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Logo design credit goes to: tubbadu
I'm not sure what's it's like now, but at that age I was just starting to get into visual programming. Using blocks to program. Started getting into Lego robotics. All my computer skills started there.
With Linux I would start them on basic terminal commands. Cat a file. Edit a file. Navigate. Etc.
Get them the Hello Ruby books, they’re great for that exact age
Those are good.
From cmd line, run a game
Maybe coming up with coded messages? With a code language.
(they don't need to be difficult)
The first thing I did in Linux was to change my wallpaper/ UI and Icon themes.
Maybe these would be really easy first challenges that a child would look into anyways, to make the system feel like theirs. I remember constantly changing wallpapers when I was a kid. I wonder what I'd had done with the options Linux offered.
Further down the line I'd explain sudo apt update/ upgrade (or equivalent) to them, so they can do some basic maintenance.
While I like the idea of challenges to get them used to computers, I'd also suggest balancing these with challenges that may help them outside the digital/technological world. Maybe challenge them to write a short story or a letter to their grandparents in cursive. Maybe hand-stitch a running hem, mentally add and subtract numbers, walk a quarter-mile every day. Later on, maybe have them plan out and cook a really simple meal, or do some kind of simple repair or put together a flat-pack table or something. Solder or glue something.
I dunno, it just feels like so many skills aren't being taught to kids and they graduate with little knowledge of skills that make your life easier and less expensive - simple repairs, being able to research stuff, being unafraid to do things on your own. Don't get me wrong, I applaud your kid's drive and your desire to make them ready for the digitally-focused world they'll live in, I just see too many kids graduating and needing a massive amount of hand-holding for even the simplest things.
I fully agree with you.
The kids can use most basic tools (hammers, drills, pliers), I try to involve them whenever we fix something around the house.
They can also cook some foods (pretty limited selection but relatively independently, including with the stove), but there is much to learn here.
We have also made sure they know how to swim, ride a bike, clean and treat wounds and even safely handle firearms (very far from anything approaching skill, but safety first).
I think we should practice stitching, that's a great idea and next summer project will have some gardening.
Eventually I'd be happy if I can get them to try some martial art, but so far they don't seem interested.
I am struggling a bit to teach them finance skills, since physical money is so rare now.
Have you thought of using an Arduino, and let him program little things?
My kid was all in on Tux Paint for a good while.
He eventually settled in to make cars and cats, but at first he just enjoyed making abstract art with all the colors and paintbrushes.
The thing they used to show kids to try and get us interested in computer programming back when I was in school about a hundred years ago was called Logo. Apparently there's now an online version called LYNX which might be worth a look.
This might seem a bit "too much", but as a linux user for 20 years, and someone that also is preparing a computer for my niece (she is 4 right now, but I'm going to give it to my brother so that he can decide when the time is right for her), I have to say you should look in to the new Commodore OS (yes; it is the Commodore!). It's a large OS, but it has everything. What you want to do is hide everything that shouldn't be accessible to your children, and that's as easy as right-clicking on "Applications" and unmark any app that shouldn't be visible (this is easy in any distro, but), it also comes with a few "education" apps (see image), that are very good as an introduction to computing. When they get older, you simply mark the apps you want them to have access to. I've used this dist for about 2 month now, and it is extremely stable. There are also other nice things that can help keep things a bit "fun", like the "Cube" (check my profile header for how it can look, it's from my current setup). The cube (in my opinion) is a great visual as to how, for instance, directories and such work; if you have let's say 4 apps open on your desktop, going in to cube mode you can see how they all are as "layers", this just makes sense (to me, at least).
I think you should check it out!
I have never heard of this project, I will check it out.
The typing practice software is also a good idea (from your screenshot).
Download a picture from the Internet, move it to the desktop with the file explorer only. Then print it out.
