STEM Toys Kids Actually Want to Play With
"Educational toys" have a reputation for being boring. These aren't. Kids play with them because they're fun, and learn how things work along the way.
Ages vary, so check each one.
- Top pick
Thames & Kosmos Mega Cyborg Hand
Build a giant mechanical hand you wear and control with your own fingers. It runs on water pressure, no batteries. The wow factor is huge.
Check price on Amazon 3Doodler Start+ 3D Pen Set
A 3D pen with no hot parts, safe for ages 6+. Kids draw in the air and it turns into solid plastic shapes.
Check price on AmazonSnap Circuits Jr.
Snap-together electronics with 100+ projects. Kids build working circuits with no soldering. A classic for 8+.
Check price on AmazonThinkFun Gravity Maze
Build a path so the marble falls to the target. 60 puzzles from easy to brutal. Adults get hooked too.
Check price on AmazonKlutz LEGO Gear Bots Kit
Build 8 moving creatures from LEGO Technic pieces and papercraft. The book explains the gears and cams behind them.
Check price on AmazonKids Pocket Digital Microscope (1000X)
A handheld microscope with a screen that zooms in on bugs, leaves and skin, and takes photos.
Check price on AmazonPicassoTiles 100-Piece Magnetic Tiles
Clear magnetic tiles that snap into castles and rockets. One of the rare toys kids keep coming back to for years.
Check price on AmazonCrayola Marker Airbrush Kit
Clip in a marker, press the button, and it sprays like an airbrush. Comes with stencils.
Check price on AmazonLEGO Mini Golf (Klutz)
Build a 9-hole LEGO mini golf course with a windmill, an octopus and other obstacles, then play it. Sneaks in some physics about angles and swings.
Check price on Amazon
Before you buy
Match the toy to the kid's interest, not just their age. A builder wants tiles or LEGO. A tinkerer wants circuits. An artist wants the 3D pen.
Toys that work without screens tend to hold attention longer.