Youth tech literacy is a vital skill in a digital era that offers increasingly complex software and AI tools. You can help your children explore technology and develop knowledge that can help them succeed later in their careers with Linux!

Because Linux is free and can run on almost any device, you can save expensive hardware replacements for student devices by refurbishing old hardware in your home with open source. Broken, taken apart, or corrupted laptops? Linux makes replacing tech cheap, easy, and encourages deeper dives into the command line.

Check out some of our resources below to get started after installing Linux on an old device in your home:

Tux4Kids offers fun educational games and software for preschool-age children to develop math skills, create art, and fall in love with their open source device.

Holarse offers an extensive list of games for kids, including educational software. Help your kids become familiar with their Linux device with fun math, science, and art tools! (Site is in German, but most games are offered in English.)

Minetest is a free, open source alternative to Minecraft.

Never pay for another monthly realm subscription, additional game releases, and managing user-unfriendly login experiences post-Mojang migration to Microsoft again!

Linux compatibility with older devices presents an affordable learning opportunity for kids to explore technology. School IT or LInux Clubs provide kids with peer support to learn tech together.

Check if your child’s school offers an IT club, or learn how to start your own with Stu Keroff’s Linux Club Guide!

Don’t Forget to FOSS is an initiative created by Igor Marinho to donate free refurbished Linux laptops to youth and encourage tech literacy!

If you are located in the U.S. and need support finding hardware for your child, you can reach out to Igor to see if any laptops are available at the link above, or plant a seed for the future of FOSS by donating a laptop and helping students Upgrade to Linux!

How My Family Migrated to Minetest by Bernd Ritter

Bernd Ritter is an open source advocate and project leader of Holarse, a German gaming platform specifically tailored to supporting titles on Linux. Turning Minecraft Microsoft account migration (a pain point for many users) into a learning opportunity for his family, Bernd details in his article how he successfully set up the free, open alternative, Minetest with his children, who have gotten even more enjoyment from the game since!