Oct 23, 2025
Posted by:
P C Boey
Some students arrive at just the right moment — and remind us why we love what we do.
Not long ago, a mother reached out to ask whether her 9-year-old son could join my Python Teen Coders course. I explained that my program is typically designed for ages 12 to 16, and that most younger children benefit more from building logic visually through Scratch first.
But he wasn’t “most children.”
He had already mastered Scratch and was eager to take the next step — real programming.
Curious and impressed, I offered a free introductory lesson, allowing him to try Python and see whether he felt ready for it. I expected we might move slowly through the fundamentals: printing a message, storing values in variables, and learning how Python reads code line by line.
But immediately, I saw something special.
He absorbed new ideas quickly.
He asked smart questions.
He lit up when the code he wrote came to life.
The joy was unmistakable — the joy of creating, discovering, and realizing “I can do this.”
He enjoyed the session so much that he wanted to continue right away. Today marks his fourth and final lesson of this introductory phase, and his excitement has only grown stronger. Watching his confidence flourish has been incredibly rewarding.
This experience has reminded me of something important:
Age gives us guidelines. Passion rewrites them.
When a young learner shows readiness and curiosity, Python isn’t too early.
It’s exactly where they should be.
As educators and parents, we guide based on what usually works — but occasionally, we meet a young mind ready to leap ahead. And when that happens, the best thing we can do is open the door and step aside.
Here’s to nurturing curiosity wherever we find it.
And here’s to the little Python programmer who reminded me that inspiration has no minimum age.
If you know a young learner who is excited about coding and exploring new ideas, I’d be delighted to help guide their first steps into the world of Python.