ORIGINAL: Mr. Slim
countrykat, dont know if i would get a 10-22 for a boy that young. you might want to start him out with a single shot or a bolt action .22 for safety reasons. as for a scope i would suggest a straight 4x or a 3x9 one inch scope. more field of view and better eye relief. just on opinion.
I started shooting the 10/22 when I was 6-7 and got my first 870 shotgun when I was 8.
Age don't mean squat, it's how well they take to learning proper gun handling.
My boy is 3 and I plan on getting him on a BB gun next year.