Yeah, I started with Basic back in the day, too. But that's not what we should be teaching our kids today. Start with HTML. This language comes pre-installed on every Mac and every PC and every Linux box and every other kind of computer you can buy today. You are looking at it right now! Go to the menu bar and select View -> Source or View -> Page Source. That's HTML, the language of the web. There are lots of great HTML manuals out there, including "Learn to Program HTML in 21 Minutes." (I'd include a link, but the comment editor says that "a" tags are not allowed, proving my point that HTML is something everyone should know. I trust you can use Google to find the page.) After they've learned HTML, then teach them JavaScript. Guess what? It's also pre-installed on your computer! These are real languages that let people do great things. If you then want to move on to more powerful (and therefore more esoteric) languages, you can then move on to a modern line-oriented language like Python or Ruby. Both are free to download and available for any computer you are likely to have (and many that you are not). Both have lots of free manuals online. And both are much easier to learn and use than crappy old Basic. I've recently taught Ruby to dozens of non-programming adults: it is very intuitive. Years ago, I also taught kids Basic, but I wouldn't do that today. Instead teach them something more universal, more practical, and easier to learn: HTML, JavaScript and Python or Ruby. The hardest part about things today is simply that there are so many great languages to choose from. Back in the day, your IBM-PC or Apple II only understood one language: Basic; or, more accurate, a platform-specific dialect of Basic that wouldn't work on any other kind of computer. I'm glad those days are gone.