CurriculumPython Functions, Parameters and return for KidsThe Dragon's Two Abilities
Practice Challenge: Choosing print() or return in Python
print() shows it, deliver() sends it — choosing the right channel for each function.
The Dragon's Two Abilities
You've learned three things about functions. Let's put them together for the final challenge.
One: def names a group of code, and calling it runs that code again from the top.
Two: parameters let one function produce different results for different calls.
Three: a function that returns hands a value BACK — deliver() is how you actually send that value on.
The challenge ahead has two functions with two different jobs. Picking the right channel for each is the whole point.
Check your understanding
One function's whole job is to SHOW a message. Another's job is to CALCULATE a number for later use. Which one should use return?
Why: The calculating one. If a value needs to be USED afterward (added, compared, delivered), it should return. If a function's whole job is just showing something, print() inside it is enough.
What you'll practice
def compute_total(gold, gems): return gold + gems * 10. Print a label ("TOTAL VALUE:"), then deliver the result of compute_total(20, 3).
More from this topic
The Dragon's Two Abilities is one lesson inside Python Functions, Parameters and return for Kids — see the full lesson order and what the whole topic covers.
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