they could approach the same math from the other side, by starting to write games. and gradually come to game math. that would be more interesting, and then it would become obvious why one may need some math while programming.
Back Then. When was that? At University (1978) we used Pascal as the first language to learn (if you exclude CDC Cyber 6600 assembly). Yes we did the Discrete math problems common in CS (https://mathworld.wolfram.com/Floyd-WarshallAlgorithm.html). We did other things as well. The professors were a mix of hippies, math geeks, and the Doctors from Doctor Who. Most knew both the academic and fun side of programming.
I guess it depends on the school and people there to create a fun but educational culture.
Heh, now you've made me consider an "abstract algebra for kids" tutorial, with data representations for simple games as the overarching conceit. Unfortunately, as a cishumanist, my finite lifetime expectation means I'll leave this project for some other interested party?
they could approach the same math from the other side, by starting to write games. and gradually come to game math. that would be more interesting, and then it would become obvious why one may need some math while programming.