9. Tiny Tennis | Python Projects for Kids

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Python Projects for Kids

By : Ingrassellino

3.2 (5)

Python Projects for Kids

3.2 (5)

By: 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.

Preface

Preface

What this book covers

What you need for this book

Who this book is for

Conventions

Reader feedback

Customer support

Free Chapter

1. Welcome! Let's Get Started

1. 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

2. 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!

3. 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

4. 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

5. Loops and Logic

Higher or Lower

A quick task for you

Summary

6. Working with Data – Lists and Dictionaries

6. Working with Data – Lists and Dictionaries

Lists

Dictionaries

List or dictionary

A quick task for you

Summary

7. What's in Your Backpack?

7. 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

8. pygame

What is pygame?

Installing pygame

pygame

A quick task for you

Summary

9. Tiny Tennis

9. 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!

10. 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

A. Quick Task Answers

A. 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

Section 2 – moving the paddles

Now we finally get to write the code that will make our paddles appear on the screen and allow us to control the paddle.

This is where we get the chance to use the logic and loops that we learned about in earlier chapters. In a game such as Tiny Tennis, many decisions are made very quickly. Computers are great at making fast decisions based on our instructions. Here are the parts of the code that will be in the next section:

Creating the while loop
Key events

We will code these next pieces step by step, and then test the code by running it to check whether there are any errors. It is suggested that you read through this whole section before you start coding so that you know what to expect. Once you have read through everything, the fun starts!

Pre-loop actions

Before we actually create the while loop, there are two actions that we will code. The first is to ensure that the cursor disappears when it goes over the game screen, so it is not an interruption. There is...

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Tech Concepts

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Programming languages

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