STEM Lovers Holiday Gift Guide
- Gabrielle Fischer Posted On Dec 14, 2022 | STEM
The holidays are just around the corner so the time is ticking on getting all your holiday shopping done! It can be a little overwhelming to think of and find the latest holiday gifts and gadgets for kids. That’s why we’ve wrapped up, quite literally, some of the best holiday finds for your little loved ones! These gifts are STEM inspired and are for our little science, technology, engineering, and math lovers. New to STEM? These are also perfect for peaking interests!
Below you’ll find six of the most well (teacher) recommended and kid approved STEM toys. An age suggestion and description will help you find just the right one and the price is listed to ensure it fits within your budget!
1. Botley® 2.0 the Coding Robot (ages 5-10)- $64.99 and Botley® the Crashin' Construction Accessory Set (ages 5-10)- $16.99
Botley 2.0 the Coding Robot is perfect for introducing littles to future careers, supporting imaginative play and boosting critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Botley helps kids as young as 5 learn to code. Kids can code Botley to move in six directions, play music, and even put on a light show! You can even test your memory with the lights and sounds of a game of Botley Says. Your little coders can build coding sequences of up to 150 steps, and go on adventures with a built-in sensor that lights up Botley in the dark!
Nothing says engaging kids better than a crashin', bashin' set of STEM challenges! The worlds of coding and construction collide in the Botley Crashin' Construction Challenge. The world of construction comes alive as little builders can turn Botley into a wrecking ball or tow truck with the moveable crane attachment, or snap on the adjustable plow arms and send Botley on bulldozer adventures! This set includes six STEM challenges to get kids started—build up block structures, then code Botley to knock them down, clean up the mess, or tow them with the hook and cable!
2. Gears! Gears! Gears!® CastleGears™ (ages 4-9)- $14.99
Bring the magic of castle making alive and the perfect twist on building critical thinking skills using the Gears! Gears! Gears! Castle Gears set. This building kit includes 38 pieces and an activity guide. It allows little engineers to create an almost endless combination of castles that actually move for their imaginative play. The gear pieces snap together easily so it’s perfect for little hands and developing fine motor skills. Let your little budding engineer’s imagination soar!
3. City Engineering & Design Building Set (ages 5-8)- $24.99
The City Engineering & Design Building Set brings STEM learning to new heights! Your little engineers can create their own skyscrapers, cranes, bridges and more with 89 easy-to-assemble pieces. Use the included activity cards to complete design challenges, or create your own city. It's a unique way to challenge logic, problem solving, and engineering skills.
4. Botley® the Coding Robot Action Challenge Accessory Set (ages 5-10) $19.99
Explore the world of force and motion by helping Botley set off some crashing chain reactions with Botley the Coding Robot Action Challenge Accessory Set from Learning Resources. This interactive 41-piece accessory setcontains everything kids need to set up STEM-inspired obstacle challenges for Botley to navigate. Kids can either choose to use the instructions inside the set to create 9 obstacle challenges filled with falling dominos, rolling balls, and swinging hammers, or design their own courses using critical thinking skills. Once everything's in place, kids simply code Botley with the desired steps, press transmit on the remote programmer, and watch him get things moving!
5. 1-2-3 Build It!™ Robot Factory (ages 2-6)- $14.99
Foster critical thinking and early engineering skills with the 1-2-3 Build It! Robot Factory. Kids can build their own twisting, turning STEM creations with the mix-and-match pieces of the 1-2-3 Build It! Robot Factory. Sized just right for little hands, this build-it-yourself toy's chunky plastic pieces are ready to help kids design, build, and tinker with their own robot squad. Use the design guide to practice following directions or bring your own creations to real life!
6. Code & Go® Robot Mouse Activity Set (ages 4-9)-$59.99
Kids will absolutely LOVE this activity set! They can build their own maze, and then use the coding cards to create a step-by-step path for Colby, the Programmable Robot Mouse. Program the sequence of steps, and then watch Colby race to find the cheese! This set includes 30 double-sided coding cards, 10 double-sided activity cards, cheese wedge, and Activity Guide to provide the perfect hands-on introduction to coding concepts. Create your path with 16 maze grids to create a 20' x 20' maze board, 22 maze walls, and 3 tunnels for endless possibilities. Colby lights-up, makes sounds, and features 2 speeds along with colorful buttons to match coding cards for easy programming and sequencing. I suggest if you have multiple children, you consider adding additional players with Jack, the Programmable Robot Mouse, sold separately.