|
Published:
September 8, 2015

Python For Kids For Dummies

Overview

The kid-friendly way to learning coding with Python

Calling all wanna-be coders! Experts point to Python as one of the best languages to start with when you're learning coding, and Python For Kids For Dummies makes it easier than ever. Packed with approachable, bite-sized projects that won't make you lose your cool, this fun and friendly guide teaches the basics of coding with Python in a language you can understand. In no time, you'll be installing Python tools, creating guessing games, building a geek speak translator, making a trivia game, constructing a Minecraft chat client, and so much more.

Whether you don't have the opportunity to take coding classes at school or in camp—or just simply prefer to learn on your own—Python

For Kids For Dummies makes getting acquainted with this popular coding language fast and easy. It walks you step-by-step through basic coding projects and provides lots of hands-on tasks that give you a sweet sense of accomplishment when you complete them. What's not to love about that?

  • Navigate the basics of coding with the Python language
  • Create your own applications and games
  • Find help from other Python users
  • Expand your technology skills with Python

If you're a pre-to-early-teen looking to add coding skills to your creativity toolbox, Python For Kids For Dummies is your sure-fire weapon for getting up and running with one of the hottest programming languages around.

Read More

About The Author

Brendan Scott is a dad who loves Python and wants kids to get some of its magic too. He started pythonforkids.brendanscott.com to help teach his oldest child to code. He maintains it to help other young people learn Python.

Sample Chapters

python for kids for dummies

CHEAT SHEET

Python coding helps you with things you do every day, like math homework. Python programming can also help with things like making web pages: Thank goodness for widgets and keywords!Python 2.7 keyword subset and examplesProgramming is an important skill. Python will serve you well for years to come. The tables here give you the core words, built-ins, standard library functions, and operators that you’ll use most when you’re coding with Python.

HAVE THIS BOOK?

Articles from
the book

Once you become exposed to programming in Python, you'll discover that there are endless potential things you can do with it. If you want more information, you should check out Python's online documentation Python's introspection features Professor Internet Source code Python's online documentation The Python documentation pages are available at https://docs.
When Python runs into an error, it tries to give you a clue about what went wrong and where. Try to figure out Python's message. It will usually give you a good place to start. There are two main kinds of errors in Python: A syntax error basically means you made a punctuation mistake. These are the most common errors.
Functions in programming are a simple way to group together actions. With them you can do some groups of actions repeatedly without having to retype all the code. You save typing, and it's easier to think about how to structure your program and to update it. One problem with these approaches: They don't let you reuse code in other circumstances.
You're going to have to change the number of spaces in front of one or more lines of code. It's common in programming like Python. Moving them in is indenting. Moving them out is dedenting (or deindenting). For example, if you want to move a print statement from the main part of the program into the code block of a loop, you need to indent it.
Whether you use a Mac, Windows, or Linux OS (operating system), you can find and install Python on your computer. The following sections give you instructions for each OS. How to install Python on Mac OSX To find and start Python on Mac OSX computers, follow these steps: Press Cmd+spacebar to open Spotlight.
Usually you get called rude if you interrupt. Not in programming. Are you ready to create a program that never finishes by itself (called an infinite loop)? This section shows you how to force it to stop. Forcing a stop is useful when your program locks up and won't respond. The trick is to press Ctrl+C (the Ctrl key and the C key at the same time; don't press the Shift key).
Functions are extremely useful and powerful tools in your programming toolbox because they allow you to separate your program into meaningful blocks. All the built-ins in Python are functions, as is everything in the standard library. The rules for naming a function are a lot like rules for naming a variable: They must start with a letter or an underscore: _.
After you've downloaded Python, it's a good idea to pin it to your Start menu. That way you can find it more easily for the rest of this book. Type Python in the Start menu's search bar, or click All Programs. In the folder Python 2.7, you should find the following entries (see Figure 1): IDLE (Python GUI) Module Docs Python (command line) Python Manuals Uninstall Python Figure 1: Python entries in Start menu.
The Python interpreter takes in each line and operates on it immediately (more or less) after you press the Enter key. In Hello World! you use Python's print feature. print takes what's inside the parentheses and outputs it to the command line (also called the console). Python is sensitive to both the grammar and punctuation.
An integrated development environment is a kind of word processor for coding. Python comes with a code editor called IDLE. The editor has two main parts: The Shell window gives you the Python prompt shown in Figure 1. The Editor window lets you save and run your files. Figure 1: What an IDLE shrunken Shell window looks like.
Writing comments in your Python code files is a good thing because you can communicate messages to your future self in the program text. Let's take a look at an example code file. ""This is just a test file"" print('Hello World! from the editor') The first line here is called a comment. It looks like string literals because that's what it is.
Programming is an important skill. Python will serve you well for years to come. The tables here give you the core words, built-ins, standard library functions, and operators that you'll use most when you're coding with Python. Python Core Words KeywordSummaryExample and Logical operator to test whether two things are both True.
Python coding helps you with things you do every day, like math homework. Python programming can also help with things like making web pages: Thank goodness for widgets and keywords!Python 2.7 keyword subset and examplesProgramming is an important skill. Python will serve you well for years to come. The tables here give you the core words, built-ins, standard library functions, and operators that you’ll use most when you’re coding with Python.
In Python, the IDLE Shell window has a couple of tricks that make coding a little easier. Tab completion and command history are two good tricks. Tab completion Tab completion is using the Tab key to finish your typing for you. Try it out with these steps: Start a new line in the Shell window. Type p and press the Tab key.
Python can do fractions so you can check your homework answers. Use the fractions module, and its Fraction object, specifying the numerator and denominator. To get one-half, type fractions.Fraction(1, 2). For four-fifths, type fractions.Fraction(4, 5): >>> import fractions >>> one_half = fractions.Fraction(1, 2) >>> one_fifth = fractions.
Tkinter in Python comes with a lot of good widgets. Widgets are standard graphical user interface (GUI) elements, like different kinds of buttons and menus. Most of the Tkinter widgets are given here. Label Widget A Label widget shows text to the user. You can update the widget programmatically to, for example, provide a readout or status bar.
Python is a programming language written by a person called Guido van Rossum in the 1990s. Programming languages allow you to control what a computer does and the way it does it. Some of the things that make Python totes awesome (also known as "really helpful and lots of fun") are: Python code is easy to read and understand.
In Hello World!, the message that print is sending is called a literal. Think of a literal as being something within single quotes. (Single quotes are this ' instead of double quotes, like this "). Literals are the rocks (not rock stars) of the programming world. You can pick them up and throw them around, but you can't change them.
Tradition dictates that Hello World! be the first program that you write when you're learning a new programming language like Python. You're following in the footsteps of many great programmers when you create this project.To create your Hello World! program, follow these steps: Open your Start menu and choose Python (command line).
https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6630d85d73068bc09c7c436c/69195ee32d5c606051d9f433_4.%20All%20For%20You.mp3

Frequently Asked Questions

No items found.