How I Turned a Raspberry Pi into My Child’s First Computer

In a world where toddlers swipe screens before they can tie shoelaces, there’s something to be said for old-school computer skills. That’s why I turned my Raspberry Pi into my child’s first computer. Follow along to see how I did it.

Why I Chose Raspberry Pi for My Kid

There’s no shortage of affordable computers that can be used to familiarize a child with the mouse and keyboard, including mini PCs, all-in-one PCs, laptops, and, of course, budget desktops.

I went the single-board route because the Raspberry Pi models offer several important advantages:

• A complete Raspberry Pi setup costs significantly less than most traditional computer options, especially if you don’t go with the latest model.
• The maximum power consumption of larger Raspberry Pi single-board computers is less than 10 watts. When idling, it tends to be just around 3 watts. In comparison, most laptops use at least 30 watts, and a desktop can use ten times the amount.
• The Raspberry Pi Foundation provides numerous resources and projects specifically designed for learning, making it an excellent platform for introducing programming and electronics concepts.

My daughter loves how small, and thus unintimidating, her Raspberry Pi 5 is. She can easily move the device around, take it in her hand to examine it up close, and even peek inside the case to see the components.

The Hardware and Software I Chose for My Child’s Setup

When it came to choosing the hardware for my child’s first computer, I decided to go all in by purchasing the latest Raspberry Pi 5 with 8 GB of RAM, as I want this setup to last long enough for my second child to use it too and want it to handle as many games and educational apps as possible without breaking a sweat.

But even the Raspberry Pi 4 with 4 GB of RAM would do fine. I would just need to explain the importance of closing unused applications a bit earlier.

For peripherals, I kept it simple. I paired the Pi 5 with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse I had lying around. There’s no need for extra wires, and it gives the whole setup a cleaner look. For the display, I chose a relatively small Full HD monitor. The high resolution ensures crisp text and graphics, while the compact size helps minimize eye strain for those little peepers. The only hardware component I had to order separately was a microSD card.

Initially, I intended to use Endless OS, a user-friendly operating system preloaded with tons of educational content. Unfortunately, the current ARM version of Endless OS only supports up to Raspberry Pi 4, so I pivoted to the tried-and-true Raspberry Pi OS, knowing I would have to tweak it a bit to make it easier to use.

Bringing the Raspberry Pi to Life and Making it Kid-Friendly

With all the components gathered, it was time to breathe life into my daughter’s first computer. First, I assembled the Raspberry Pi 5 and its case. It was as simple as popping the board into the case and snapping it shut. Next came the connections. I plugged the HDMI cable in to connect the Pi to the monitor and inserted the Bluetooth dongle for my keyboard and mouse.

I used the Raspberry Pi Imager tool on my laptop to set up Raspberry Pi OS on the microSD card. The tool allowed me to preconfigure Wi-Fi settings and set up a user account.

With the microSD card loaded and inserted, I could plug in the power cable and wait for the Raspberry Pi to boot for the first time. The initial boot landed me directly in the Raspberry Pi OS.

After these five steps, the Raspberry Pi was technically ready for use, but it wasn’t exactly kid-friendly. To fix that, I installed the following applications and games:

• GCompris Educational Software: this suite offers more than 100 activities for children aged 2 to 10, covering everything from computer familiarity to science.
• Tux Paint: a simple but fun drawing program that’s perfect for budding artists who need lots of mouse practice.
• Extreme Tux Racer: a fun game where you guide Tux the penguin down a snowy mountain. Thanks to this game, my daughter has painlessly memorized arrow keys.

Of course, these are just the tip of the iceberg. There are many more educational Linux applications and games to explore.

Before unleashing my daughter on the Raspberry Pi, I tweaked the UI to make it look more like Windows. Specifically, I moved the taskbar to the bottom, made it slightly larger, got rid of unnecessary icons, and pinned the above-mentioned applications and games. My daughter chose the wallpaper herself.

I also took one important precautionary measure of creating a safe space for exploration and learning: I deleted the saved Wi-Fi network (learning about the Internet will come later in my kid’s computing journey) by opening the Terminal and entering the following command:

sudo nano /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf

I then removed the relevant Wi-Fi network block, saved the wpa_supplicant.conf file, and restarted the Raspberry Pi.

My daughter has been using her Raspberry Pi for several months now, and the progress she’s made is truly impressive. She’s not only mastered the basics of mouse and keyboard use but has also developed a genuine curiosity about how computers work.

As she grows more confident and skilled, I’ll gradually introduce new features and, eventually, Internet access. But for now, this simple, safe computing environment is perfect for nurturing her budding tech skills.

If you’re interested in setting up a similar system for your child or want to explore more ways to make Linux child-friendly, check out our guide on how to configure Linux for children. It’s packed with additional tips and tricks to create a safe, educational computing environment for kids of all ages.

Image credit: Pexels. All screenshots by David Morelo.

David Morelo is a professional content writer in the technology niche, covering everything from consumer products to emerging technologies and their cross-industry application. His interest in technology started at an early age and has only grown stronger over the years.