Ask HN: Entry to Hacking for a 5yo?

5's pretty young. Building standard lego was what i was doing at that age. Building things as complex as possible to try and outdo my older brother.

kids imho shouldn't be allowed much screen time.

Maybe you could do a project together with Microsoft MakeCode and one of their physical devices. The platform talks about games because it's a natural fit for onboarding a kid's interest in programming (or an adult's), I think, but you can write anything with it because it's Typescript under the hood.

The Pygamer device is a handheld keyboard-less computer and there are other programmable devices, too, like the Circuit Playground that I think would interest a 5 year old in pair-programming.

Because the project uses the Blockly editor, kids can understand and follow the code flow visually before they are able to understand the script.

Perhaps best of all, it's free, runs in an emulator in the browser, creates fully open code, and has no ads.

https://makecode.com

The code.org curriculum for that age can be found at: https://code.org/student/elementary

All other age levels can be found there as well. I like it because it breaks it down to the correct level and language for different age groups, and has a progression of skills and terms to help build them up to the vocabulary that we all use and take for granted.

FWIW, it is not the only curriculum out there. A decent keyword to search to find more is "K-5 Computer Science". Read a few, take your pick.

Minecraft is beloved by pretty much all kids and has a natural onramp of learning increasingly complex concepts.

There are some basics around something in the game called "redstone" that let's you build simulated electrical circuits. But with mods you can branch out into nearly any concept.

For missing mods you can branch out into programming. It's also multiplayer so you can play it with him or he can play with his friends. Setting up a server to play with friends can also be a fun learning experience.

I highly suggest physical devices over any other approach.

Buy an RPi or an Arduino, and make cool stuff with it. Let your kid watch and help.

Then teach them basic Python and let them write parts of functions/scripts with MicroPython. That's how they get started.

I saw a boring, trivial

    Hello world
    
    Press any key to continue...

It did not spark any interest in me. Programming was a mundane experience until math and programming were linked later.

I was much more excited when I learned HTML at the age of 13/14. The fact that I could change text in a real web page on a browser was mind-blowing.

That's why I do microcontrollers and suggest them always.

The fact that you can change stuff in the physical, real world by editing a text file - is so tremendously powerfull for a beginner!

Get some LEDs, a display, a servo motor, and so on, and let them watch and help.

Then let him alter the sourve file to change light blinking patterns and such.

Consider letting your child figure out what they're interested in on their own. Provide opportunities but don't force it?

Also, limiting games and social media is just going to make them want it more. Also, as others have mentioned, Minecraft is a great way to get them in to computers. Perhaps be a bit more open minded?

I'd also concur with other posters providing a negative slant, and suggesting doing things other than hacking with modern computers or microcontrollers. There's so many more fun things to do with a child. Chess, Lego, Meccano, Books, Art, Pottery, Music, woodwork/crafting, Modelling. That is to say, if you managed to get them able to understand and play chess first, and then go "how would we make a computer beat us at chess?" you'd have a better time than flashing LEDs or messing around with for loops and if/else (and unless your child is some sort of savant prodigy, getting a decent game of chess out of them is going to take a while...) Also if you want them to get into computing nowadays, I'd advise not doing any sort of smartphone use or social media yourself within sight of them. Children today haven't got that straight trajectory we did in the past from computers that presented a Basic prompt and really made you work for it, developing through the complexity and online nature they are now, where online and social is entangled and only ever a click away. My basic advice would be that they have their whole life to get into computing, and it's never been easier than it is now to learn and do, and there are loads more things to do that are exclusively things that can only be done with five year olds, and coding isn't one of them.

P.s. one thing that I would suggest would be to take things apart - telephones (if they still exist) audio equipment, whatever you can find to take apart and put back together again, although again this idea was easier in the past when things had stuff in them other than just an smd microchip.

Not hacking, but for beginning EE: There are a few toys like the "Squishy Circuits" on the market. I personally loved the 100-in-1 electronic kits from back in the day. But that was during the Glory Days of Radio Shack ;)

I'm also getting into ODROID. A curriculum around open handhelds, consoles, and peripherals is what's needed here...

https://www.hardkernel.com/

Capsela toys ( There is a modern equivalent), I started with those myself. It teaches robotics and electricity + some mechanics.

Go to thrift stores, buy cheap old electronics and appliances, then take them apart together and talk about the pieces. The take the pieces apart and talk about their pieces.

Guys, it's a treasure chest! The replies are varied, rich and from different positions. They really inspire my worn father's brain :) Thank you.

Not a father but a "fun uncle" to my buddy's kids. I bought them a snap circuit set and they absolutely loved building out the projects in the booklet. In a couple years (the oldest was five at the time), I hope to revisit the snap circuits and introduce how this all works.