Engineering/STEM gift guide for kids 2018
Original source: Purdue University Engineering Guide.
I chose this curation source because actual engineers vetted the items both in the labs and in their homes and with special thanks to the greater Lafayette community. Now, I’m adding the price layer over it so we can see when the right time to buy is. All price data is from amazon.com.
Programming
3+ yo: Code Hopper
5+ yo: Botley the Coding Robot Activity Set , Toy of the year finalist
6+ yo: Harry Potter Kano Programming Kit , #1 seller at apple store
8+ yo: Thames & Kosmos Robotics: Smart Machines Rovers and Vehicles
Teaching troubleshooting
4+ yo: Hape Busy City Rail
5+ yo: Mental Blox on the go
5+ yo: Pendulum challenge
5+ yo: Crashpult stem challenge
6+ yo: IQ Stars
8+ yo: Smart games Asteroid escape
8+ yo: Kanoodle extreme- our favorite!
8+ yo: Laser chess, MENSA award winner
8+ yo: Kanoodle duplexity
Building
0.5yo: KEVA Junior set
1.5yo: Grippies Shapers
2+yo: Interlox squares
3+yo: Magnatiles 48-pc set
4+ yo: Hape Flexistix Creative Construction kit
5+ yo: Pattern Play 3D
6+yo: Brik Buster - 133 Pieces Tower Toppling Game
6+ yo: Brik Tower - 2 Trap and Gap Baseplates with 2 Stackable 10"x10" Baseplates
7+yo: Mechanics Gravity Motor Best toy award
7+yo: Dodeca Spiky Base Kit
9+yo: Timberkits Bi-Plane
What I hate most about STEM toys
So. many. little. pieces.
My advice is not to buy too many of them. Choose 1-2 and stick to those in the age range. Otherwise, you’ll go crazy. Never take out one of these without making sure your child has put away all their other toys. That helps them to stay focused and also prevents toy parts from getting mixed up with other toys.
