Linux for Children

The top 3 Linux distributions for children in 2014 are DoudouLinux, Edubuntu and Qimo. For young children starting at around three years of age DoudouLinux and Qimo are good choices. For older children Edubuntu is a good choice. There have been a host of Linux distributions introduced focused on children over the years, many have not been maintained and are not listed here.

There are a variety of children's software for running on Linux. A great deal of children's educational software is included on the distributions focused on children. What isn't already installed can be added.

Distributions

DoudouLinux

URL: http://www.doudoulinux.org/web/english/

• Debian /

For very young children, 2 - 12. Runs on older hardware. Children can run by themselves. Requires only 256MB of RAM and an 800MHz CPU. Parental controls.

DoudouLinux is designed primarily to run as a live CD. This is good so you can multipurpose your own PC for the kids.

"DoudouLinux.org web site lets you freely download full versions and will always do so. No need to ship advertisement, no need of an AppStore, no hidden fee or intention, DoudouLinux is designed by a community of parents for parents and their children."

• 6 December 2013 – DoudouLinux 2.1 is out!

Edubuntu

URL: http://www.edubuntu.org/

• Ubuntu / Xfce Based

Educational Ubuntu. Choice for teaching older kids about Linux. Steeper learning curve. Educational software suites installed, like KDE Education Suite, GCompris, and Tux4kids. No parental control tools. Requires 512MB of RAM, a 1GHz processor and a 20GB drive.

This is Ubuntu's officially supported educational distribution aimed at primary and secondary schools. The distribution has three different themes, called "young", "plain" and "default." Uses Ubuntu’s Unity interface with the desktop environment Gnome and the applications that come with the installation are OpenOffice.org, KDE Edutainment Suite and Gcompris. KDE Edutainment Suite includes applications for children between ages 3 and 18 and Gcompris includes applications for children in nursery/kindergarten.

• Edubuntu 12.04.4 LTS (Precise Pangolin) released Thu, 02/06/2014 - Long Term Support (LTS) download
• Edubuntu 13.10 was released October 17, 2013 - it is a 9mo "test" version

Qimo

URL: http://www.qimo4kids.com/

• Ubuntu / Xfce based

Qimo is an easy-to-navigate operating system based on Ubuntu Linux that is specifically designed for young children. Aimed at kids from 3 and up. Based on Ubuntu using the Xfce desktop. Firefox is the default browser. Big, colorful buttons. Also works well with touch screen. Both Doudou and Qimo are excellent choices for a 2 to 5 years old.

UberMix

URL: http://ubermix.org/

Linux distribution built by educators, for educators and students. Desktop similar to mobile phone interface.

Not based on Debian or Ubuntu. Not as popular.

Applications

This section covers software made for children and focuses on educational applications.

Celestia

Celestia is a real-time visual space simulation astronomy program for linux and other operating systems. It allows users to travel through an extensive universe to interact with objects ranging in scale from artificial satellites to entire galaxies. It is software that can be useful for the astronomer, educator, student, and teacher.

Scratch

URL: http://scratch.mit.edu/

Teaches the basics of computer programming. Scratch allows the user to write programs by dragging and connecting simple programming instructions. Create stories, games, and animations Share with others around the world.

TuxMath

URL: http://tux4kids.alioth.debian.org/tuxmath/download.php This is an action game to each children math. It is recommended for children starting with those in the 1st grade. One gameplay option has flaming asteroids falling to destroy the penguin population unless the child can solve the math problem for each asteroid. Solving the problem allows the asteroid to be zapped by a laser beam.

Tuxmath is part of Debian Tux for Kids.

Projects

KDE Edu

URL: http://edu.kde.org/

Free educational software for children and adults, students and teachers. The KDE Education Project makes free educational software based on the KDE desktop environment for Linux with a focus on schoolchildren aged 3 to 18, and the specialized user interface needs of young users.