I am trying to teach my children about computer programming at a young age since they always see Daddy developing professional web and mobile applications for a living. I honestly don't know where to start, but I do know that the process has to be fun and spark their creative juices.
As luck would have it I stumbled upon the Scratch Programming Language over at MIT that is absolutely perfect for introducing young children to the concepts of programming in a very fun and creative way. As the website mentions, using Scratch allows children to learn the basics of computer programming using their creativity and imagination to build interactive games and stories using art and music.
My children are abolutely crazy about Scratch, having built several games in the first two days after downloading it. As a developer it allows me to introduce my children to common concepts and programming language terminology like variables, looping, events, messaging, etc. that are used to build these wonderful games and stories. The kids enjoy embracing their love for music and art while building interactive games and stories for everyone in the family to enjoy. It is amazing to see them combine their love for music and art in a way to solve problems and entertain.
If you are like me and want to make the most of your young child's time on the computer, I highly recommend visiting the Scratch website. Scratch is a fantastic way to introduce your children to a computer education that embraces both left and right-brain thinking in a fun and imaginative way.
Hope this helps.
David Hayden