It’s exciting to shop for kids, especially around the holidays, but it can be overwhelming with all the options available. I’m a mom to a 3-year-old and a 6-year-old, and I work in a scientific research lab, so I gravitate toward toys that can be both educational and fun.
Over the years, my kids have tried out a lot of STEM-based toys. These are the ones that they return to again and again, and they also happen to be ones that I know are challenging their brains in all the right ways.
“The Ultimate Science Cookbook for Kids” incorporates STEM concepts into edible creations
I bought this Highlights cookbook for my son last Easter, and have since purchased a handful more to gift to friends and relatives. My 6-year-old frequently requests to make recipes from this cookbook, which covers a wide range of scientific topics.
Each recipe has a scientific description alongside it, and the recipes range from easy (building a pyramid with cheese cubes and grapes, teaching basic engineering skills) to multiple-step (think along the lines of chocolate chip cookies — an opportunity to talk about chemical reactions and how baking soda leavens the cookies), so there’s something for everyone (even if you’re not prepared!).
STEM building kits spark interest in engineering and energy use
My parents have gifted a few Poraxy and Yutin STEM wood building kits — vehicles, more vehicles, and lanterns — to my kids. While geared more toward ages 8 and up, my younger kids enjoy making these kits with help from an adult.
Many of the kits run on batteries, but there’s also a solar-charged helicopter and car that you can use to discuss the differences in power, as well as the building concepts.
The Ferris wheel model uses slow gears and a fast motor, introducing gear speed reduction. The kits involve attaching wires (positive and negative) to battery power, teaching simple polarity (which end of the battery is positive or negative?). My kids enjoy playing with the vehicles, and the lanterns are often used at bedtime.
Snap Circuit kits teach how electronics work
My kids often love to grab a Snap Circuit kit, labeled for ages 8 to 108, when we visit our local library. Our branch has the kit in a large plastic carrying case, available to check out upon request. I like to borrow the kit a few times a year as a special activity during school breaks or when the weather is poor, and my kids are always excited to bring it home.
My son and daughter are able to work on the circuit board with a little help from me. The kit has a variety of build setups, some reminiscent of physics labs I did in school, but you can also create your own setups.
This toy teaches how practical objects, such as an alarm, a switch, or a lightbulb, work. Beyond the basics of electricity, physics, and engineering, this kit also encourages critical thinking.
The World of Eric Carle’s gears book appeals to toddlers
“Turn, Crank, Zoom!” is a book that I have repeatedly bought as a gift for toddlers. The text encourages young readers to turn the gears in certain directions or ways to see what happens. The book focuses on colors and motor skills, evoking a sense of curiosity, while being illustrated in the Eric Carle style that kids gravitate toward.
For more expansive gear play, Kaleido gears allow more free play
Recommended for ages 3 and up, Quercetti Kaleido Gears give kids the freedom to explore. The gears and axles attach to a board, which kids can connect to a crank to see simple mechanical reactions as the gears move.
These gears could make a great gift to accompany the Eric Carle book. There is also a boxed set aimed toward ages 5 to 12, which includes chains and other components that require finer motor skills. The kits are interchangeable, so both of my kids can play with the gears together.
Marble Run is a classic toy that never goes out of style
Marble run toys have been created in all sorts of designs, and my kids have access to multiple versions.
My son enjoys playing with a bath marble run set, which features pieces with suction cups that attach to the wall. The bath set requires more structural design planning than traditional marble runs, as the pieces must fit flat against the wall.
Our friends own one of the more advanced GraviTrax marble run systems — those can be quite the puzzle, even as an adult! The junior GraviTrax set will be wrapped under our Christmas tree this year.
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