Programming can be compared to a foreign language or musical instrument. It can take years of training to see quality results.

I found some pretty cool programming sites for children. They can create something interesting in a few minutes.

Alice – This program lets kids create 3D, interactive animations. They’ll start with an empty stage. Then they can populate it with characters and props. Every object has a list of customizable actions. Kids will drag actions to a command pane. Then they’ll hit play to set the characters in motion.

The drag-and-drop controls make it easy to experiment. And detailed tutorials will get kids started in no time.

Scratch – This program helps children make fun games, applications and animations. They’ll connect simple commands to create movement and interactivity. They’ll program the conditions for and results of every action.

They can share their creations with Scratch’s online community. They can also download projects from other children. Then they’ll see the programming behind a finished product. They can learn by reverse engineering things they like.