Supercharge Your Kid's STEM Skills With These Awesome Educational Gifts

Simple wooden blocks may be the world’s oldest toy. Qubs (pronounced “cubes”) modernizes that idea by offering blocks that teach coding for kids ages 4 and up. The small car is controlled by the left and right turn blocks kids setup. Expansion sets offer even more options.

You’ve seen marble runs attached to walls and refrigerators before. Gecko Run takes it to the next level with “gecko feet” pads to help it stick to more surfaces, and flexible tracks that can even go around corners. Expansion packs mean kids can keep adding on all year long.

Making a light-reflecting lovely suncatcher is fun, but what does it have to do with STEM? This 422-piece set has frames for placing cubes based on design challenges. Conquer one, then kids can take them apart and make a new one. The deeper you get, the more the instructions get into coding-like pattern building.

Computer mice get a revamp via Code & Go Robot Mouse. Dubbed Jack, the robotic mouse has full arrow-button controls that kids can use to program the plastic rodent to follow a pre-determined path: the gateway to coding.

Ages 4 and older
This kit aims to instill coding concepts in young minds without looking at mesmerizing pixels. The Coding Crew playset is inspired by local heroes, sending kids on missions with a firetruck, police car, or construction vehicle. They "code" the vehicle to move in different patterns via directional arrow keys on its roof. Kids can also use the toy in "play mode" for open-ended fun. Make sure you have an even surface to play on—the cardboard puzzle pieces can be difficult for the vehicles unless truly flat.

Ages 4 and older
Similar to the Coding Crew above, the Space Rover Deluxe kit is a step up with plastic, lock-together tiles on which you can place the rover. The booklet includes plenty of variations for kids to try for “space mazes” that can put the rover, and their coding skills, to the test. There’s no screen involved—all the programming is performed via the buttons atop the rover, which kids can try and mimic with the included card set. Multiple kids can take turns entering the codes to see how they work in a group.

Ages 5 and older
For young wanna-be coders, this programmable robot can be coded one of two ways: online with Ozobot's version of Blockly language or with Color Code markers—with no screen needed, it’s an easy way to introduce kids to coding concepts. The kit accommodates beginners but also offers new challenges as they learn. 

Ages 8 and older
Fuse beads are a tried-and-true creative outlet for kids who can create cool color patterns with tiny plastic beads that teachers or parents then heat up with an iron to fuse together. Coding Charms are a jewelry-making fuse bead set coupled with an activity book that will get kids to apply programming-like problem-solving to making art. It comes with 18 designs and enough material to make 10 key chains.

Ages 3 to 5
A bot-like vehicle, the Tale-Bot Pro can be programmed with buttons on the top, so it can travel around on the maps (2 are included) and use audio feedback to language development along with all the critical thinking that comes with programming the droid. It supports multiple languages and works with Legos. Extra activity kits with more maps are also available.

Ages 4 to 8
Set down the code cards you want and Sammy, the sandwich robot, will drive over them to scan them in. Then the bot will run the sequence on the next grid and interact with other pieces. Thames & Kosmos designed Kids First Coding so kids can also make new robots on the same base as Sammy, using all 417 included pieces. The 64-page manual has several coding lessons and teaches all sorts of concepts, all the way up to loops, algorithms, and variables.

Ages 3 and older
Younger kids will learn some critical thinking skills when they “code” with Edu-Toys EL10T. This robot has coding blocks that are inserted into the control panel. They’ll tell the bot what to do, guiding it over mission cards that set it and your child on an investigation of the solar system and more.

Ages 8 and older
It's screen-free but Turing Tumble features a board where kids can use the provided parts to build what it calls “mechanical computers”—in other words, moving logic puzzles that move marbles around.

Age 8 and up
Pyxel’s like a less-advanced Aibo but for learning. Using the app on a tablet or phone, kids can program the digital pup using Blockly or go full Python if they’re that advanced. Pyxel himself has a forehead touch sensor, sound sensors, a proximity sensor in the nose, and kids can program his dot-based expressions or color scheme of his LEDs. Plus, of course, wag his tale. Since the tiny bot has its own Wi-Fi for direct connections, there’s no internet connection needed.

If your kids need a night light, they should build their own. The Snap Circuits Nite Ligh kit offers up to 5 different projections, but they won’t happen until the child snaps it all together and powers it up (via USB).

Circuit projects are the gateway to a future where kids build and repair their (and your) electronics. Get them started with this kit with 40 projects, including building a copter that flies, a vacuum, lights, bubble blower, and more.

Ages 3 and up
You’re never too young to try a circuit board, right? This innovative kit proves that, matching up the look and feel of electronics with Lego-like precision suitable for even the youngest to try.

Ages 8 and older
328 different STEM projects and experiments in one box? This circuit board kit engineered for youngsters claims exactly that, putting the power of electricity (plus radios and magnets) into their tiny hands. The 64-page manual will guide them through using all 72 included parts. There’s also a smaller, less expensive version with 25 experiments, currently going for $29.99.

Middle and high school students
This comprehensive kit offers more than 60 different hands-on projects that aim to instruct kids all about electronics. No prior experience needed: The projects range from beginner-level to much more complex ones—such as building an H-Bridge, the motor driver circuit used in robotics.

Ages 10 and older
This small but fully loaded kit would work well for a child who already has some coding experience. The box contains LEDs, a circuit board, sensors, and more hardware; you also get online tutorials, coding software, and more than 100 projects to tackle. If this one’s a hit with your little coder, the company offers numerous other kits on its website and at Amazon. 

Ages 8 and older
This sturdy little aluminum-framed robot can be built by kids (tools included!) and then used for some driving fun before serious coding learning even starts. When that happens, there’s a visual block coding option, plus full-on programming code, run from the mobile apps that connect to mBot Neo via Bluetooth on a phone or tablet. There’s also the option to connect it directly to a PC via USB—the mBlock coding software (based on the drag-and-drop programming language called Scratch) is available for Windows, macOS, or Linux. There’s plenty that will keep kids busy with mBot Neo, as it includes Coding Boxes from MakeBlock that can re-engage them, including the Somatosensory Game box for creating games or an AI Science box that allows for voice commands; some of these don’t even need the robot. You can get mBot alone in blue or pink for $63.99 (apply the 20% coupon at Amazon) if you want the droid only. Add-on hardware includes a Bluetooth controller and a smart camera.

Ages 6 to 11
Wonder Workshop’s Dash is a blue-hued update to its discontinued Cue model, still a pyramid of stacked orbs that can roll around and be programmed. It stands out for supporting a number of methods of programming, depending on the device you want to use to control it, be it a smartphone or a PC running the Chrome browser. Kids will learn all the basics: sequencing, events, loops, algorithms, operations, and variables using the various programming apps the company offers, including a picture-oriented coding language, a block coder, and even one that will transition them to writing in JavaScript. Add-ons for Dash include a projectile launcher (essentially a catapult), Lego-compatible building connectors to build stuff atop Dash’s top ball, and a gripper building kit to make Dash capable of lifting objects.

Got an aspiring musician who loves the thought of a guitar, but can’t yet master the strings? This kid lets them build an “electric synth guitar” that has hours of activity options. They can even take it apart and keep rocking. Step by step instructions can be followed by kids on an iPad.

Who doesn’t want a 9-inch-tall robot of their own? Once built—Junior’s got 150 pieces—your kid can control their new pal via a mobile app or go screen-free by programming it with integrated buttons.

Elenco’s Mech 5 TTC895 model is a robot that kids 10+ can put together into 5 different play modes, including one that throws stuff like a catapult, one that plays socker, and one that draws on the surface you place him upon.

Here’s a little spider-like robot with a big head that kids can put together (over age 12 they won’t even need help). It’ll walk around, but it's big claim to fame is that it's got sound sensors that turn it into a dancing droid.

Ages 8 and older
If your kid has artistic interests as well as STEM inclinations, the Artie Max kit could be the right fit. You can use one of five included program languages (Blockley, Snap, JavaScipt, Python, and C++) to code the bot. You then run a simulation of the coded artwork on a Wi-Fi-connected device, tweak it as needed, and finally, set the bot loose to “draw” a physical version. Coding difficulty can scale up to facilitate challenging learning. 

Ages 10 with help; Ages 12 and older without
Voted the “Specialty Toy of the Year” by the Toy Foundation, Thames & Kosmos’s Kosmos Artificial Intelligence (KAI) is an insect-like droid that kids put together that can react to gestures and audio commands. Using the mobile apps for KAI kids can train him on new movements and sounds to keep an eye (or ear) on. There’s also the option to remotely control KAI via the app just like a standard toy. There’s a big 64-page manual full of instructions and experiments to conduct.

Ages 8 and older
Sphero has cornered the market on smart sphere bots (remember, it made that working BB-8 from Star Wars). Bolt proves the company has a lot more than basic remote controls inside ball-shaped offerings. Literally—it's clear so you can see everything inside. Designed more for educators, the Bolt is waterproof and capable of taking a moderate beating from multiple users; it will even work outdoors. It features three different coding methods (blocks, drawing, and JavaScript text). There’s a limited screen of 8x8 lights. Kids control it with the apps on a mobile device: Play is for driving it (and using your voice to speed it up) and playing games with it; Edu of course is for programming it to do so much more. Do you have a whole classroom that needs a Bolt? Get the Bolt Power Pack of 15 units for a cool $3,000.

Not many super-expensive, robotic, programmable toys can do a backflip. But Bittle X does. It helps that the dog-bot is the size of your hand, not the size of a Boston Dynamics’ Spot. Kids put the meticulous little Bittle X droid together (or buy the pre-built version for an extra $20) and can program it via blocks, C++, or Python to do a number of actions. It has optional cameras and sensors it can carry in its mouth to do even more. This device involves more complicated programming than many toys here but is the way to go for math prodigies who want to develop new skills beyond the bot’s 35 pre-sets.