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I feel depressed.

My boys are 8 and 4, and they're both only interested in "hack and slash" computer games, so I bought local co-op like Ninja Turtles and Castle Crashers. I tried giving them "puzzle" games, they're not interested. I tried giving them books (and I also read the books for them), they always "Daddy can we play games".

Still thinking how to make them interested in programming. The Pi I gave them, they use it to play YouTube only.

2 comments

With respect, may I suggest that you think about spending more time with them, rather than providing for them.

It sounds like they have watched lots of TV and need to have better role-models around and interacting with them.

Maybe (if you have the financial capacity) take a holiday and go explore the world with them without any youtube or games.

I would not allow them to use youtube! But don't beat on em! Kids just follow what they see around them - so to change them you will have to change their environment.

All the best, I imagine balancing work and income with good kids is difficult. My advice, if you earn enough to eat and have a house you earn enough.

If my children watch YouTube, it is with me and I'm choosing the content, or giving them options to pick between. We generally watch documentaries. Where necessary, I provide extra explanations, or paraphrase subtitles for the preschooler. If I pause and ask them a question to have them understand why something is happening, they seem to enjoy the challenge. I hope that it makes them interested/interesting and inquisitive people.

Examples of things we've watched recently:

Behind the scenes Korean street food videos: https://www.youtube.com/@yummyboys

Transport journeys through Africa or Asia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vN_6jfIoYE4

How various things are grown or made: https://www.youtube.com/@eater plus many others

Epic Adventures with Bertie Gregory

Edge of the Unknown with Jimmy Chin

Mark Rober

etc

Model out games on paper. Graph paper. Give them crayons and markers.

Tape up a board game out of construction paper and cardboard. Glue stuff to popsicle sticks. Create adhoc, six-sided dice.

Use a firewall to block sites.

Programming is modeling abstractions. Don't need a computer for that. Stepwise refinement, encapsulation, and problem decomposition can all be demonstrated without a machine.

Model a linked list with a stages in a game (on paper). A graph is just a path of streets to the ice cream shop. A tree is an upside-down version of the one outside.

Teach them to make something out of nothing, first principles. Read with them.