I'm a software engineer and already know the material, so I'd like to teach my kids programming at home. I'm looking for an existing curriculum or structured program to follow rather than creating every lesson from scratch. Python seems like a good fit, and I'd like them to progress beyond basic syntax into data structures without going too deeply into computer science theory. The main goal is for them to learn coding as a practical tool for engineering and science, whether or not they eventually study computer science.
3 Answers
Before choosing a curriculum, make sure your kids actually want to learn programming. A well-designed course can help, but forcing another demanding activity onto already busy students may lead to burnout. Giving them a few project options and letting them choose what sounds interesting could make the experience much more successful.
Pliro may be worth exploring if you want something more hands-on and organized. It can serve as a framework for learning programming without requiring you to plan every lesson yourself. Since you already have professional experience, you could use the built-in material as a foundation and then go deeper in areas that interest your children.
The best choice depends on your children’s current experience and how advanced you want the material to be. You could begin with a gentle, project-based curriculum and move into Python, data structures, and larger programming assignments. A structured course such as Harvard’s CS50P can provide a solid Python path, while your engineering background lets you add practical science or engineering projects around it.
Python is probably the right direction for us. I’d like them to get past the introductory material and learn enough data structures to use programming effectively as an engineering or science tool.