With my son as a guinea pig, we’ve been busy testing STEM toys to discover his favorites.
STEM Toy Gift Guide
Venus Fly Trap Plant
This kit includes everything you need to assemble a successful terrarium for your Venus Fly Trap. You get a 2-inch plant, a five-inch globe terrarium, and the soil. Pair with a book to learn more about the fascinating Venus Fly Trap!
Ozobot: STEM Robotic Toy Using Markers
This is a fun STEM robotic toy that teaches kids the principles of programming — that is just patterns — using colored markers! And it’s fun too! The kit comes with a small robot that can be decorated, along with sheets, stickers, and washable markers to create paths for the Ozobot. Different patterns will make the Ozobot do different things. This is a creative and fun STEM toy for boys and girls, ages 6 and up.
ARCKIT: Architectural STEM Toy for Kids
There are several versions of the ARCKIT at different price points. This is a freeform model-making system that does not require glue, yet it lets you design, build, and modify these really cool modern houses by snapping pieces together. It requires good fine motor skills and I’d recommend it for ages 10 and up.
DIY STEM Paper Circuits: A Light-Up Card Project
This is a DIY project that will likely require you to purchase some items it is NOT a kit that you purchase. All the links are in the post. It’s for ages 8 and up and requires good fine motor skills and help from an adult. This post on Making an Easy Pop-Up Card goes with the project.
Zoomer Dino Toy: A Fun Toy for Dinosaur Fans
My son still plays with this remote-controlled dinosaur toy years later. The toy moves like a T-Rex would and it’s great for dinosaur fans. Add a dinosaur book or two to up the STEM learning.
Sphero: A Remote Controlled Sphere That Your Kids Can Program
My kids liked using the app to control the Sphero but they didn’t actually do the programming portion. It’s a fun toy. I’d gift it to kids who are more likely to want to program it.
Cubetto: Coding for Preschoolers
Cubetto is a Montessori-approved wooden toy that teaches preschoolers to code by using wooden block pieces to create code that a wooden block robot will then execute. It’s a very intuitive way to introduce computer programming to very young children.
To examine any book more closely at Amazon, please click on image of book.
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My books:
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World
- Junior Library Guild Gold selection
- Selected as one of 100 Outstanding Picture Books of 2023 by dPICTUS and featured at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair
- Starred review from School Library Journal
- Chicago Library’s Best of the Best
- 2023 INDIES Book of the Year Awards Finalist
- Green Earth Book Award longlist
- Imagination Soup’s 35 Best Nonfiction Books of 2023 for Kids
Amazon / Barefoot Books / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Scholastic / Signed or Inscribed by Me
I am intrigued by Lux Blox.
Hi Mary Anne,
I can introduce you to my contact there if you like!