The kid’s grandparents got him an Amazon Fire tablet and I loathe the thing. It teaches literally nothing about computing and the games they have for kids are barely even games, and are more focusing on advertising various IPs.

I’d like to get the kid started, as he learns to read, on something that will be more useful than detrimental, let that soft little brain soak up some actual computer science, literacy. I teach him about basic electrical circuits and how that translates to computing, if, and, or, xor, nor, etc. He’s got some familiar with hex (colors) and the concept of binary (on/off).

But what to get for a first computer? I almost want to get him something Linux based and turn him loose. Is there anything like that, that would require him to learn some command prompt and basic computing skills?

Every time and try and Google it, I get a bunch of crap suggestions and ads.

  • N00b22@lemmy.mlEnglish
    11·
    9 hours ago

    • Buy an used PC/laptop (Optiplex can do)

    • Buy a SATA SSD if the PC comes with a HDD, and swap it

    • If the PC comes with 4 GB of RAM, try to expand it to 8 GB

    • Install Linux on it

    • Done

  • nycki@lemmy.world
    12·
    13 hours ago

    maybe something like a Raspberry Pi and set him up with html? html and js is still a great way to learn, you get immediate feedback!

  • Nicht BurningTurtle@feddit.org
    3·
    2 days ago

    You might try something from the lego mindstorms series, tho it might be too early for the child. It allows you to program your creation from both the device itself, as well as from a pc or tablet.

  • Nomecks@lemmy.ca
    3·
    2 days ago

    Code combat. It’s a video game they have to program. It starts at a no code level where you build simple movement and progresses from there. It’s a great start for a kid who’s 5 or 6

  • emrsmsrli@lemmy.world
    3·
    2 days ago

    buy him an automation game like shapez. its style relates to children I think and it is easy enough for them to learn how to think methodically

  • helpImTrappedOnline@lemmy.world
    2·
    2 days ago

    Minecraft has a ton of potential. So many ways to develop creativity, problem solving, redstone, and using commands.

    Then there’s modding. navigating the web to find safe ones, navigate the file explorer to put them in the right spot. Troubleshoot mods that don’t work together. (I remember having to manually change hundreds of Item IDs before they changed the system).

    5 is probably too young to start with mods, but texture packs would probably go well, open up paint and start scribbling on blocks. Eventually give them paint.net (or anything more complex than Win Paint) and start messing with layers and saving things to the right file type.

    Does the kindle fire let you do USB transfer for music and books? Transfer stuff manually. (Amazon taking the download feature away from the store, so books will need to be got elsewhere) I’m a big fan of Standardebooks.org, all free and public domain, not a lot of children’s books, but should be good by the time they’re 10. Although the LCD screen probably isn’t the best for reading, I’d get them an eink for reading time. Also easier to separate reading time from game time. Also if you can go to the public library for physical books. The simple responsibility of borrowing a books, taking care of it and having to return it on time is good. (I’m rambling off topic…)

    Install a bunch of easy puzzle games. I’ve always like Flow, there’s also simple math ones, sudoku, jigsaws, word searches, find the object, there’s probably a hundred others.

    The tablet is only as detrimental as you make it. Find games with an actual story that the kid has to read. 5 might be a bit young for RTS games, but those will definitely make him read and think. When they get stuck, show them how to find the guide online and read just enough while avoiding story spoilers.

  • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
    2·
    2 days ago

    Can the kid ride a bike yet? Kick a football? Swim?

    I love reading now, but when I was 5 I only wanted to look at the pictures in books, not the words.

    My friend hates to fishing, because he dad tried to force it on him before he was ready.

    And if he is interested, it’s probably better you build one together than buy one.

    imho.

    • BrianTheeBiscuiteer@lemmy.world
      1·
      2 days ago

      I agree with the idea of trying lots of different things, especially physical activities. If you’re kid falls in love with computers early that’s awesome but it can also lead them down a road of bad health habits.

  • Donebrach@lemmy.world
    01·
    2 days ago

    you are wildly overestimating what a 5 year old is capable of understanding. wait another 5 years and see if the kid is even interested at all. if so, get him a mid tier pc and call it a day.

    • AstralPath@lemmy.ca
      21·
      13 hours ago

      There are 5 year olds on this planet that are more capable of certain things than grown ass adults. Waiting until 10 is to sacrificed their spongiest brain years.

    • hex@programming.dev
      1·
      2 days ago

      You’re wildly under-estimating what a 5 year old is capable of, let alone a 10 year old.

  • lemmylommy@lemmy.world
    1·
    2 days ago

    It’s great that you want to support your kid and hopefully get them away from the focus-destroying dopamine traps that are many „kid friendly“ apps. But please ask yourself what your kid likes first, not what you want them to be interested in. It’s perfectly fine to restrict tablet time and let him focus on what he likes, be it computer stuff or football or cycling or reading or painting or whatever. If he really interested in Linux and nor, xor etc that’s great, but don’t force it on him.

    And that is coming from someone who bought and built his first own computer around that age and wrote his first few lines of very basic basic code not long after. Not because it was expected of me, but because I was interested and given the opportunity to follow those interests.

    So, if that kid is interested in computers, Minecraft is a great game for kids. It encourages creativity, problem solving, perseverance and, maybe later, collaboration. It’s also possible to play together and scale their experience to their age: get started in creative or peaceful, then let them discover mobs and mods when they are a bit older, then let them play with friends.

    If the kid likes building and Legos, you might want to look into Lego Boost and Spike, although they are rather expensive.

    Oh, and paint. Kids love paint, be it MS paint, Paint.net or any other open source alternative. Show them that with a computer they can create, not just consume.

  • orgrinrt@lemmy.world
    01·
    2 days ago

    Well, the amount of comments just going with the premise of a 5yo kid actually understanding logical operators or circuits is a little bit concerning, seeing as mine can barely do the car puzzles with the arrow commands, and they are 6.

    Uh oh.

    • 【J】【u】【s】【t】【Z】@lemmy.worldOP
      0·
      2 days ago

      Listen every kid is going to go at a different pace, and they’re going to follow their own interests. Right before covid lockdowns started, so he spent his formative years at home with Mom and Dad, who worked from home, and who are both highly educated with masters and doctorates, and you don’t get that kind of education without being able to teach. So he was around adult language constantly and had two parents that knew how to take complex subjects and boil it down to its most basic forms. Like one example of teaching him logical operators was with a little plug-in night light/ flashlight that he has in his room. He could figure out no problem what the circuit must include. A power source, a light sensor, and a three-way switch, and so he can understand that that light sensor was checking to see if there was light and if so it would stay off, else it would turn on. I did a big project over the summer with installing PVC piping into a raised garden beds and ended up with a ton of extra parts. Splitters and valves and what not. And with that I was able to teach him some of the more advanced operators, and, xor, and nor. Like We would plumb one pipe from the water source and then split it and then put a valve on each side and then connect them back so it had one outlet. And from that or with some other connectors you can teach basically all the operators and even binary. Plus we would read books with him every night, and still do, four or five books a night, and often we talk about the books to develop critical thinking. We also encouraged transcendental thought (tell your brain what to do, ask your brain what you should do), and abstract thought. There was one awesome book for abstract thought that I can’t remember the name of, but every page was like a picture of a tree but each leaf was a hand. And the text would say something like, “what if leaves were hands? Then the tree could climb you.” And for a while we would make up his own all the time. There’s also a series of books called like Astrophysics for Babies, Optical Physics for Babies, Relativity for Babies, so we would read those and combine them with little experiments we would do with my telescope or my big laser. Also spend a lot of time reading the dictionary and going through an encyclopedia, each written for kids, like “my first encyclopedia.” He’s been in Montessori school for a year now and has a wide range of interests; they teach meditation, yoga, karate, and all sorts of practical and life skills. Stuff I never even thought about at his age. It’s pretty cool. We know that every child will experience their own heartbreak and letdown, and will internalize things as trauma no matter what we do. I wish my brain was still soft and as hungry as a kid’s. They suck up whatever info you give them.