I remember playing video games with a younger family member before he could read. (I want to say the system in question was a Sega Saturn, but I'm not one hundred percent sure about this.) He didn't know what the menus said, but he knew exactly which options he wanted and how to move through several menu screens.

I was impressed.

Moral of the story: A halfway decent interactive interface can work wonders for a kid's ability to unleash his mind.