Conversations with a six-year-old on functional programming (2018)

A parent uses an interactive "function machine game" to teach their six-year-old son about functional programming concepts, where the child guesses what a function does based on inputs and outputs. The game proves highly engaging and leads to genuine understanding of core ideas like functions, types, and constant functions, while also revealing that even university students struggle with similar concepts in lambda calculus. The article demonstrates how playful, concrete explanations can make abstract computer science principles accessible to young children.