Book Image

Python Projects for Kids

By : Jessica Ingrassellino
Book Image

Python Projects for Kids

By: Jessica Ingrassellino

Overview of this book

Kids are always the most fast-paced and enthusiastic learners, and are naturally willing to build stuff that looks like magic at the end (when it works!). Programming can be one such magic. Being able to write a program that works helps them feel they've really achieved something. Kids today are very tech-savvy and cannot wait to enter the fast-paced digital world. Because Python is one of the most popular languages and has a syntax that is quite simple to understand, even kids are eager to use it as a stepping stone to learning programming languages. This book will cover projects that are simple and fun, and teach kids how to write Python code that works. The book will teach the basics of Python programming, installation, and so on and then will move on to projects. A total of three projects, with each and every step explained carefully, without any assumption of previous experience.

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Python Projects for Kids
Jessica Ingrassellino
Apr, 2016 | 192 pages
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Table of Contents (18 chapters)
Python Projects for Kids
Python Projects for Kids
Credits
Credits
About the Author
About the Author
About the Reviewer
About the Reviewer
www.PacktPub.com
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Preface
Free Chapter
1
Welcome! Let's Get Started
Welcome! Let's Get Started
Python projects for you
The prerequisites of Python
Write and run your first program in the command line
Make yourself a work folder
A quick task for you
Summary
2
Variables, Functions, and Users
Variables, Functions, and Users
Variables
Functions
Users interacting with your program
Using the text editor and the command line
Build your own function – name()
Going the extra mile
A quick task for you
Summary
3
Calculate This!
Calculate This!
The calculator
Basic functions
Operations on two numbers
New functions – subtraction, multiplication, and division
Finding a remainder – modulo
Running your program
A quick task for you
Summary
4
Making Decisions – Python Control Flows
Making Decisions – Python Control Flows
Is it equal, not equal, or something else?
Conditional statements – if, elif, else
Loops
A quick task for you
Summary
5
Loops and Logic
Loops and Logic
Higher or Lower
A quick task for you
Summary
6
Working with Data – Lists and Dictionaries
Working with Data – Lists and Dictionaries
Lists
Dictionaries
List or dictionary
A quick task for you
Summary
7
What's in Your Backpack?
What's in Your Backpack?
Setting up our coding environment
Planning to program your game
Skills needed to make a program
Score, play again, or quit?
Getting and storing player information
Adding items to the virtual backpack
Limiting items in a virtual backpack
Testing your code so far
A game loop
Bringing back the while loop
Comparing guesses with backpack items
Keeping score
Ending the game
Testing your game
A quick task for you
Summary
8
pygame
pygame
What is pygame?
Installing pygame
pygame
A quick task for you
Summary
9
Tiny Tennis
Tiny Tennis
Introduction to game programming principles
The game plan
Creating an outline of game parts
Section 1 – imports, globals, and drawings
Initializing the score
Testing section 1
Section 2 – moving the paddles
The increase and decrease value (-= and +=)
Testing section 2
Section 3 – moving the ball
Testing – section 3
Section 4 – draw screen and track the score
Ending the program
Play Tiny Tennis!
Summary
10
Keep Coding!
Keep Coding!
What we learned and your next steps
Classes and objects – very important next steps!
More fun with games
Adding music to games
Adding graphics to games
Remake or design games
Other games
Other uses of Python
Coding challenges
Summary
Quick Task Answers
Quick Task Answers
Chapter 1, Welcome! Let's Get Started
Chapter 2, Variables, Functions, and Users
Chapter 3, Calculate This!
Chapter 4, Making Decisions – Python Control Flows
Chapter 5, Loops and Logic
Chapter 6, Working with Data – Lists and Dictionaries
Chapter 7, What's in Your Backpack?
Chapter 8, pygame
Index
Index

Conditional statements – if, elif, else

There are three language constructs that are used frequently in Python to control the outcome of a program. These constructs are if, elif, and else:

  • The if statement tells the program that if the user does this, then execute this part of the program.

  • The else statement is used to catch anything that the user does and is not in the program. For example, you can use if and else together: if the user chooses add, do addition, else do another action.

    Note

    The elif stands for else if, which means that if the first thing does not happen, then do the next thing in the list of possibilities until the user choice matches the possibility.

  • elif is used when you want to give the program more than two choices. You can use elif as many times as you like.

  • else is a signal of the end of the possible choices to your computer program. The else means that if none of the other things have taken place in your program, OR if the user has done something unexpected, then end...

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