That's maybe the best way to drive a 12 year old _AWAY_ from software development. What's really interesting is building stuff and seeing how it runs. When working alone you don't need to design with models/diagrams (heck, you probably don't even need that in a team most of the time). You don't need unit tests or a deployment strategy or a schedule. Just build stuff, have fun and try to learn something.
I know this does not help the original poster. Most books about iPhone/Android development are probably not suited for a 12 year old. Maybe starting from tutorials or little open source apps is a good way: Read the code, try to improve it, see what works. Iterate.
I know this does not help the original poster. Most books about iPhone/Android development are probably not suited for a 12 year old. Maybe starting from tutorials or little open source apps is a good way: Read the code, try to improve it, see what works. Iterate.