and easy-to-follow instructions show you how to add cool animations and sound effects to your games. You’ll have hours of fun catching snowflakes, gobbling up tacos, and dodging donuts in space—while learning how to code along the way!

Covers Scratch 3.0

From Python basics to a working web app
by Pavel Anni

Time to take an adventure with friends! Team up with Erik and Simon to learn Python the easy way. This colorful book uses engaging questions and lively conversations to introduce computer programming to young readers one step at a time.

In A Pythonic Adventure, you will learn useful Python skills like:

  • Installing Python
  • Working with files
  • Creating text-based dialogs and menus
  • Using if/then, loops, lists, dictionaries, and input/output
  • Building web applications
  • Making your web apps look super professional

It’s fun to learn with friends! In A Pythonic Adventure you’ll meet Erik and Simon, two brothers who are just beginning their Python journey. Join them as they chat about the language, learn the basics, and build some cool programs. The book’s dialogue helps young programmers understand complex concepts much more easily. It's the perfect way for young programmers (and their parents) to get started.

There’s no boring lessons or dull exercises in this adventure. You’ll follow Erik and Simon’s questions and mistakes, discover how to write programs with a team, and get a chance to create applications you can use in your daily life. By the time they’re done reading, young learners will not only know how to write code, they’ll know how to think about problems like professional developers. All code in this book runs on Mac, Windows, Linux, and Raspberry Pi.

Why You Should Care About Teaching Computer Science
by Ryan Somma

Computer science opens more doors for today’s youth than any other discipline – which is why Coding in the Classroom is your key to unlocking students’ future potential. Author Ryan Somma untangles the current state of CS education standards; describes the cognitive, academic, and professional benefits of learning CS; and provides numerous strategies to promote computational thinking and get kids coding!

Whether you’re a teacher, an after-school coach, or a parent seeking accessible ways to boost your kid’s computer savvy, Coding in the Classroom is here to help. With quick-start programming strategies, scaffolded exercises for every grade level, and ideas for designing CS events that promote student achievement, this book is a rock-solid roadmap to CS integration from a wide variety of on-ramps.

You’ll learn:

  • Tips and resources for teaching programming concepts via in-class activities and games, without a computer
  • Development environments that make coding and sharing web apps a breeze
  • Lesson plans for the software lifecycle process and techniques for facilitating long-term projects
  • Ways to craft interdisciplinary units that bridge CS and computational thinking with other content areas Coding in the Classroom does more than make CS less formidable – it makes it more fun! From learning computational thinking via board games to building their own websites, students are offered a variety of entry points for acquiring the skills they need to succeed in the 21st-century workforce.

Moreover, Somma understands how schools operate – and he’s got your back. You’ll be empowered to advocate for the value of implementing CS across the curriculum, get stakeholder buy-in, and build the supportive, equitable coding community that your school deserves.

A Playful Introduction to Swift
by Gloria Winquist and Matt McCarthy

Apple’s Swift is a powerful, beginner-friendly programming language that anyone can use to make cool apps for the iPhone or iPad. In Coding iPhone Apps for Kids, you’ll learn how to use Swift to write programs, even if you’ve never programmed before.

You’ll work in the Xcode playground, an interactive environment where you can play with your code and see the results of your work immediately! You’ll learn the fundamentals of programming too, like how to store data in arrays, use conditional statements to make decisions, and create functions to organize your code—all with the help of clear and patient explanations.

Once you master the basics, you’ll build a birthday tracker app so that you won’t forget anyone’s birthday and a platform game called Schoolhouse Skateboarder with animation, jumps, and more!

As you begin your programming adventure, you’ll learn how to:

  • Build programs to save you time, like one that invites all of your friends to a party with just the click of a button!
  • Program a number-guessing game with loops to make the computer keep guessing until it gets the right answer
  • Make a real, playable game with graphics and sound effects using SpriteKit
  • Challenge players by speeding up your game and adding a high-score system Why should serious adults have all the fun? Coding iPhone Apps for Kids is your ticket to the exciting world of computer programming.

Covers Swift 3.x and Xcode 8.x. Requires OS X 10.11 or higher.

Build Taller, Farm Faster, Mine Deeper, and Automate the Boring Stuff
by Al Sweigart

You’ve mined for diamonds, crafted dozens of tools, and built all sorts of structures—but what if you could program robots to do all of that for you in a fraction of the time?

In Coding with Minecraft®, you’ll create a virtual robot army with Lua, a programming language used by professional game developers. Step-by-step coding projects will show you how to write programs that automatically dig mines, collect materials, craft items, and build anything that you can imagine. Along the way, you’ll explore key computer science concepts like data types, functions, variables, and more.

Learn how to:

  • Program robots that make smart decisions with flow control
  • Reuse code so that your robots can farm any crop you want, including wheat, sugar cane, and even cacti!
  • Program a factory that generates infinite building supplies
  • Design an algorithm for creating walls and buildings of any size
  • Code yourself a pickaxe-swinging robotic lumberjack!
  • Create a robot that digs mine shafts with stairs so you can explore safely

Bonus activities in each chapter will help you take your coding skills to the next level. By the end of the book, you’ll understand how powerful coding can be and have plenty of robots at your beck and call.

Requires: Minecraft Java Edition; Windows 7 or later; macOS 10.10 or later.

Play with Simple Circuits and Experiment with Electricity!
by Øyvind Nydal Dahl

Why do the lights in a house turn on when you flip a switch? How does a remote-controlled car move? And what makes lights on TVs and microwaves blink? The technology around you may seem like magic, but most of it wouldn’t run without electricity.

Electronics for Kids demystifies electricity with a collection of awesome hands-on projects. In Part 1, you’ll learn how current, voltage, and circuits work by making a battery out of a lemon, turning a metal bolt into an electromagnet, and transforming a paper cup and some magnets into a spinning motor. In Part 2, you’ll make even more cool stuff as you:

  • Solder a blinking LED circuit with resistors, capacitors, and relays
  • Turn a circuit into a touch sensor using your finger as a resistor
  • Build an alarm clock triggered by the sunrise
  • Create a musical instrument that makes sci-fi sounds

Then, in Part 3, you’ll learn about digital electronics—things like logic gates and memory circuits—as you make a secret code checker and an electronic coin flipper. Finally, you’ll use everything you’ve learned to make the LED Reaction Game—test your reaction time as you try to catch a blinking light!

With its clear explanations and assortment of hands-on projects, Electronics for Kids will have you building your own circuits in no time.

Android programming for kids and the rest of us
by Paula Beer and Carl Simmons

Hello App Inventor! introduces creative young readers to the world of mobile programming -- no experience required! Featuring more than 30 fun invent-it-yourself projects, this full-color, fun-to-read book starts with the building blocks you need to create a few practice apps. Then you'll learn the skills you need to bring your own app ideas to life.

Learn to program by making arcade games
by Gabriel Ford, Sadie Ford and Melissa Ford

Hello, Scratch! is a how-to book that helps parents and kids work together to learn programming skills by creating new versions of old retro-style arcade games with Scratch.

iOS app programming for kids and other beginners
by Tanmay Bakshi

Hello Swift! is a how-to guide to programming iOS Apps with the Swift language, written from a kid's perspective. This approachable, well-illustrated, step-by-step guide takes you from beginning programming concepts all the way through developing complete apps. (Adults will like it too!)

Computer Programming for Kids and Other Beginners
by Warren Sande and Carter Sande

Hello World! Computer Programming for Kids and Other Beginners, Third Edition introduces the world of computer programming in a clear and fun style using Python, a programming language designed to be easy to learn.

A Playful Introduction to Programming
by Nick Morgan

JavaScript is the programming language of the Internet, the secret sauce that makes the Web awesome, your favorite sites interactive, and online games fun!

JavaScript for Kids is a lighthearted introduction that teaches programming essentials through patient, step-by-step examples paired with funny illustrations. You’ll begin with the basics, like working with strings, arrays, and loops, and then move on to more advanced topics, like building interactivity with jQuery and drawing graphics with Canvas.

Along the way, you’ll write games such as Find the Buried Treasure, Hangman, and Snake. You’ll also learn how to:

  • Create functions to organize and reuse your code
  • Write and modify HTML to create dynamic web pages
  • Use the DOM and jQuery to make your web pages react to user input
  • Use the Canvas element to draw and animate graphics
  • Program real user-controlled games with collision detection and score keeping

With visual examples like bouncing balls, animated bees, and racing cars, you can really see what you’re programming. Each chapter builds on the last, and programming challenges at the end of each chapter will stretch your brain and inspire your own amazing programs. Make something cool with JavaScript today!

Ages 10+ (and their parents!)

A Visual Introduction to Building Apps
by Lyra Blizzard Logan

Build a mobile phone app!

You've swiped and tapped your way through countless apps, but have you ever created one? Now you can, thanks to Learn to Program with App Inventor. In less than an hour, you'll be able to build and run your first app!

App Inventor is a free software for making Android apps. All you need is a PC with an Internet connection to build your app, and a mobile phone for testing. You'll use a simple drag-and-drop interface, which minimizes errors and avoids too much typing.

A certified App Inventor Master Trainer, Logan breaks down each project into logical steps, lists the components you'll need, and then shows you how to create screen designs, control program flow with conditionals and loops, and store data in variables and lists. Once you've tested the app on your phone, you can test what you learned with challenges at the end of each chapter.

You'll build cool apps like:

  • Hi, World!: Use your voice to send a text message
  • Practice Makes Perfect: Rehearse a speech or dance routine with this video recording app
  • Fruit Loot: Catch randomly failing fruit in this exciting game
  • Beat the Bus: Track a friend’s journey using location services and maps
  • Virtual Shades: Take a selfie, then try on some virtual sunglasses

Join the 10 million people who have tried App Inventor, and make the journey from app user to app inventor.

Transform Your World with the Power of Python
by Craig Richardson

You’ve bested creepers, traveled deep into caves, and maybe even gone to The End and back—but have you ever transformed a sword into a magic wand? Built a palace in the blink of an eye? Designed your own color-changing disco dance floor?

In Learn to Program with Minecraft®, you’ll do all this and more with the power of Python, a free language used by millions of professional and first-time programmers!

Begin with some short, simple Python lessons and then use your new skills to modify Minecraft to produce instant and totally awesome results. Learn how to customize Minecraft to make mini-games, duplicate entire buildings, and turn boring blocks into gold.

You’ll also write programs that:

  • Take you on an automated teleportation tour around your Minecraft world
  • Build massive monuments, pyramids, forests, and more in a snap!
  • Make secret passageways that open when you activate a hidden switch
  • Create a spooky ghost town that vanishes and reappears elsewhere
  • Show exactly where to dig for rare blocks
  • Cast a spell so that a cascade of flowers (or dynamite if you’re daring!) follows your every move
  • Make mischief with dastardly lava traps and watery curses that cause huge floods

Whether you’re a Minecraft megafan or a newbie, you’ll see Minecraft in a whole new light while learning the basics of programming. Sure, you could spend all day mining for precious resources or building your mansion by hand, but with the power of Python, those days are over!

Requires: Minecraft Java Edition; Windows 7 or later; OS X 10.10 or later; or a Raspberry Pi. Click here for details about system requirements.

Uses Python 3

A Visual Introduction to Programming with Games, Art, Science, and Math
by Majed Marji

Scratch is a fun, free, beginner-friendly programming environment where you connect blocks of code to build programs. While most famously used to introduce kids to programming, Scratch can make computer science approachable for people of any age. Rather than type countless lines of code in a cryptic programming language, why not use colorful command blocks and cartoon sprites to create powerful scripts?

In Learn to Program with Scratch, author Majed Marji uses Scratch to explain the concepts essential to solving real-world programming problems. The labeled, color-coded blocks plainly show each logical step in a given script, and with a single click, you can even test any part of your script to check your logic. You'll learn how to:

  • Harness the power of repeat loops and recursion
  • Use if/else statements and logical operators to make decisions
  • Store data in variables and lists to use later in your program
  • Read, store, and manipulate user input
  • Implement key computer science algorithms like a linear search and bubble sort

Hands-on projects will challenge you to create an Ohm's law simulator, draw intricate patterns, program sprites to mimic line-following robots, create arcade-style games, and more! Each chapter is packed with detailed explanations, annotated illustrations, guided examples, lots of color, and plenty of exercises to help the lessons stick. Learn to Program with Scratch is the perfect place to start your computer science journey, painlessly.

Uses Scratch 2

An Introduction to Programming with Games, Art, Science, and Math
by Majed Marji and Ed Price

Small Basic is a free, beginner-friendly programming language created by Microsoft. Inspired by BASIC, which introduced programming to millions of first-time PC owners in the 1970s and 1980s, Small Basic is a modern language that makes coding simple and fun.

Learn to Program with Small Basic introduces you to the empowering world of programming. You’ll master the basics with simple activities like displaying messages and drawing colorful pictures, and then work your way up to programming games! Learn how to:

  • Program your computer to greet you by name
  • Make a game of rock-paper-scissors using If/Else statements
  • Create an interactive treasure map using arrays
  • Draw intricate geometric patterns with just a few lines of code
  • Simplify complex programs by breaking them into bite-sized subroutines

You’ll also learn to command a turtle to draw shapes, create magical moving text, solve math problems quickly, help a knight slay a dragon, and more!

Each chapter ends with creative coding challenges so you can take your skills to the next level. Learn to Program with Small Basic is the perfect place to start your computer science journey.

A Project-Based Introduction to Artificial Intelligence
by Dale Lane

Machine learning (also known as ML) is one of the building blocks of AI, or artificial intelligence. AI is based on the idea that computers can learn on their own, with your help.

Machine Learning for Kids will introduce you to machine learning, painlessly. With this book and its free, Scratch-based companion website, you’ll see how easy it is to add machine learning to your own projects. You don’t even need to know how to code!

Step by easy step, you’ll discover how machine learning systems can be taught to recognize text, images, numbers, and sounds, and how to train your models to improve them.

You’ll turn your models into 13 fun computer games and apps, including:

  • A Rock, Paper, Scissors game that recognizes your hand shapes
  • A computer character that reacts to insults and compliments
  • An interactive virtual assistant (like Siri or Alexa)
  • A movie recommendation app
  • An AI version of Pac-Man

There’s no experience required and step-by-step instructions make sure that anyone can follow along!

No Experience Necessary! Ages 12+

by Anna Anthropy

PuzzleScript is a free, web-based tool you can use to create puzzle games. In a PuzzleScript game, you move objects around to solve problems and play through the levels.

In Make Your Own PuzzleScript Games! you’ll learn how to use PuzzleScript to create interactive games—no programming experience necessary! Learn the basics like how to make objects, create rules, and add levels. You’ll also learn how to edit, test, and share your games online.

Learn how to:

  • Decorate your game with fun backgrounds
  • Write rules that define how objects interact
  • Add obstacles like laser guns and guards
  • Herd cats and even pull off a robot heist!

With colorful illustrations and plenty of examples for inspiration, Make Your Own PuzzleScript Games! will take you from puzzle solver to game designer in just a few clicks!

by Anna Anthropy

Learn to make interactive games with Scratch—the beginner-friendly, block-based programming language from the MIT Media Lab! Anna Anthropy, game designer extraordinaire, will show you how to do everything from building a game map to creating animations and debugging the end product. Take a peek inside the history of video game design, learn programming basics, and turn your ideas into creative games that you can play and share with your friends.

Learn how to:

  • Draw characters like a hungry, leaf-eating bug
  • Animate characters—make them walk, jump, climb, and fall!
  • Create objects for your player to collect and obstacles to avoid
  • Design multiple levels to create a cave exploring platform game
  • Create sound effects and music for your games
  • Share your games online and use player feedback to improve your games

Isn’t it time to Make Your Own Scratch Games? The world is waiting!

Covers Scratch 3.0

by Anna Anthropy

Twine is a free online tool that lets anyone new to programming create their own interactive, story-based adventure games in a web page.

In Make Your Own Twine Games!, game designer Anna Anthropy takes you step-by-step through the game development process, from coming up with a basic idea to structuring your game. You’ll learn the basics of Twine like how to use links and apply images and formatting to make your game look more distinct. You’ll get tips on how to test your game, export it, and publish it online, and even understand more advanced features like scripting to get your game to remember and respond to player choices. As you make your way through the book and begin crafting your own interactive fiction, you’ll learn other cool tricks like how to:

  • Write stories that follow multiple paths using hyperlinks
  • Create variables to track your player’s actions
  • Add scripting like “if” and “else” to decide when ghosts should appear in your game
  • Use hooks to add fancy touches like text effects, pictures, and sound

With example games to act as inspiration, Make Your Own Twine Games! will take you from story-teller to game designer in just a few clicks! Ready player one? The game starts now.

Covers Twine 2

30 Clever Coding and Electronics Projects for Kids
by Simon Monk

The BBC micro:bit is a tiny, inexpensive, and surprisingly powerful computer that you can use to build cool things and experiment with code. The 30 simple projects and experiments in this book will show you how to use the micro:bit to build a secret science lab—complete with robots, door alarms, lie detectors, and more—as you learn basic coding and electronics skills.

Here are just some of the projects you’ll build:

  • A light-controlled guitar you can play just by waving your hand
  • A working lie detector
  • A self-watering plant care system
  • A two-wheeled robot
  • A talking robotic head with moving eyes
  • A door alarm made with magnets

Learn to code like a Mad Scientist!

Help Your Kids Learn to Code
by Marina Umaschi Bers and Mitchel Resnick

ScratchJr is a free, introductory computer programming language that runs on iPads, Android tablets, Amazon tablets, and Chromebooks. Inspired by Scratch, the wildly popular programming language used by millions of children worldwide, ScratchJr helps even younger kids create their own playful animations, interactive stories, and dynamic games.

The Official ScratchJr Book is the perfect companion to this free app and makes coding easy and fun for all. Kids learn to program by connecting blocks of code to make characters move, jump, dance, and sing.

Each chapter includes several activities that build on one another, culminating in a fun final project. These hands-on activities help kids develop computational-thinking, problem-solving, and design skills. In each activity, you’ll find:

  • Step-by-step, easy-to-follow directions
  • Ways to connect the activity with literacy and math concepts
  • Tips for grown-ups and teachers
  • Creative challenges to take the learning further By the end of the book, kids will be ready for all sorts of new programming adventures!

The ScratchJr app now supports English, Spanish, Catalan, Dutch, French, Italian, and Thai.

Download the Common Core Appendix

A Playful Introduction to Programming
by Jason R. Briggs

Python is a powerful programming language that’s easy to learn and fun to use! But books about programming in Python can be dull and that’s no fun for anyone.

Python for Kids brings kids (and their parents) into the wonderful world of programming. Jason R. Briggs guides you through the basics, experimenting with unique (and hilarious) example programs featuring ravenous monsters, secret agents, thieving ravens, and more. New terms are defined; code is colored and explained; puzzles stretch the brain and strengthen understanding; and full-color illustrations keep you engaged throughout.

By the end of the book, you’ll have programmed two games: a clone of the famous Pong, and “Mr. Stick Man Races for the Exit”—a platform game with jumps and animation.

This second edition is revised and updated to reflect Python 3 programming practices. There are new puzzles to inspire you and two new appendices to guide you through Python’s built-in modules and troubleshooting your code.

As you strike out on your programming adventure, you’ll learn how to:

  • Use fundamental data structures like lists, tuples, and dictionaries
  • Organize and reuse your code with functions and modules
  • Use control structures like loops and conditional statements
  • Draw shapes and patterns with Python’s turtle module
  • Create games, animations, and other graphical wonders with tkinter

Why should serious adults have all the fun? Python for Kids is your ticket into the amazing world of computer programming.

Covers Python 3.x which runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, even Raspberry Pi

Create an MP3 Player, Mod Minecraft, Hack Radio Waves, and More!
by Dan Aldred

The Raspberry Pi is an inexpensive, pocket-sized computer that will help you build and code your own hardware projects.

Raspberry Pi Projects for Kids will show you how to harness the power of the Raspberry Pi to create 12 cool projects using simple code and common materials like a webcam, microphone, and LED lights. Step-by-step instructions and detailed diagrams guide you through each project.

After a brief introduction to the Python programming language, you’ll learn how to:

  • Create an LED night-light that turns itself on and off
  • Set up a Raspberry Pi camera to take selfies and videos
  • Set up a webcam to stream video to your cell phone
  • Manipulate environments in Minecraft
  • Hijack local radio waves to play your own songs and recordings
  • Configure Raspberry Pi to send texts to a cell phone
  • Track your family members' locations via wi-fi and Bluetooth
  • Create an MP3 player
  • Set up a camera to take motion-triggered photos of wildlife
  • Control the electronics in your home with your cell phone
  • Teach Raspberry Pi to read aloud posts from your Twitter feed
  • Play “Rock, Paper, Scissors” against Raspberry Pi

Raspberry Pi Projects for Kids will deliver hours of fun and endless inspiration!

Requirements: Compatible with all Raspberry Pi models. Model 3B+ recommended

An Introduction to Programming for Kids
by Eric Weinstein

The Ruby programming language is perfect for beginners: easy to learn, powerful, and fun to use! But wouldn't it be more fun if you were learning with the help of some wizards and dragons?

Ruby Wizardry is a playful, illustrated tale that will teach you how to program in Ruby by taking you on a fantastical journey. As you follow the adventures of young heroes Ruben and Scarlet, you’ll learn real programming skills, like how to:

  • Use fundamental concepts like variables, symbols, arrays, and strings
  • Work with Ruby hashes to create a programmable breakfast menu
  • Control program flow with loops and conditionals to help the Royal Plumber
  • Test your wild and crazy ideas in IRB and save your programs as scripts
  • Create a class of mini-wizards, each with their own superpower!
  • Organize and reuse your code with methods and lists
  • Write your own amazing interactive stories using Ruby

Along the way, you’ll meet colorful characters from around the kingdom, like the hacker Queen, the Off-White Knight, and Wherefore the minstrel. Ruby Wizardry will have you (or your little wizard) hooked on programming in no time.

For ages 10+ (and their parents!)

"An enjoyable book that can turn any kid (or adult!) into a programming wizard." —Kirkus Reviews

"Vibrant and visually engaging, with chuckle-worthy asides...instructive and kid-friendly." —School Library Journal

"This is the programming book I've been waiting for!" —Gail Carmichael, Carleton University faculty and Board Advisor for the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology

by Al Sweigart

Scratch, the colorful drag-and-drop programming language, is used by millions of first-time learners worldwide. Scratch 3 features an updated interface, new programming blocks, and the ability to run on tablets and smartphones, so you can learn to code on the go.

In Scratch 3 Programming Playground, you’ll learn to code by making cool games. Get ready to destroy asteroids, shoot hoops, and run mazes! Each game includes easy-to-follow instructions with full-color images, review questions, and creative coding challenges. Want to add more levels or a cheat code? No problem, just write some code.

You’ll learn to make games like:

  • Maze Runner, a maze navigation challenge
  • Rainbow Lines, a dazzling animation program
  • Asteroid Breaker, a space adventure game
  • Basketball, a gravity-based game of hoops
  • Brick Breaker, a remake of Breakout, the brick-breaking classic
  • Platformer, a game inspired by Super Mario Bros.

Learning how to program shouldn’t be dry and dreary. With Scratch 3 Programming Playground, you’ll make a game of it!

Uses Scratch 3

by The LEAD Project

Scratch is the wildly popular ­educational programming language used by ­tens of millions of first-time learners in classrooms and homes worldwide. By dragging ­together and assembling colorful blocks of code, kids can learn computer programming concepts as they make cool games and animations.

Scratch 3 has an updated user interface featuring new sprites, a new sound editor, and many new programming blocks. It also includes extensions that enable you to program physical devices (such as micro:bit and LEGO robotics kits) and to translate text within your Scratch projects.

Super Scratch Programming Adventure! was created together with Mitch Resnick, the creator of Scratch (that's him on the cover). The book has readers create projects inspired by classic arcade games that can be programmed (and played!) in an afternoon. Patient, step-by-step explanations of the code and fun programming challenges will have kids creating their own games in no time.

In addition to specific programming instructions, the book includes comics that draw young learners into the book. Readers learn to code as they work through the comics which make programming concepts like variables, flow control, and subroutines effortless to absorb. Packed with ideas for games that kids will be proud to show off, Super Scratch Programming Adventure! is the perfect first step for the budding programmer.

A Parent-Friendly Guide to Python Programming
by Bryson Payne

Teach Your Kids to Code is a parent's and teacher's guide to teaching kids basic programming and problem solving using Python, the powerful language used in college courses and by tech companies like Google and IBM.

Step-by-step explanations will have kids learning computational thinking right away, while visual and game-oriented examples hold their attention. Friendly introductions to fundamental programming concepts such as variables, loops, and functions will help even the youngest programmers build the skills they need to make their own cool games and applications.

Whether you've been coding for years or have never programmed anything at all, Teach Your Kids to Code will help you show your young programmer how to:

  • Explore geometry by drawing colorful shapes with Turtle graphics
  • Write programs to encode and decode messages, play Rock-Paper-Scissors, and calculate how tall someone is in Ping-Pong balls
  • Create fun, playable games like War, Yahtzee, and Pong
  • Add interactivity, animation, and sound to their apps

Teach Your Kids to Code is the perfect companion to any introductory programming class or after-school meet-up, or simply your educational efforts at home. Spend some fun, productive afternoons at the computer with your kids—you can all learn something!

“A straightforward, crystal-clear guide to programming in Python...Sophisticated concepts and serious programming make for an easy, enjoyable game for families.” —Kirkus Reviews

“An easy five stars...With the information provided in Teach Your Kids to Code, kids (and adults) will have a solid foundation from which to jump to more advanced programming books.” —James Floyd Kelly, GeekDad

“Kid coders who have mastered the likes of Scratch, or older students who are math inclined and want to learn how to code, will find a worthy choice in Payne’s guide to Python programming.” —School Library Journal

Build a Website with HTML & CSS
by Sam Taylor

YOU DON'T NEED A COMPUTER TO LEARN HOW TO CODE!

This beginner-friendly introduction to web development enables anyone to build a website by writing out code by hand—no computer or internet required. It’s a fun, hands-on approach to coding that teaches the basics of using the HTML and CSS programming languages (the language of web pages). You write the code in the pages of your workbook and then draw what it would look like in a web browser.

  • TEACHERS: This has everything you need to teach an introductory web development class, and the pages are perforated!
  • STUDENTS: Learn the basics of HTML and CSS to build your own custom website!

Once you’ve finished the workbook you’ll have the skills to easily build and launch a website. It’s that easy!

This exercise-filled workbook is packed with illustrations and progress quizzes, making it perfect for at-home learning or schools lacking sufficient computer or internet access. It has everything you need to teach a coding class or learn basic web programming yourself.

Requirements: Pen or pencil and a desire to learn!

24 Pen-and-Paper Projects to Explore the Wonderful World of Coding (No Computer Required!)
by Christine Liu and Tera Johnson

Featured on the list of Great STEM Books for Girls and Boys on STEM Kids Chicago.

The Computer Science Activity Book is the perfect companion for curious youngsters — or grown-ups who think they'll never understand some of the basics of how computers work. Work through this brief, coloring book-like collection of fun and innovative hands-on exercises and learn some basic programming concepts and computer terminology that form the foundation of a STEM education. You'll learn a bit about historical figures like Charles Babbage, Ada Lovelace, Grace Hopper, and Alan Turing; how computers store data and run programs; and how the parts of a computer work together (like the hard drive, RAM, and CPU). Draw a garden of flowers using loops, create creatures with conditional statements, and just have a bit of fun.