Parents who are aware of their children’s extraordinary learning abilities, especially in STEM-related subjects, tend to spend time and money on activities stimulating their little one’s minds.
Stimulating their minds might often mean taking them to special classes where they can channel their talents. However, allowing them to have playtime with beneficial learning toys can often be equally effective.
Toys that nurture inquisitive minds through STEM significantly contribute to the developing brain of future trailblazers.
With a plethora of STEM toys available in the market, we have reviewed only products suited for the truly gifted. Our recommendations listed below have in common that they all offer a more advanced STEM level focus than the average developmental toys on the market today.
Botzees – A Kit With Augmented Reality Puzzles
- [BOTZEES CODING ROBOT] - Botzees robots offer many modes of play: to move, drum, dance, make sounds, and light up using the companion app. 30 interactive Augmented Reality puzzles teach even more coding concepts with visual cues.The STEM coding robot toy is a wonderful Christmas gift for kids. It greatly develops kids’ creativity, patience, concentration and logical thinking ability.
- [6 IN 1 ROBOT KIT] - The kit includes 130 uniquely shaped blocks; including 2 motors, 1 sensor, and all the pieces needed for endless play. Up to 6 pre-designed Botzees can be built from each kit. Or, kids can create their own unique Botzees—the possibilities are limitless.
- [LEARNING & EDUCATIONAL TOYS] - This STEM toy introduces younger learners to the world of AR and Coding! Combine the motors and sensor with rounded pieces to create fun robots! Learn coding along the way through our fun and delightful game! Perfect gift for 4+ year old boys and girls.
Botzees is designed to give your children familiarity with both technology and engineering in one playset. Suitable for children aged 4 – 9, Botzees is a hands-on coding robotics kit with Augmented reality puzzles that encourage your little ones to tap into their creative thinking abilities while working on coding and construction.
With Botzees, kids are given the option to program six pre-designed Botzees or create their own through creatively arranging the 130 colorful blocks that come with the kit. Also included in the kit are two motors, one motion sensor, and Bluetooth connectivity. The Botzee robots can be programmed into moving, playing drums, dancing, making sounds, or lighting up. All kids need is to download the free Botzees app, which is available on Android and iOS.
Although your child is gifted and could probably easily figure their way through the app and coding in no time, Botzees makes the journey a whole lot easier, providing step-by-step guides on how to drag and drop code blocks to program the robots. Botzees is ideal for teaching your kids about foundational coding techniques and concepts such as conditional coding, sequencing, and looping.
Educational Placemats
- Educational fun for kids: Designed by teachers, these placemats provide the kind of learning kids love. While they eat, your children will learn about the solar system and human anatomy, plus US and world geography. Great for pre-K through grade school
- Easy clean-up for parents: Silicone placemats with non-slip backing mean less mess in the kitchen, because they stay put on the table during mealtime and wash up easily afterward. Just use a damp cloth to wipe clean
- BPA-free plastic: These mats are durable and 100% safe. They’re shipped with clear adhesive film on the back, to protect them during shipping. For best results, peel off and discard the clear adhesive film before use
While this technically is not a toy, if your child is genuinely a high achiever, they are sure to appreciate an educational placemat as a gift that will help them squeeze in some extra learning as often as possible. Educational Placemats are usually designed by teachers with information such as the human body, the periodic table of elements, math concepts, multiplication tables (the possibilities are endless) to give kids visual cues that can spark up many valuable conversations and learning engagements.
Blogger Eron Cohen stands by Educational Placemats, stating in one of his blogs that his daughter learned a lot from educational placemats, so much so that at age twelve, she could still recall things learned from back when she was 3-4. Impressive, right? Because these placemats are generally inexpensive, going for anywhere between $7 to $30 at Amazon, you could purchase your kids a couple and have them switch them around for different meals, building on their knowledge each time.
Banana Panda Suuuper Size Memory Game
- A perfect first game for little kids - with colorful illustrations, large pieces and easy-to-follow rules, this is a great beginner game for young children.
- Award-winning design and gameplay - named A Dr. Toy best toy pick for 2018
- Kids play and learn with this game - this game is great for training memory, concentration and cognitive thinking
If you have a child who seems to remember even the most minute details of events that took place days or years ago, then why not harness their memory skills with a fun and visually appealing game.
Banana Panda’s giant memory game is a great way to practice matching, focusing, and sorting and is best for ages two and up. Your children will especially love the fact that it is an easy-to-learn game.
Banana Panda features colorful animal illustrations and cardboard pieces that are big enough for toddlers to grasp and see. Additionally, flashcards come in handy when used to introduce new vocabulary. The toys are easy to store and can be taken with you wherever you go. And because these flashcards are bound to impress almost every toddler if there is a birthday up soon, or perhaps Christmas fast approaching, the Banana Panda Memory Game would make a perfect gift for toddlers.
Osmo Coding
One of the most popular iPad kids’ game right now is Osmo Coding, which combines physical objects and app to teach coding (not a normal construct from an iPad game).
- Now available on iPhone devices. Actual product packaging may vary from the image displayed. Components within the box remain the same. OSMO IS MAGIC: Fun-filled & award winning learning games. Children interact with actual hand held pieces & an iPad, bringing a child's game pieces & actions to life (No WiFi necessary for game play). An Osmo Base is included, an iPad is not included, both are required for game play.
- TEACHING: Use hands-on physical blocks, coding commands, to control the character Awbie on a fun-filled adventure (Coding Awbie), an introduction to coding. Use coding blocks to learn coding's creative side while developing an ear for rhythm, melody, and harmony - make your beat come alive, learn patterns & loops with over 300+ musical sounds (Coding Jam). Share a composed Jam with family, friends & the Jam community. Solve advanced side-by-side coding puzzles solo or with others, playing at their own level, using teamwork & strategy to unlock new worlds & coding 60+ puzzles (Coding Duo).
- SKILLS LEARNED: Logic, coding fundamentals, basics of programming, solve coding puzzles, teamwork, listening, critical thinking, observation, creative problem solving, music creation & pattern recognition. Osmo sees and reacts to real-life movement. Geared towards children & love of learning.
Osmo Coding uses Reflective AI technology to have children interact with real-life objects using their iPads. Wonder how this works?
Osmo features a base unit where the iPad is inserted in portrait mode and a small plastic mirror cap that fits over the camera, so through reflection, the iPad can display what is happening on the table below.
Osmo Coding is designed for children aged 5-12, and it comes with a set of games to keep your child busy for longer.
Finally, while this might seem unimportant, we had to mention that Osmo is staffed with former Google software engineers, so you can be sure that Osmo’s creators know exactly what they are doing regarding teaching coding effectively.
De Moca Quiet Book for Toddlers
If you want to keep your kids learning even when traveling but know all too well that that might very well be a difficult task to achieve, bringing along a fun game that does a lot for learning might be the answer. DeMoca Quiet Book for toddlers is made out of reinforced fabric pages containing nine activities, teaching your kids skills from geometry skills to analytical skills.
It is also great for sensory development and encourages dexterity and spatial awareness. Made for children three years old and older, activities in this book include a clock to tell the time, matching shapes and colors, getting dressed, and so much more. Since the book is washable and does not contain parts that your child could lose, it makes for the ultimate travel-friendly activity book.
Smart Games Snow White
- DEDUCTION FUN! Can you find out where Snow White goes? SmartGames Snow White Game, A Preschool Puzzle Game & Brain Game for Kids, Cognitive Skill-Building Challenges, Ages 4-7
- BRAIN GAMES BUILD SKILLS: Your children can build upon their spatial insight, language, problem solving and flexible thinking while playing the Snow White preschool board game. It’s so fun to play, they’ll forget they’re learning!
- PUZZLE INCLUDES: Large vertical house/game board, Snow White, Seven Dwarfs, Evil Queen, challenge booklet with solutions and a bonu colorful picture book.
There is absolutely nothing better than one toy that incorporates several games inside that will keep your child busy and learning for longer. Ideal for children aged four and up, SmartGames Snow White Deluxe puzzle game combines imaginative play and problem solving with a captivating storybook that includes detailed illustrations and a 48 challenge instruction booklet. The booklet is ideal for getting your kid’s critical thinking skills and analytical skills running high.
There are several fun activities for your kids to explore, such as keeping the witch away from Snow White by arranging the Seven Dwarfs correctly. It is also an award-winning game, so you can rest assured that many parents, as well as experts, have given this toy a thumbs up.
Dash
If your child has a soft spot for cute robots, then Wonder Workshop’s Dash will be a catch, with its makers bringing together a physical toy that teaches actual coding all in one. Wonder Workshop’s real robot, suitable for ages 6-11, is six inches tall, has a head that moves independently from the rest of its body, and moves around on three wheels. It is covered with various features that can be manipulated or controlled, including lights. The Dash can also see, hear, and speak, appealing to your child’s sense of companionship.
The coding part comes in with the series of fives apps available on Android and iOS, including tutorials to help your kids build complex programs.
Before you know it, your kids will be able to code on their own. While Dash is fairly advanced, if you’d like more complexity for tech toys accomplished coders, then you’d be happy to know that Wonder Workshop has another robot called Cue, which allows kids to engage with way more complex code.
Dalton Lab’s Molecular Model Kit
Nothing is more appealing to kids than a gadget that mimics real-life tools – they almost feel like accomplished career professionals. By far, the Dalton Lab’s Chemistry Model Kit quite vividly resembles scientific models in real labs with a 178 piece ball and stick set that is used to help your children learn more about scientific concepts in a hands-on way.
Lego Boost
- Who doesn't love robots? Introduce kids to the creative world of coding with the best educational STEM toys to foster their curiosities. Building, learning, and programming robots has never been more fun!
- Includes 847 LEGO pieces that kids can build and rebuild into 5 cool multifunctional models. The best and most popular robotics toys for 7-12 year old boys and girls who love to tinker and learn about science. Use the latest tech like color, distance and tilt sensors.
- Construct and code Vernie the Robot to dance, rock out on the Guitar4000, foster Frankie the Cat, interact with the Autobuilder, or explore a new discovery with the M.T.R.4 (Multi-Tooled Rover 4). The IQ-boosting activities are endless!
The pieces can be used to build and demonstrate atoms, bonds, orbitals, and so much more. The chemistry set comes with interactive 3d modeling software and a user guide with a periodic table, serving as additional studying material for tests. The chemistry model kit is created for kids three years and up, but considering how detailed it is, it could come in handy for children in grade 7 up to college students. Because this toy comes in as a long-term investment, we will recommend it as one of the best gifts for kids.
A best toys list could not be quite complete without a Lego entry. This deserving Lego game is why kids love Lego so much ( the freedom to build whatever they like from many blocks), and it teaches children actual coding. This Lego set contains 847 Lego pieces that children can build into five multifunctional models. It also comes with a Lego Move hub with Bluetooth connectivity, an interactive motor, and a color and distance sensor. Finally, Lego Boost maximizes the creative coding experience by adding a playmat that can only be used for specific activities.
The bottom line
Having gifted children is quite an awesome feeling and something not to be ignored.
With STEM toys, parents can ensure they keep their high achiever’s minds stimulated while encouraging the nature of being a child: play and have fun.
The toys in this list, which reputable brands have created, are sure to enhance your children’s skills in no time, and we are sure they are all so fun too.
