Ask HN: Are there any good educational computers for children that aren't toys?
2 laianav 1 8/19/2025, 6:55:56 PM
My nieces are 6 years old and they're going to start primary school soon.
They're pretty smart and I'd like to know if there are any good educational computers that allows them to learn at their own pace, things like maths, geography, programming, etc.
They will be educated in Basque/Spanish/English but their English is not very good yet so it should be available at least in Basque or Spanish.
Thank you!
Vanishingly few kids have the mythical "learn at their own pace" gene- kids who do are usually spectrum. Nearly all kids learn best from and with people. Nearly all device software are gamifying/fighting for attention/addiction. LLM/AIs as a new entrant to the space offer incredible capabilities including nuanced conversations even at the toddler level but the safety guardrails are zero and the risks of cognitive offloading and debt are very real.
Loving reading books on paper supports concentration, focus, cognitive capacity, creativity- only good things.
Pick excellent challenging books and commit emotional energy to engaging/reading with them.