Parents researching how to introduce their child to programming run into two very different camps: one insists Scratch's drag-and-drop blocks are the only sensible starting point, the other argues kids should jump straight into "real" code like Python. Both sides have a point, and the right answer really does depend on the child.
Scratch removes the single biggest source of frustration in early coding — syntax errors. A child dragging blocks together can't misspell a command or forget a semicolon; the blocks only fit together in ways that work. That makes it excellent for teaching the underlying logic of programming — loops, conditionals, sequencing — without the friction of typing exact syntax correctly. For roughly ages 7-11, this usually makes for a much smoother introduction.
Once a child understands the core logic and wants to build something more ambitious than Scratch's block system comfortably supports, the visual-blocks approach can start to feel like a ceiling rather than a launchpad. That's usually the natural signal to introduce real code.
Python is genuinely used in real software, which gives an older child or early teen a sense that what they're learning has actual weight behind it — not a toy language, but the same tool professionals use. It also directly teaches the syntax and thinking patterns that transfer to nearly every other programming language later.
A patient child who doesn't mind a bit of trial and error with syntax can sometimes jump into simplified Python earlier than the typical age guideline suggests. A child who gets easily frustrated by errors often benefits from more time in Scratch first, regardless of age, just to build confidence in the logic before adding syntax precision into the mix.
Start with Scratch if your child is under 10 or has never coded before, and treat "getting bored of what Scratch can do" as the actual signal to move to Python — not a fixed birthday. If your child is 11 or older and already comfortable with basic logic concepts, it's reasonable to skip Scratch and start with a gentle, guided introduction to Python directly.
Neither option is objectively better — they're solving for different things. The real question is whether your child needs the training wheels of visual blocks right now, or whether they're ready to handle real syntax.