1. Kano PC
Computers-for-kids pioneer Kano recently partnered with Microsoft to launch an Intel-powered mobile PC with an 11.6-inch touchscreen. After your child has assembled it—connecting the components and snapping on the clear case—they can complete tutorials on how to create emoji, 3D models, or Python scripts. In addition to Windows 10, the PC offers full access to Kano World, an online library of coding challenges and user-created applications.
Ages 6 and up
2. Hack Computer
This sleek, capable Asus laptop runs Endless OS, a secure and easy-to-use operating system designed for tech novices. The 14-inch laptop is powerful enough for academic tasks, but there’s more: Under the guidance of playful characters and cheery challenges, kids can click a Flip-to-Hack button and directly manipulate the source code behind all their favorite apps and games. As they tweak the software, they get to learn coding within the context of a real computing environment. When experimentation time is over, they can reset things back to normal.
Ages 8 and up
3. Piper Computer Kit
The affordable, palm-sized Raspberry Pi 3 Model B motherboard is an excellent starting point for an entry-level DIY computer. But it doesn’t come with a case, a display, or an input method, so it’s not very kid-friendly. Piper’s kit fixes that by including nearly everything your child needs to transform the Pi’s bare circuit board into a working wood-and-acrylic computer, including a speaker, a battery, a 9-inch display, and a kid-scale mouse. The kit also comes with Minecraft‘s Pi edition and Piper Code, a visual tool that teaches programming.
Ages 8 and up
$299 at Piper’s Store or Amazon
Styling Anna Raben
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