Pair programming. Teamwork, tolerance, communication, patience. Not bad for children.
What bothers me is that computers are a lot less accessible today than in the 80s. I almost feel jealous that I didn't have an 8bit computer when I was a preteen :-).
I used to spend a big chunk of my free time then reading books in the library along with a couple of girls. We would then discuss with the other kids what cool books we had found. Reading and discussing texts is extraordinarily fun and it sparked my interest in reading. Programming can also be popularized the same way.
What bothers me is that computers are a lot less accessible today than in the 80s. I almost feel jealous that I didn't have an 8bit computer when I was a preteen :-).
I used to spend a big chunk of my free time then reading books in the library along with a couple of girls. We would then discuss with the other kids what cool books we had found. Reading and discussing texts is extraordinarily fun and it sparked my interest in reading. Programming can also be popularized the same way.