Kids have different needs at all ages. Sometimes it may seem easier to meet those needs when they’re really young because the needs are so basic, but as the child grows the needs get more complex. We often think of educational needs, but how do we inspire our kids? What can we do to see them thrive? The answer is STEM toys.
What is STEM?
STEM is short for science, technology, engineering, and math. These are the careers of the future, as the world has changed so rapidly, it’s begging for young minds to come in with a sense of innovation to pick up the loose slack. You may be wondering how to teach your kids some powerful lessons about STEM fields so that they can not just comprehend, but also enjoy these career building and world-changing interests.
The answer is play. These toys below were designed to teach concepts varying from earth sciences, to physics, and almost all can teach some sort of engineering. So whether your child is struggling to put down the screens and go outside, or has the toaster fully dismantled for the second time this week, we have just the thing for you to inspire them into learning and productivity.
Best STEM Toys for Kids and Toddlers Reviewed in 2018
1
Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100 Electronics Discovery Kit
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Save: $14.00 (27.65% OFF)
This product is an excellent choice for STEM enthusiasts and creative thinkers alike. A great tool for children ages 8 and up, this offers a hands on opportunity to build a functional model of electrical circuits in over 100 projects. With snap together parts, the lack of tools make this a safe way for kids to explore and experiment in a low risk environment. Accompanied by detailed and easy to follow instructions, your child can make their own projects. Such projects can make things like a musical doorbell or a flying saucer using the included snap wires, slide switches, fuses, and other parts included to inspire their imagination.
BENEFITS
This sort of play is crucial for children because of the exposure it gives them to valuable things like science, technology, engineering, and math. The more exposure to such things that children are given, the more opportunity they have to understand and comprehend the concepts that are shown. These concepts are (often) the building blocks for success, as this sort of knowledge is integral to success in various academic and intellectual pursuits later in life.
Pros
- Safe to use
- Multiple projects to build
- High quality
- Clear quality instructions
Cons
We love that this is well designed and safe enough for kids to experiment with circuits on their own! The projects are simple but with great reward for kids just starting to want to experiment and understand the inner workings of the world around them.
2
VIAHART Brain Flakes 500 Piece Interlocking Plastic Disc Set
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This would be an excellent first STEM toy, or just a great addition to the toy collection! A brain workout for all ages, these are great for growing the dexterity of small children, and a challenge of the imagination for older children. Easy to use as they click together and apart, these are a great toy for anyone over 5. Offering a plethora of options, this is for the child who wants to build, sort, and invent unique shapes and designs. Each jar comes with 500 pieces, allowing for all sorts of creativity to unfurl.
BENEFITS
Excellent for practicing spatial reasoning and the development of fine motor skills, this is a great tool for kids. The opportunity to build and sort is so useful at all ages, the opportunity to experiment with shapes, colors, and patterns is vast with this toy. Dually expanding skills in both coordination and dexterity there are many benefits for the body as well as the mind with this toy.
Pros
- Easy to use
- Durable
- Good teaching tool
- Painless if stepped on
Cons
- Small pieces are easy to lose
This is an excellent toy for almost all ages. The design makes it intuitive to use, and the colors inviting to sort and arrange in patterns. Building with this is a challenge just as much as a pleasure, and the learning that accompanies it is invaluable.
3
ETI Toys | Original 101 Piece Building Blocks Set
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Save: $14.00 (32.00% OFF)
This is for the child who always wants to tear things apart and put them back together. An added bonus is that this toy is safe for kids as young as three, which means a head start on the scholastic play! With this 101 piece set, the options are endless and the imagination can run wild in building projects that can move with wheels, stand fixed, or be built tall. Whatever your child’s interest, be it animals, cars, or planes, there are pieces to build it. This even comes with plastic wrench to keep kids familiar with real tools that they could be using for another project in the not so distant future.
BENEFITS
The open ended possibilities mean that working independently and problem solving are huge lessons that can be learned with this toy. An excellent opportunity to gain hand eye coordination with this small manipulative toy, emphasizing the use of the fingers and hands make it (and your child) a winner!
Pros
- Tools included
- Good for ages 3+
- Washable
- Includes instructional Ebooklet
- Non toxic
Cons
- Designed with enough pieces to make one complete project at a time
We love the options to design according to your child’s interests. Animals, cars, robots and planes galore. Washable pieces make this a great sharable toy that promotes teamwork and social skills.
4
ROCK ON! Geology Game with Rock & Mineral Collection
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Featuring real rocks of all three classifications (igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary) this is a doubly awesome product, as it serves as both a starter rock collection and a geology game. Including identification guides, this makes sorting and identifying a real treat. Packed with information and fun, this is a great kit for your child to explore, but also to use to explore the world the world around them! This even comes with a carry case to take all rocks and identification guides on the go, making rocks not only a partially outdoor hobby, but a social one as well.
BENEFITS
This is a great introduction to not just geology but ecology and plate tectonics, excellent for helping kids understand the environment, past and present. An excellent hands on activity for the parts of nature that are so common and typically so overlooked. This is a real invitation for sparking an interest in categorizing, organizing, and classifying, and a great tool for the child who needs a little direction for their time indoors or outdoors.
Pros
- Educational
- Good for older kids
- Good quality
- Includes carry case
Cons
- Some rocks are hard to classify
This is great for kids of any age so long as they are old enough to not put things in their mouth. Young kids love to see and feel the rocks, older kids like to play the accompanying game and classify the rocks. Excellent as a social or solitary activity, and a good incentive to get outside to grow the collection!
6
Unlimited Creation Cubes 100 Piece Snap Unit Cubes
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This is the perfect toy for any child who is constantly envisioning worlds, creatures, architecture, you name it! Easy to use and manipulate, these cubes fit together with a snap which makes them excellent to build with, no tools required! Fun for nearly any age due to their simplicity, these are ideal to construct almost anything you can imagine. Small and multi colored, these can make very visually inspiring pieces. Great for kids who want to build independently or socially.
BENEFITS
These small squares are great for honing fine motor skills. As the cubes vary in color, they are also great for organizing or sorting games. A good challenge for younger kids to grow their dexterity, these cubes are also great for growing necessary spatial skills and spatial reasoning. For older kids these offer infinite possibilities for unique creations to be proud of. Additionally a good sensory activity for younger children, these are great for games exercising reasoning and varieties of social and independent play.
Pros
- Durable
- Washable
- BPA free
- Good for sensory activities
Cons
- Not good for children under 3
Due to the versatile nature, these cubes are great for young kids all the way to adults! An easy toy for anyone to pick up and engage with, this could offer hours of fun for the entire family!
7
Magnetic Blocks STEM Educational Toys
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These magnetic toys are easy to use, and are great for innovation and new design due to their unique shapes! Ideal for children ages three and up, these inspire all sorts of imaginative play. The colorful pieces inspire various creations of all shapes and sizes. Entertaining for both kids and adults, anyone can grow their skills with these no tool required magnetic triangles and quadrangles. This is an excellent product for those who want to build in 2D or 3D, which is a great opportunity for kids and adults alike to prototype, explore new concepts, and just watch their ideas come to life!
BENEFITS
This is an excellent way to explore various physical concepts such as gravity, balance, structure, engineering, all while having fun! A major skill building opportunity promoted within this is problem solving, as this is a unique product with unique challenges built into it. Its also great for manipulative ability, in matching up the magnets at the correct spots, and bending and balancing them into the correct positions to make various shapes. These also come in different colors which is great for sorting, but also makes them visually stimulating and appealing as well.
Pros
- Easy to use
- Good for ages 3+
- Easy to store
- Easy to clean
Cons
- One set is best per one child, not multiple children
We love the creative options available with this magnet set! So many shapes and different pieces can make up the components to an endless list of unique creations! Absolutely skill building allowing children to see what shapes make up other shapes, this is a must-have for the little builders in your life.
8
IQ BUILDER | STEM Fun Educational Building Set
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This is an awesome toy for school or at home, as it is an excellent blend of fun and supplementary to academia. It includes 164 pieces comprised of connector balls and pieces of different lengths, all to link up and form unique projects of your child’s own design. Ebooks are available to offer suggestions or to enhance the experience of replicating a specific design or project. Overall an excellent learning toy for a child or a group, could be used for team bondings, play dates, or just children looking to explore some accessible constructive engineering. This is a great opportunity for girls or boys to get in touch with their creative side and see what they can do!
BENEFITS
The unique nature of this toy with the connector pieces and different angles that can be utilized due to the connector balls make this excellent for growing skills in critical thinking, design or problem solving. This product has been used in classrooms to teach mathematical concepts, geometry, and even physics. Plus, sticking the pieces together, gauging what will fit, and estimating even lengths all tends to fine motor skills, critical thinking, and hand eye coordination. Your child’s brain will be getting a work out without them even knowing it! This is why we are confident that it will be a wonderful tool for your child to grow with and explore different concepts, all while enjoying the pleasures of building.
Pros
- Multiple ways to use for curriculum or fun
- Great for kids or adults
- Easy to learn
- Vast building opportunities
Cons
- Not suitable for children under 3
We love that this toy offers a totally different way to approach engineering and design. Approachable, accessible, and inviting, this is a great addition to any home or classroom!
9
Engino Discovering STEM Newton’s Laws Kit
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This kit is an awesome way to get kids involved in the more conceptual elements of science! Providing great examples and activities, this is a thorough way to teach kids about Newton’s Laws as they play into the most basic of motion mechanics! Give your kids a headstart and let them explore concepts like inertia, momentum and potential and kinetic energies! This comprehensive set includes 8 working models, a manual, and even a fun quiz section! Everything any kid would want or need to begin exploring some very real and applicable scientific concepts!
BENEFITS
This is a great hands on approach to helping kids to understand some of science’s more abstract concepts. Despite being fraught with physics, there is no need to be intimidated because of the hours of entertainment to be had in building the models that so wonderfully display the concepts! This is the real deal where learning meets fun as the laws of motion are explored, alongside the properties of energy. All of this can be brought into focus with the motor skills and hand eye coordination your child can continually develop along the way!
Pros
- Great for science enthusiasts
- Comprehensive manual, great for studying
- Good for varieties of ages
- Multiple projects to build
Cons
- Not ideal for young children
We love this product because of its ability to make things that are regularly very difficult, totally approachable. This is a ton of to make and build, but it also has enough accompanying information to make sure the facts are conveyed and will stay with your child.
10
Domino Rally Epic Loop – STEM-based Domino Set for Kids
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Save: $10.00 (19.35% OFF)
This toy is a new take on an old favorite game, Dominoes. More vibrant and visually appealing than ever before, this is an excellent way for a child to spend an afternoon with friends and family, or by themself! Including 50 vivid dominoes, and 35 built for speed dominoes, 4 custom tracks and one loop-the-loop, what more could any child want for their building? Additionally, all Domino Rally Sets can connect up and work together, so if you wanted to have enough for a crowd or more variety somehow this is a great place to start!
BENEFITS
Aside from hours of entertainment, this domino set can grow some extremely valuable skills in children. This set is great at growing planning and patience in your child, as they tend to the details of every twist, turn, and curve that the dominoes will have to tumble to. Great at displaying chain reactions and momentum, this set tends to some abstract concepts in science well. Requiring a delicate hand so as to not topple over the dominoes unintentionally, this is a definite way to practice motor skills and hone concentration.
Pros
- All Domino Rally sets connect, allowing for unique displays
- 6ft of track
- More active than many stem toys
- Customizable tracks
Cons
- Lightweight design means some pieces don’t stay up well
This is an excellent toy to help develop focus and concentration, two extremely valuable qualities for kids, no matter what their interests. Entertaining and educational, learning never felt so much like playing!
Criteria Used in Evaluation of the Best STEM Toys for Kids and Toddlers
It is very important for us at Borncute to make sure we have something for everyone, that is why we made sure that the toys selected above would not only teach, but appeal to all children. We made sure to incorporate a variety to cover almost any age, interest, or type of activity (individual or group). STEM is a subject very close to our hearts because STEM toys can bring kids together around concepts that are so valuable to the world today, and the world needs your little expert.
A major component to our selection process for the STEM toys above was making sure that they were multifaceted in what they offered children. We made sure to look out for toys that would not only teach STEM concepts, but also grow fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, give the ability to sort through colors and pieces, and of course offer various kinds of experimentation.
We didn’t want any toy to only offer one thing, and if a toy did, it didn’t make this list. That’s because we know that anything that deserves to be in your home or classroom needs to offer more than just what is advertised. The above toys all offer multiple ways to grow kids deliberately and cognitively, that their new knowledge may become tangible tools for their future.
Another major component of criteria for us is to ensure that these toys offer almost nearly what they do creatively as they do intellectually. Maybe your daughter identifies more as an artist than a scientist or your son a musician more than a mathematician. That’s ok. We wanted toys that unlock the same creativity in them that fuels their art, and funnels it into science because we don’t want your kids to put themselves in a box, and we know you don’t either. Many of the above toys were selected because of their all-ages nature. All ages toys are our most creative and broad purposed offerings. That’s great for little ones with big ideas who can grow motor skills, but its also great for your much older child needing something durable to practice building a bridge, tower, anything that speaks to them to get them exploring how and why things work as they do.
That’s where STEM interests started for the world’s most brilliant minds, curiosity. And that’s how we found these toys to inspire such curiosity. We know because even we as adults had our interests peaked, just further testifying to the all age nature of curiosity and creativity that these toys tapped into. We hope your family will enjoy exploring them just as much as we did.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is STEM?
A: STEM is science, technology, engineering, and math. STEM toys are toys that inspire play that explores those concepts at age-appropriate levels. They are meant to be educational but also meant to be fun.
Q: Will STEM toys be good for my 3-year-old?
A: Yes! Though we’d never expect a three-year-old to parrot back to us words like inertia or thermodynamics, three-year-olds absolutely can learn concepts that are central to STEM-related fields like design, balance, sorting, and more! Plus, many of these toys are great for three-year-olds not only in the concepts they teach but in the practice it gives kids using their hands and eyes.
Q: If my kid doesn’t like STEM fields, is it worth buying STEM toys?
A: We would say absolutely! Kids can seem put off by things that don’t seem inviting or familiar (Brussel sprouts, anyone?) that’s why it’s important to familiarize them with STEM using toys. Let learning be fun and the two of you can be amazed at where your interests lead you!
Q: Aren’t STEM toys really expensive?
A: This is a common misconception. STEM toys can get very expensive, but they really cost in the same range (often cheaper) than any other toys. Plus there are so many educational benefits that just aren’t present with other kinds of toys. If everything costs the same anyway, why not do something that will have long-lasting benefits for the kid in your life?
Q: I don’t know much about science myself, how can I help my kid?
A: STEM toys are great for this! This is something the two of you can learn together. Any toys that require instructions we selected because they are user-friendly. Also, they are for kids, which is another way of saying that you don’t have to be a scientist to have fun and love using them!
Q: Will STEM toys be a good addition to my classroom?
A: Absolutely! I know when people think of STEM toys they often think of some very techy or fragile, but so many toys above are durable and would have a lot to offer many children at once! We encourage these in classroom settings because as they are toys they can take the edge off learning something totally new. Good luck!
Sources
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Department of Education, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math: Education for Global Leadership, informative article,
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Stephanie Comino , 5 reasons why STEM is important in early years education, Online Article,
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Mika Doyl, The Truth About Why Boys AND Girls Need STEM Toys, informative article,
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Jamie Davis Smith, Why STEM Toys Should Be on Your List for the Holidays, Informative Article ,
