What was your first programming language? For some, it might have been Logo; for others, Scratch. Regardless of the language, many of us have fond memories of creating playful, creative programs as kids - not because we had to, but because it was fun.

What many don’t realize is that the joy of these early experiences wasn’t by chance. It stems from the pioneering work of Seymour Papert, Cynthia Solomon, and others at the MIT Logo Lab in the late 1960s. They developed an educational philosophy called constructionism - the belief that children learn best when engaged in creative projects that connect with their personal interests. This philosophy shaped not only Logo but an entire lineage of educational programming tools designed to make coding fun, expressive, and meaningful.

Today, as the "Learn to Code" movement is challenged by generative AI, researchers and educators are revisiting these roots. They view programming not merely as a utilitarian skill for the job market but as a medium for exploration and creative expression. From analyzing complex data to creating art and understanding systems, programming can be much more than a language to be learned - it can be a language for learning.

For education, free and open-source software is a cornerstone. Free software ensures that tools remain accessible to all, fosters collaboration, and empowers learners to not only use but also understand and modify the systems they engage with - crucial for digital sovereignty.

In this talk, we’ll take you on a whirlwind tour of some of the most influential programming languages designed for children, from Logo, Smalltalk, and Etoys to Scratch and their modern descendants like Snap!, GP, and MicroBlocks. Rather than just describing these languages, we’ll show you their power through live demos.