frontpage.
newsnewestaskshowjobs

Made with ♥ by @iamnishanth

Open Source @Github

Open in hackernews

Ask HN: How have you shared computers with your young child (~3 to 5)

6•msencenb•4h ago
My kids are not quite screen time age, but at some point will be. I'd like to give them an interesting computer experience instead of just plopping them in front of an iPad with some media.

When I was a kid I had fond memories of exploring the file system, figuring out how applications worked, playing with Kid Pix, Paint, and a few games (roughly Apple IIGS, Macintosh 2, through iMac + a Windows XP desktop).

Do you have any fun old laptops or device you've got lying around that you've used to introduce kids into a desktop environment?

Any and all recommendations welcome :)

Comments

brudgers•4h ago
Your child wants to spend time with you. Not with a computer.

And you both will be better off for it.

So put your child on your lap and let the computer be an excuse until you give yourself permission not to need an excuse. Because they are only little once, turn out amazing, get their own lives, and you miss them like hell. Good luck.

johncole•3h ago
Love this response. Remember that having the time and space to give to your kids like this is a luxury not everyone has.
brudgers•1h ago
It is not a luxury.

It is decision about who you are.

msencenb•29m ago
First of all - totally agree. I work half-time so I get to spend extended time every day with the kids.

My post did not say anything about how I was going to use the computer, in fact we often do exactly what you said with his fake keyboard in between his other activities.

I also believe that it's my job to provide my children with the environment in which they can thrive and be independent. This post is asking for constructive guidance on how other people have navigated the transition into engaging with technology that all kids go through.

If you have any ideas, I'd be happy to hear them.

johncole•3h ago
For a long time we setup a raspberry pi with screen and monitor for our kids to use. It was perfect, the gpu wasn’t strong enough to watch YouTube but it was fun to play some basic games and get curious about coding.

We have banned YouTube on our house, without an adult watching. But I make a private playlist that has interesting videos I see, mostly educational, so when we have time to watch we watch something of quality.

johncole•3h ago
Ah one more hack or idea. My kids LOVE books. Our local library has the Libby App and we get tons of free books for car rides and nap time. Get it and get them a kindle fire. Then completely disable games and only enable books.
codingdave•2h ago
At 3-5? We gave them an old dead phone to play with. They made their own laptops from a couple pieces of cardboard, and drew a keyboard and screen on it.
akkartik•2m ago
I've been making little things for them with LÖVE. If I show them a Paint program and they say, "I wish I could draw circles," then I nod non-committally and then the next day it does circles. In this way I hope they will grow to expect to have agency over computers and not just accept what some app offers.

More details:

https://akkartik.name/freewheeling

https://akkartik.name/freewheeling-apps

https://akkartik.itch.io/carousel

Chile's Queen Bees Take Flight as Global Guardians of Pollination

https://latinamericanpost.com/economy-en/chiles-queen-bees-take-flight-as-global-guardians-of-pollination/
1•litoE•1m ago•0 comments

Earth Temperature Timeline (2016)

https://xkcd.com/1732/
1•microsoftedging•3m ago•0 comments

The race to make AI as multilingual as Europe

https://thenextweb.com/news/making-multilingual-ai-in-europe
1•Bluestein•4m ago•0 comments

Hobby shops: it's game over due to Quebec law [banning sale of EN-only wares]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DyAvq7LE6A
1•indrora•6m ago•0 comments

DOE Invites Experiments for Marvel Microreactor

https://spectrum.ieee.org/marvel-microreactor-department-of-energy
1•defrost•7m ago•0 comments

Show HN: Convert Photo to Flat Cartoon Vector

https://vizbull.com/photo-to-cartoon-drawing-flat-painting
1•rkj93•9m ago•0 comments

So It Begins Is This a Real Band or AI? [video]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Nlb-m_vKYM
2•sublinear•11m ago•0 comments

I got an ambulance ride, CT scan and ER care in Brazil. My bill: $0

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/06/29/brazil-health-care-sus-hospitals/
6•rbanffy•11m ago•1 comments

Bryan Kohberger to plead guilty to all counts in Idaho college murders case

https://abcnews.go.com/US/bryan-kohberger-plead-guilty-counts-idaho-college-murders/story?id=123356808
1•david927•12m ago•0 comments

Show HN: I turned Paul Graham's essays into per topic navigable knowledge maps

https://www.proread.ai/pgessays
1•kanodiaashu•13m ago•0 comments

In 1966, Israeli Intelligence Convinced an Iraqi Pilot to Defect with His MiG-21

https://daxe.substack.com/p/in-1966-israeli-intelligence-convinced
2•vinnyglennon•13m ago•0 comments

AIs have a favorite number, and it's not 42

https://www.theregister.com/2025/06/30/ai_models_favorite_number_27/
1•twapi•15m ago•0 comments

Amazon Misses Out on Switch 2 Sales After Nintendo Pulled Products from US Site

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-06-30/amazon-lost-right-to-sell-nintendo-switch-2-amid-sales-dispute
1•JumpCrisscross•15m ago•0 comments

Cholesterol and how it fits in with a healthy diet (2023)

https://www.heart.org/en/news/2023/08/25/heres-the-latest-on-dietary-cholesterol-and-how-it-fits-in-with-a-healthy-diet
1•herecomethefuzz•16m ago•0 comments

Harry Potter and the Anatomy of a Speedrun (2024)

https://blog.alexbeals.com/posts/harry-potter-anatomy-speedrun
1•pncnmnp•17m ago•0 comments

Corruption Database – DJT

https://github.com/codeddarkness/taco_pardons
1•darkhacks•17m ago•0 comments

DOJ announces plans to prioritize cases to revoke citizenship

https://www.npr.org/2025/06/30/nx-s1-5445398/denaturalization-trump-immigration-enforcement
3•JumpCrisscross•18m ago•0 comments

For the future of water conservation, look to Los Angeles?

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/27/headway/water-conservation-los-angeles.html
1•bookofjoe•18m ago•1 comments

Cytisine [pdf]

https://www.ncsct.co.uk/library/view/pdf/Cytisine.pdf
1•chpatrick•19m ago•0 comments

MCP to .dxt Command for Claude Code

https://claudecodecommands.directory/commands/claude-desktop-extension
1•ananddtyagi•19m ago•1 comments

React Still Feels Insane and No One Is Talking About It

https://old.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1lokxnv/react_still_feels_insane_and_no_one_is_talking/
1•mbrizic•20m ago•0 comments

Query Autocomplete from LLMs

https://old.reddit.com/r/RedditEng/comments/1loewqg/query_autocomplete_from_llms/
1•softwaredoug•21m ago•0 comments

Judge allows antitrust lawsuit against Apple to proceed

https://www.wsbtv.com/news/judge-allows/GJOMH7CU2BG7XEIN3TGRLWU5EM/
2•1vuio0pswjnm7•25m ago•0 comments

Show HN: A continuation of IRS Direct File that can be self-hosted

https://github.com/openfiletax/openfile
1•elijahwright_•26m ago•0 comments

Regen: Empowering personalized recommendations with natural language

https://research.google/blog/regen-empowering-personalized-recommendations-with-natural-language/
1•maxloh•28m ago•0 comments

US Government takes down major North Korean 'remote IT workers' operation

https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/30/us-government-takes-down-major-north-korean-remote-it-workers-operation/
2•jnord•28m ago•0 comments

Researchers Uncover Hidden Ingredients Behind AI Creativity

https://www.quantamagazine.org/researchers-uncover-hidden-ingredients-behind-ai-creativity-20250630/
1•jnord•30m ago•0 comments

Bell Labs DSP Pioneer Jim Boddie Leaves Lasting Legacy

https://spectrum.ieee.org/dsp-pioneer-jim-boddie
2•jnord•30m ago•0 comments

Chronic Denial

https://www.openmindmag.org/articles/going-chronic
1•MaysonL•35m ago•0 comments

Ask HN: How Are You Reading HN in June 2025?

3•johncole•39m ago•0 comments