Comment by giantg2
3 days ago
I would make a cli game. Something like generating a random number between 1-100 and having the user guess. The game tells you higher, lower, or correct. Then let her try a few times. Then you tell her you can do it in 7 guess every time. Explain the math about alwasy closing the midpoint of the remaining range to cut the field in half. It's like a magic trick based on math that teaches basic syntax.
I think this is right.
I was going to suggest the same game, guess the number. But instead of doing it in CLI, do it on her class calculator. If she's 11, she may already have something like a TI 82. These come with some form of BASIC (at least it had 30 years ago).
I remember that I did that about 30 years ago, and then because I had done it, I spent hours playing it.
Then if she likes that, you can make a 2 player tic-tac-toe, or a play-against-the-computer paper-rock-scissors. The fun is to start simple and then modify the game slowly. For example, in the guess a number, you could have funny answers for special numbers.
or a tame-the-unicorn game that's a bit like a tamagotchi, you can feed her, play with her, let her sleep, that kind of stuff, with very simple counters. In the end you can to ride on her back and be her best friend forever.
Anything that's turn-based, where you have very simple inputs that go in variables, check the variable against the game state, and then change the state in a basic fashion, and output something as text, and repeat.
Anything with a graphical game loop is going to be too much imo.