Me: A Programming Language for Young Creators

A friendly programming language for children aged 8-12

What is Me?

Me is a programming language designed specifically for young learners (ages 8-12). It uses a familiar HTML-like syntax that feels like building a webpage, making programming approachable and fun!

"Programming should feel like playing with building blocks, not solving puzzles."

Why Me?

Designed for Young Minds

• Familiar syntax: Looks like the HTML kids see on websites

• Visual feedback: See your code come to life instantly

• Safe sandbox: Can’t break anything - experiment freely!

• Progressive learning: Start simple, discover more as you grow

Not Like Other Languages

Other Languages	Me Language	Why It Matters
print("Hello")	<say>Hello!</say>	Feels like writing a note
x = 5	<remember name="score">5</remember>	Describes what it does
if x > 10:	<when score-is="big">…​</when>	Plain English conditions
for i in range(5):	<repeat times="5">…​</repeat>	Says exactly what happens

Quick Start

Your First Program

<me>
  <say>Hello! I'm learning to code!</say>
</me>

Output: Hello! I’m learning to code!

Remembering Things

<me>
  <remember name="my-name">Alex</remember>
  <remember name="my-age">10</remember>

  <say>My name is {my-name} and I am {my-age} years old!</say>
</me>

Making Choices

<me>
  <remember name="weather">sunny</remember>

  <choose>
    <when weather-is="sunny">
      <say>Let's go outside!</say>
    </when>
    <when weather-is="rainy">
      <say>Let's read a book!</say>
    </when>
    <otherwise>
      <say>What's the weather like?</say>
    </otherwise>
  </choose>
</me>

Repeating Things

<me>
  <repeat times="3">
    <say>Hip hip hooray!</say>
  </repeat>
</me>

Output:

Hip hip hooray!
Hip hip hooray!
Hip hip hooray!

Drawing Pictures

<me>
  <canvas width="200" height="200">
    <circle x="100" y="100" size="50" color="yellow"/>
    <circle x="80" y="80" size="10" color="black"/>
    <circle x="120" y="80" size="10" color="black"/>
    <curve from="70,120" to="130,120" bend="down" color="black"/>
  </canvas>
  <say>I drew a smiley face!</say>
</me>

Asking Questions

<me>
  <ask into="favorite-color">What is your favorite color?</ask>
  <say>Wow, {favorite-color} is a great color!</say>
</me>

Learning Path

Level 1: Hello World (Week 1-2)

• <say> - Make the computer talk

• <remember> - Store information

• <ask> - Get input from users

Level 2: Making Choices (Week 3-4)

• <choose> and <when> - Make decisions

• <otherwise> - Handle other cases

• Comparing things: is, is-not, is-bigger, is-smaller

Level 3: Repeating (Week 5-6)

• <repeat times="N"> - Do something N times

• <repeat for-each="item" in="list"> - Go through a list

• <repeat while="condition"> - Keep going until done

Level 4: Drawing (Week 7-8)

• <canvas> - Create a drawing area

• Shapes: <circle>, <square>, <line>, <curve>

• Colors and sizes

Level 5: Games! (Week 9+)

• <on-click> - React to mouse clicks

• <on-key> - React to keyboard

• <move> - Animate things

• <score> - Keep track of points

Example Projects

Counting Game

<me>
  <remember name="score">0</remember>

  <repeat times="5">
    <ask into="answer">What is {random 1 to 10} + {random 1 to 10}?</ask>
    <when answer-is="correct">
      <add to="score">1</add>
      <say>Correct!</say>
    </when>
    <otherwise>
      <say>Not quite, try again next time!</say>
    </otherwise>
  </repeat>

  <say>You got {score} out of 5!</say>
</me>

Pet Simulator

<me>
  <remember name="pet-name">Fluffy</remember>
  <remember name="happiness">50</remember>
  <remember name="hunger">50</remember>

  <say>Welcome! Your pet's name is {pet-name}!</say>

  <repeat forever="true">
    <ask into="action">What do you want to do? (feed, play, or bye)</ask>

    <choose>
      <when action-is="feed">
        <subtract from="hunger">20</subtract>
        <say>{pet-name} says: Yum yum!</say>
      </when>
      <when action-is="play">
        <add to="happiness">20</add>
        <say>{pet-name} is so happy!</say>
      </when>
      <when action-is="bye">
        <say>Goodbye! {pet-name} will miss you!</say>
        <stop/>
      </when>
    </choose>
  </repeat>
</me>

Project Structure

me-dialect-playground/
├── src/                 # Me language implementation
├── examples/            # Example programs for kids
│   ├── level1/         # Beginner examples
│   ├── level2/         # Making choices
│   ├── level3/         # Loops and repetition
│   ├── level4/         # Drawing
│   └── games/          # Fun game projects
├── docs/               # Documentation and tutorials
├── test/               # Test suite
├── playground/         # Web-based playground (coming soon!)
└── curriculum/         # Teaching materials for educators

For Parents and Teachers

Me is designed with safety and education in mind:

• No internet access: Programs run in a safe sandbox

• No file access: Cannot read or write to the computer

• Immediate feedback: Kids see results instantly

• Encouraging errors: Error messages are friendly and helpful

• Progressive complexity: Reveals features as kids are ready

Curriculum Resources

Coming soon: * Lesson plans for 8-week courses * Printable activity sheets * Assessment rubrics * Parent guides

Installation

# Coming soon!
# For now, use the web playground at: (URL TBD)

License

This project is licensed under the Mozilla Public License, v. 2.0. See the LICENSE file for details.

SPDX-License-Identifier: CC-BY-SA-4.0

What’s Next?

When you’re ready for more (around age 13+), check out Solo - the next step in your programming journey!

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Made with love for young creators everywhere