Computer For a Child?

jameswing writes "I am thinking of buying a UMPC, such as an Eee PC or a Wind for my son, and wanted to get input from Slashdot. He is almost 2 and really curious about our computers, and anything electronic. I want to foster this in him, without having him on my desktop or laptop. I also don't really like the idea of getting one of those cheap 'Learning Laptops' that have a tiny screen and are really limited. Does anybody have one that they use with their children? How sturdy is it? Will it stand up to a 2-year-old? If not, what are good alternatives? What are your thoughts? Suggestions?"

Two is tough

[xzvf]

A two year old is going to have a hard time manipulating the keyboard and touch pad of any netbook. Consider one of the Fisher Price things you hook to a regular TV. If you are insisting on a real computer, the XO-1 from OLPC is available on Amazon for $400 ($200 tax break for the G1G1 program). Sugar bothers most adults but my five year old (now six) took to it well, and it has lots of interesting software. For the less adventuresome, the Classmate from Intel (distributed by CTL) is also available on Amazon. It uses a modified Edubuntu build so has a lot of educational applications. Unless your kid is some kind of bio mechanical freak, that can handle mice, keyboards and touch pads at two, I'd suggest buying something designed for that age and holding off on the netbook for a couple of years.

Along the same lines...

[TheSpoom]

I have a nephew around the same age (slightly over two). He loves playing with my Nintendo DS and Mario 64 on the Wii (which, of course, he doesn't quite know how to control yet, but the freedom to just run around is fun even to him).

What would be a good portable I could get him that would be more his age? I don't think he's a prodigy or anything, I just want to get him something fun.

Child-proof Magellan laptop

[Bluefirebird]

Buy the Magellan laptop (Magalhaes) that is based on the Intel Classmate framework. This computer is being supplied to every child in Portugal from the ages of 6-10. It's a very robust laptop that keeps working after more than 1 meter (3 feet) falls.
However, you should analyze if 2 years-old isn't a bit too soon to have a laptop.

Re:Oh, get over yourself

[d3ac0n]

I don't think it was necessary to be that rude to the guy. Maybe his child *IS* a prodigy. You don't know.

That said, 2 is a bit young to be buying a proper laptop for. Although a netbook would be a fine choice if you really think he is ready. I know I started showing my kids how to use the computer at around two, and by 3 they could use the mouse. My kids are hardly prodigies (actually, they both have Autism Spectrum Disorder) but now they can both use the PC with no problem. I've found the Zac Browser [zacbrowser.com] to be a great help, as it limits the options kids have and basically turns the PC into a toy they can play with.

I would suggest trying that first. Download it, and sit with your child using it. (Hand-over-hand on the mouse at first.) You will find it to be great bonding time for you and your child, and the bonus is that they learn to do some basic things on the PC, and eventually it will be a nice, kid-safe method of entertainment.

Re:Oh, get over yourself

[0100010001010011]

There are a few games for OS X designed for

Baby Safe II [bestshareware.net]
# Teaches the numbers and the alphabet with spoken words as the toddler presses keys.
# Displays pictures of flowers and animals at random or when the space key is pressed.
# Displays geometric shapes at random and when the mouse is clicked.
Baby Banger [goodeast.com]
Baby Banger fills the screen with a large white window where randoms sounds and shapes are displayed for young children to look at and identify. It can even speak the name of the shapes being displayed. The source code is included in the download.

I'm sure there are Linux equivalents.

Re:Too early for a "real" PC

[east coast]

Are you crazy? Do you realize how much a choking hazard keys are? I know ThinkPads are durable but they're not indestructible. Spend the 20 bucks on a toy that has the same intellectual return value. These toys are designed with the safety of a child in mind, a ThinkPad isn't.

Re:The universal gift.

[socsoc]

I really wish you would quit it with your spams. At least put it in your sig so it can be properly ignored.

Re:Oh, get over yourself

[Keith_Beef]

Or get a strong "kiddy keyboard".

http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&search-alias=electronics&field-keywords=kids%20computer%20keyboard&page=1

K.

Re:Oh, get over yourself

[mhall119]

My kids are hardly prodigies (actually, they both have Autism Spectrum Disorder) but now they can both use the PC with no problem. I've found the Zac Browser [zacbrowser.com] to be a great help, as it limits the options kids have and basically turns the PC into a toy they can play with.

My son is on the spectrum too, I made a Linux distro for him with some nice open source games. Check it out at: http://quinncoincorporated.org/ [quinncoincorporated.org]

Re:Oh, get over yourself

[De Lemming]

The Boohbah [boohbah.tv] website also has this kind of stuff. It's a flash app you should put in full screen mode. There are more [pbskids.org] sites like this if you look around, as every tv show has a web page nowadays.

The job of a young child.

[wfstanle]

Come on folks! Less than two is a preschooler and a very young one at that. The preschool years are VERY important. They should be learning about social interaction not computer interaction. They should be learning their FIRST language not a computer language. They should be learning how to get along with others not get along with a computer. A young child has a lot of important learning to do and a computer is not one of them. There is a whole lot of time later on to learn about computers. This is not one of them.

Re:Oh, get over yourself

[d'fim]

You mean that the original poster might actually want what he explicitly said he wanted?

Inconceivable!

Re:Oh, get over yourself

[Beardo the Bearded]

You've heard of Edubuntu [edubuntu.org], right?

Not so sure about that

[mckwant]

We've got one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/Vtech-Tote-Go-Laptop-Plus/dp/B000E1PY6U [amazon.com]

And it serves it's purpose just fine. Our 2 1/2 year old can recognize most of the letters already. She's obviously not using all the games (some are a little beyond her, frankly), but it's nigh-indestructable, and $20 if they happen to destroy it.

We don't really encourage its use, but she picks it up from time to time anyway. I still have more fun with the blocks, personally.

Re:8 bit

[Belial6]

A C64 takes WAY more knowledge to get started with than Linux or Windows. I gave my son his first computer soon after he turned 1, and he ran Ubuntu just fine. It took less than 10 minutes of instruction and a day of him fiddling for him to get comfortable with it. Install gCompris, which starts out with 'move the mouse over squares to display the picture' activities, and you are ready to go. My kid didn't get into C64s until he was late 3. Even now at 4 he is not ready to start programming, which is where the Apples and C64s will shine. If you go with Windows, I would also recommend GameTap. They have more than 75 educational titles in their catalog, and many of the purely entertainment titles are simple enough for a two year old. Things like Pac-man and Burger Time. After all, sometimes kids just need to play.

Re:Similar situation here

[Belial6]

Set up an old desktop (not too old) in the corner. Install Ubuntu and gCompris, and let her go at it. Desktops are metal boxes, so she isn't likely to break that. Use a CRT monitor so that touching the screen isn't a problem. Set it up on an end table so that it is all at her height. The only items that you need to worry about breaking are the mouse and keyboard since other than the power button, those are the only items she will use heavily. Keyboards and mice are cheap, so if they break, it isn't the end of the world. They are also really durable. Finally, when you get a mouse, 1) make sure it really works. I have seen parents give kids their old mice that stick. If a broken mouse is a source of frustration for you, it will likely be one for your child, and 2) Go get one of those small 'laptop' mice. They will fit your daughters hand WAY better than an adult sized mouse. I got my son one of those at 1, and it is still running fine at 4. I recently asked him if he wanted a full size mouse, and he was adamant that the smaller one was more comfortable than my large mouse.