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.
Don’t 5 year olds struggle enough with learning fine motor skills and life skills in the physical world? Why on earth are we trying to push “marketable skills” or whatever crap on them. They are 5. They can’t even read yet, much less “develop user space applications”! Let them play with physical trains, dig holes, run, play, not force them to sit down and learn computer science when he can’t even fucking read. He will likely be spending 40% of his life after age 18 sitting on a computer and getting eye strain, why does he need to start early? Hell, he likely can’t even read an alalog clock yet. At that age they are just starting very basic math.
Is this a LinkedIn post? Do we want children to be in the toxic grindset mindset to make full stack apps at age 12? Let them be kids! Sure maybe get them one of those starter Lego mechanic sets or one of those push button light up books in logic gates and let them explore, but holy shit guys.
There doesn’t seem to be a single “the child is taking a huge interest in electronics/coding/etc”. It is just a dad forcing his kid to learn “job skills” when maybe he wants to play with dinosaur toys.
This post seems like digital version of “children yearn for the mines”