Which language should my child learn first (or next)?

By: Robert Walsh

People often ask me, "What is the best language for my child to learn?"  Back in the 1980s during the early days of home computing, the answer would have been obvious: BASIC.  BASIC stands for Beginner's All-Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code.  It was created in the 1960s "by John G. Kemeny and Thomas E. Kurtz at Dartmouth College" (Wikipedia).

BASIC

The reason why BASIC would have been the obvious choice as the programming language for newbies is two-fold.  First, it is a very simple programming language, and one that is easy to learn.  Second, and perhaps more importantly, it was either included with or readily available for nearly every home computer on the market at the time.  In the days before hard-drives, computers loaded their entire operating systems from ROM (Read Only Memory), and most ultimately deposited the user at the prompt for a BASIC interpreter.  Even some of the earliest IBM PCs had built-in BASIC.

Today, though, the choice is far less clear.  Most computers today no longer contain any built-in programming language, and BASIC is not as popular as it once was.  So, what are the colleges teaching?  A few years back, this would almost certainly have been Pascal.  Now, it is more likely to be Java or Python. 

Java

Java has a syntax derived from the C programming language and which is shared by a number of other programming languages including C++, C#, and JavaScript.  Java touted itself as a "write once, run anywhere" programming language.  It was designed to be system agnostic so that the same source code could run without any changes on literally any computer (or embedded device) with a Java Runtime available for it.  Rather than being compiled directly to machine code as C and C++ were, Java compiles to something called byte code.  This intermediate code is converted to machine code by what's called a Just In Time (JIT) compiler.  Initially, this approach caused Java to be slow, but this is less of a problem with today's super fast computers.

The Java (and C-like) syntax takes some getting used to as it requires liberal use of curly braces ( { } ) and semicolons, but once learned, it is fairly easy to move smoothly among the other languages that share the syntax.  It's a bit like how learning Spanish makes it easier to learn Italian or Portuguese.  The real key to learning Java, though, is understanding the Class Library.  The Java Class Library is what allows your program do useful things like reading and writing to files, creating graphical user interfaces (GUIs), or sending data over a network.  Unlike C and C++ which often require the programmer to write these facilities from scratch, Java has a comprehensive library of components for all this and more.  It takes, time, though to become familiar with this library.

Python

Python has an easier syntax than the so-called C-family of languages, and one that is arguably closer to natural English.  It uses less punctuation and enforces an indenting structure that is optional (but widely considered to be a good practice) in other languages.  Python's syntax, though, is unique to Python, and there are many Python-specific idioms - things that are done a certain way in Python that may not translate well to other languages.  Therefore, it will be more difficult to transition from Python to a C-like language than it would be with Java.

Like Java, Python is a popular and very widely used language.  The TIOBE Index rates the popularity of programming languages, and it publishes its rankings each month.  Python has consistently ranked high since at least the end of 2023, and is currently in first place by an even larger margin than at this time last year!  Java currently ranks fourth, showing a slight decline from last year's numbers.

Scratch

In the early 2000s, researchers in the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) realized that nearly all modern programming languages had too steep a learning curve to be suitable for beginners and younger coders.  They were awarded a grant to develop "a new programming environment for children to express themselves with code" (Wikipedia).  The result of these efforts is the Scratch programming language.  Unlike traditional programming languages that require the programmer to type in commands and strictly adhere to obscure grammar rules and syntax, Scratch is a blocks-based programming language.  Instructions are color-coded puzzle pieces that snap together to form sequences.  This allows the programmer to focus on the logic rather than the language.

In the October 2025 TIOBE Index, Scratch ranks 18th, down from 14th in October 2024.  Surprisingly, though, Scratch is the only language in the top 20 that isn't suitable for general purpose everyday programming, what some might call "real work."  To me, that's a testament to its success: a programming language largely unsuitable for production use is one of the 20 most popular!

Languages are tools

So, if Java's syntax and class library are daunting, Python's syntax is a one-off, and Scratch is great for learning but not necessarily for using, what language should my child learn if he or she wants to go on to be a professional programmer?  The answer, at least in my opinion, is that it really doesn't matter!  Learning a language does not make one a programmer.  Programming languages are just tools.  Just as people first learning a trade start with basic tools and gradually add more as they become proficient and more skilled, programmers start with one language and add more as their interests and needs change.

Each language has its own suite-spot - a type of application or problem for which it is well suited.  Some problems are more easily solved in some languages than they would be in others.  Further, languages can be grouped by type like Object-Oriented, Functional, and Imperative, and some problems lend themselves to one paradigm over others.  For example, Java, C++, and C# are all object-oriented programming languages, so any one of these could be used for problem that can be described as a collection of collaborating objects.

Five Foundational Concepts

In my view, virtually all modern programming languages share five fundamental concepts:

• Variables
• Loops
• Conditional Statements
• Functions
• Events

The key to becoming a programmer is to truly understand and know how to apply these five things, regardless of the language!  There are, of course, many other concepts that one must learn along the way, but these five transcend the specific language and provide a common scaffolding on which one may rely.

And the winner is...

By now, you're probably thinking I've found a way to weasel out of answering the original question: What language should my child learn?  Well, even though I truly believe any language will suffice, I do have some suggestions.  For younger students and those who are uncomfortable or unfamiliar with a computer keyboard, Scratch is a great choice.  Programs in Scratch not only employ all five foundational concepts, they are also colorful and graphical thus making them fun and engaging.  It is trivial to respond to keyboard and mouse events.  In almost every other language, a lot goes into providing graphics, sound, and animation, but in Scratch, these are available right from the start with no extra work!  In fact, one cannot write a purely text-based program in Scratch.  Scratch isn't just for young kids, though.  It is capable of the advanced math necessary for relatively complex video games.

Those who want a bit more challenge might prefer Python.  As was mentioned previously, Python's syntax is somewhat easier than most other programming languages.  Further, libraries like PyGame make it relatively easy to incorporate sound, graphics, and animation.  Plus, as the TIOBE Index shows, Python is consistently at the top of the list of most popular languages.  This means that there's lots of documentation and library support available for nearly every type of situation.  A programmer who knows only Python could likely find many well-paying jobs!

Another factor to consider when choosing a language is what you want to accomplish.  If you want to write a program that runs inside a web browser, you should know HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.  If you want to write scripts for Roblox, the choice is Lua (technically, the Roblox scripting language is Luau, but it derives from Lua).  For Minecraft, it's JavaScript or TypeScript, a super set of JavaScript that adds features like strict type checking.  What about video games?  You have choices like C++ and the Unreal Engine, C# and Unity, Python with PyGame, or Godot.  While this may all seem overwhelming, remember each on of these is built on top of the five foundational concepts!  A variable is a place to store information whether it's in Scratch, Python, or Java.  The important thing is to know how to use a variable well in whatever language you've chosen.

The main thing I hope you take away from this article is that programming isn't just knowing a programming language.  Instead, it's knowing how to use that (or any!) programming language effectively, proficiently, and productively to solve problems and accomplish tasks.  Understanding the five foundational concepts allows one to develop the algorithm from which the program will be written, no matter the language.