Oh I think so too. I have two daughters and the older one (13 now) was 4 when I got my first ball python. She was shy but they both love to handle them now and will help with feeding, cleaning cages, etc. and are learning a lot about genetics because of our snakey discussions. There's a lot of good material to be found right here on this site as well, about feeding, housing, and general husbandry.