by Kids are our future, so introducing them to technology will change the future for the better. Linux is the name of the most demanding and open source technology. So our kids should start learning computer technology with Linux at an early stage. We can include it with their education. A common thing among children is that curiosity and elementary learning can help create a sense of exploration in them. Kids learn well when the environment suits them, so we have to give them a good atmosphere.
There are plenty of distros where kids can enjoy and experience events in a virtual, fun learning environment in a completely fantastic way. In this article, check out the 20 best Linux lists below for teaching kids to learn and have fun.
Top 20 Best Linux for Kids
I have researched why kids should learn Linux so you can easily make a choice of the distro for your beloved kids. As a guardian, if you are a beginner in Linux, you can check out our article Best Linux Distro For Beginners. Here’s a list of exciting Linux distributions that you can introduce to your kids to start using and learning Linux.
1. Leeenux Kids
Leeenux Kids is a version of Linux designed for kids that can be fun and educational is the best Linux for kids. It is paid for but very cheap and supports its optimized use on modern and older machines. This Linux distro LTS is based in Ubuntu and is a complete package for netbooks, laptops, and desktops.
Kids can learn to have fun and play live games that don’t need you to install any apps. It allows you to turn old devices into educational toys for kids within a snap. In addition, you can check out the Best Linux for an Old Laptop and 10 Recommended Lightweight Distros.
2. OpenSUSE: Education – Li-f-e
OpenSUSE: Education- Li-f-e (Linux for Education) is a live DVD or dongle created from a regular openSUSE distribution. It includes carefully educational and developmental software for students, educators, and parents, with additional software packages for academic projects. It also comes with everything you need to make a computer productive either at home or for educational use without installing anything extra. This OpenSUSE distro is very easy to use with excellent stability.
The bundle includes almost all software for students, parents, and educators. It has various features expected to make the systems more useful and productive for multiple educational purposes. This operating system provides tools and applications to help students and teachers make learning more accessible and convenient.
3. LinuxConsole
LinuxConsole is a lightweight, easy-to-use distro of Linux for kids. This distro is yet powerful Linux operating system that supports many languages. It is based on Ubuntu Linux. Due to it being very lightweight, it can be used on older computers. Its Virtual consoles allow storage of multiple text buffers and can run different console programs simultaneously. But it interacts with users in a different process.
In the user’s opinion, its virtual consoles create an illusion of an additional positive console. Separately virtual console can have its own character set and keyboard layout. Linux 2.6 introduces the ability to load a different font for each virtual console.
4. Kano OS
Kano OS enables a Kano Computer Kit built around a Raspberry Pi to work. It is based on the Raspberry OS, which is a Debian product, and it comes with games, educational apps, and other exciting things for kids. Kano OS is specially designed for Raspberry Pi to open DIY computing for users of all ages, especially kids.
With Combining pedagogy gaming, the software provides a platform for aspiring creatives to launch themselves into music, gaming, and web projects. Kano OS is free, open-source, and 50% faster than contemporary Linux. It received $1.5 million on Kickstarter, making it one of the largest crowdfunded learning innovations ever.
5. Debian Edu (Skolelinux)
Debian Edu is a free and open-source Linux based on the Debian Linux distribution. Its stable distribution is designed for educational use. A Debian Pure Blend is a project within Debian that aims to cover the interests of specialized users, including children.
Debian Edu is at the top of the list, popularly known as Skolelinux. It gives kids a unique virtual environment with configured educational networks. One can easily install this distro as it is configured exclusively with terminal servers, workstations, and ready clients. Not only that, Skolelinux provides a hosted LDAP database, home directory, Kerberos authentication, web proxies, and other features.
6. Elementary OS
This Linux distro is very suitable for children and grown-ups. Non-technical users can learn a lot because it is designed for such users. So basically, it starts from scratch and builds the Kid’s minds properly. Parents can change and customize the settings to suit their children’s needs, which is highly recommended in this OS. That’s why this app is the best Linux for kids.
7. Sugar
Sugar is a free, open-source, activity-based learning platform Linux for kids. It supports the idea that students should be able to share by default and also be able to explore, publish, debug and critique. So that, unlike other distributions, sugar emphasizes activity rather than application.
Sugar is a project by Sugar Labs that aims to design free tools to help our kids learn through their practical skills of reflecting innovative ideas. It is a non-profit organization led by volunteers worldwide. It provides kids easy access to their own computer in terms of deep-level customization.
8. Puppy Linux
Puppy Linux is a better and faster lightweight Linux operating system that can outperform Windows and macOS in some situations. This operating system is one of the best Linux for kids compared to others. Its tiny requirements make it work great even on older computers and netbooks.
Puppy Linux can run on your computer memory even without a strong drive. You can carry it on a USB thumb drive and boot from it or a bootable CD, and there is also an Iso image available to boot a disk.
9. UKnow4Kids
Another great Linux for kids is UKnow4Kids. It provides live DVDs and also can run from a pen drive. It is a kid-friendly Linux like Windows or Mac, and you don’t have to configure it on your computer’s fixed disk. No prior computer experience is required to run UKnow4Kids.
The target users of UKnow4Kids are kids from 2 to 10 years old. It comes with educational fun apps like KDE Education Project Edutainment, Educational Suite, Tax Type, Tax Math, and TaxPaint.
10. UberStudent
UberStudent is another great Linux for kids, which is known as the most child-friendly Linux. Students can learn a lot of unique things with a lot of fun. Kids use UberStudent at secondary and higher education levels.
UberStudent is a light system with an Xfce desktop environment. It comes with a complete basic academic education that helps develop each student’s core skills. Games, messaging, and multimedia also come with Uber Student.
11. Doudou Linux
Doudou Linux is a Linux-based operating system that you can use on your PC for kids aged 2 to 12. It’s a unique Linux for kids and comes with many excellent options. It includes many applications for kids to learn about computers, play games, and discover new things and ideas.
The incredible thing about DoudouLinux is that parents don’t have to watch over their children. It blocks restricted content and automatically adds it to web pages. Although it is not yet under active development, you can grab it and test yourself.
12. Ubermix
This Linux distro is entirely free and based on Ubuntu. As Ubuntu was built, Ubermix is one of the most stable Linux for kids. Ubermix is primarily an educational kid-friendly Linux. Its main goal is to reduce the complexity of students’ computer learning. It has both installation images and VirtualBox virtual appliance images. Moreover, its latest version has touchscreen support.
Educators have created it with a strong focus on student and teacher empowerment. This Linux for kids is easy to use as a mobile device and takes away all the complexness from a student’s computer without losing the power and features of a complete OS.
13. Qimo 4 Kids
Qimo 4 is a free and open source Ubuntu-based operating system. It’s one of the best Linux for kids used for PCs and laptops, and it uses the Xfce desktop environment. In addition, it allows you to download older versions of Ubuntu, games, and wallpapers.
Qimo 4 has many pre-installed educational applications and games for kids 3 years and older. Sadly, this is no longer a separate operating system, and this project is closed, but still, you can pick up a version for your kids.
14. Edubuntu
Edubuntu is one of the educational versions of the Ubuntu Linux distribution, the best free Linux for kids. Canonical has developed this education version as a kid-friendly Linux in collaboration with teachers and educators. They organized Edubuntu so that parents and teachers could easily teach it to children at school and at home. Edubuntu is very easy to prepare and teach. So, give it a try.
It comes with the option of using it as a complete operating system or as a live CD or pen drive. Edubuntu is one of the best Ubuntu projects designed for school education. It provides individual applications for selecting educational software for any grade level. Edubuntu is currently discontinued moreover you can get it from the archive.
15. AcademiX GNU
AcademiX GNU is a Debian-based Linux distro, but its versatility sets it apart from the crowd. This adaptable OS simultaneously meets the needs of elementary school children and university students. This Linux for kids is more important because of its functionality and stability.
It offers virtual interactive labs and built-in microscopes to help students get the most out of their computers. AcademiX is parallelly suitable for students, teachers, and professors.
16. KnoSciences
KnoSciences come with a set of powerful, excellent free apps. Moreover, it has a vast collection of latex software like Texmacs and Lyx. It provides automatic hardware detection of GNU Linux software. The exciting thing is that KnoSciences comes with a bootable CD, and there is no actual need for installation.
KnoSciences also supports many SCSI and USB devices, sound cards, and graphics cards. You can run it from a bootable USD device also. It’s not online currently, but you can still get a copy.
17. Endless OS
Endless OS is a lightweight Linux for kids’ distro. The basic version of Endless OS is approximately 2 GB in size for download, and you can fit it on a USB stick as small as 8 GB. Only a few apps are preloaded in the Basic version of Endless.
Endless OS and its apps recommend computers that have Internet access. A basic version is a perfect option if you haven’t tried Endless before. However, a quick preview of what it looks like and this Linux for kids is essential.
18. Linux Schools (Karoshi Server / Client)
Linux Schools Project, formerly Karoshi, which literally can be translated as “death from overwork,” is an operating system designed for schools. It is a Linux distribution based on Ubuntu operating system. The project maintains two custom distributions, one intended for use on the server and the other for use with the server version on the client machine. Server distribution is the official Karoshi, while the client is known as Karoshi Client. It could be the best Linux for kids of an advanced level.
19. Escuelas Linux
Escuelas Linux offers a fully configured user account, even for minors, as part of the setup. It relies solely on the server and reduces network load without waiting for the client workstation for essential tasks. Thus, teachers can conveniently distribute a file/directory within a local network. Its desktop environment is the Enlightenment-based Moksha desktop. Escuelas is a good Linux for kids and teachers as well.
20. Foresight Kid’s
Foresight Kids Edition is a good version of Linux for kids with many educational and entertainment applications and features. It uses a modified version GNOME desktop environment. A continuous release schedule can keep your desktop up to date.
However, Foresight is an innovative set of customized GNOME desktop environments and nice, up-to-date software applications.
Ending words
Today, Linux powers many devices from mobile phones to tablets, laptops, servers, supercomputers, cars, air traffic control systems, home appliances, etc. With all this and much more in the near soon, Linux is the operating system for future computing. In the present day, Linux is an overall operating system. Due to its versatile nature, it has not only given adults the freedom to develop and program well. But it has also provided incredible features for young users.
There are many free and premium distros of Linux for kids; therefore, kids have started preferring to use Linux. So our kids can choose their platform from a vast range of options without stacking up in one place.
