Best for Teens LEGO Mindstorms EV3 Our Rating: Best for Learning: Mechanical Engineering, Coding, Robotics, Design

Recommended Age: 12+ Years Check Price (Amazon.com)

LEGO Mindstorms is still one of the most popular robotics kits for older kids (and adults!) on the market. With Mindstorms, you can build a fully-functional robot using (mostly) familiar LEGO pieces. The finished robot can walk, talk, play games or do anything that you care to program it to do! Mindstorms EV3 comes with 601 pieces, including a 'brain' - the intelligent EV3 brick. It also comes with 17 different robot designs, although obviously, there are endless possibilities that can be made from your imagination. One of the strongest features of Mindstorms is its compatibility with normal LEGO bricks. If you already have a sizable LEGO collection at home - imagine the crazy robots they could build with that! LEGO Mindstorms EV3 Key Features: Compatible with all other LEGO bricks

Main robot design is 16"x14"x15"

Includes color, touch and IR senses

Fantastic online community and support

Best STEM Toys for Tweens (9 – 12 Year-Olds)

Best for Tweens Sphero BOLT Our Rating: Best for Learning: Coding, Physics

Recommended Age: 8+ Years Check Price (Amazon.com)

When you first see the Sphero BOLT in action, there's something truly magical about it! An intelligent sphere that can move at up to 2 meters per second under its own steam?! Weighing in at 1.1 pounds and being roughly the size of a baseball, the BOLT is packed full of high tech components. Gyroscope and accelerometer are standard across the range of Sphero robot balls, including the ping pong ball sized MINI. The SPRK+ - similar in size and look to the BOLT - introduces motor encoders, which allow remarkable movement and data recording. The BOLT goes above and beyond, with a colorful 8x8 LED matrix, light sensor, infrared and even a compass!

The Sphero BOLT can be used for an enormous variety of activities and projects. At the simplest level, this robot ball can be controlled in real-time via an app on just about any device. It's like an RC car with only one wheel! However, the real STEM learning (and fun!) starts with programming BOLT using the popular block-based coding language, Scratch.

Sphero BOLT Key Features: Real-time driving via app over a Bluetooth connection

Programmable in Scratch, Javascript or Apple's Swift language

A vibrant online community to download and share activities and programs

2+ hours of use per charge

Best STEM Toys for Kids (5 – 8 Year-Olds) Best for Kids Osmo Genius Starter Kit Our Rating: Best for Learning: Creative Thinking, Problem Solving, Literacy, Math

Recommended Age: 6+ Years Check Price (Amazon.com) The Osmo Genius Starter Kit transforms your iPad (or Amazon Fire tablet) into a wondrous Augmented Reality (AR) device. The Starter kit comes with a base to rest your tablet in, a specially-designed clip-on mirror that allows your device to 'see' the surface in front of it and 5 fun and immersive games. We got hands-on with the Osmo Genius Kit and were very impressed! Our test subjects found the games to be a lot of fun, and we were pleased with the educational outcomes this kit promotes. While not as open-ended as some other STEM toys we feature, there are loads of fantastic, reasonably-priced add-ons and accessories available to make the most of this game system. Note: there is also a 'junior' version available - the Osmo Little Genius - which includes games that are more suitable for kids aged 3 – 5 years-old. Osmo Genius Starter Kit Key Features: Seamless blending of physical and digital worlds (almost magical!)

Games are designed with progressive difficulty, allowing continual learning

Makes excellent educational use of iPad or Fire tablet devices

Parent app provides feedback on child's progress

Best STEM Toys for Toddlers (2 – 3 Year-Olds) Best for Toddlers Melissa & Doug Wooden Building Blocks Set Our Rating: Best for Learning: Construction, Basic Geometry, Problem-Solving, Creativity

Recommended Age: 2+ Years Check Price (Amazon.com) The great thing about this Melissa & Doug Wooden Building Blocks Set is that it allows toddlers a very early chance to flex their creativity. And with 100 pieces, what a lot of things they can make! As we've come to expect from Melissa & Doug products, this set is extremely well made, with safe, rounded edges and smooth, non-toxic paint. Because... you just know that a toddler is going to put it in their mouth at some point! Kids bored at home??!! Click here to grab your FREE STEM-at-Home Activity Book! Melissa & Doug Wooden Building Blocks Set Key Features: Encourages open-ended play

Bright colors are inviting to young eyes

Light-weight and easy for young hands to work with

Introduces early math concepts, engineering, construction and develops fine-motor skills

Best STEM Toys for Babies & Infants (Newborns to 2 Year-Olds) Best for Babies and Infants Rolimate Hammering & Pounding Toys Our Rating: Best for Learning: Shape Recognition, Imagination, Creativity

Recommended Age: 1+ Years Check Price (Amazon.com) There's so much value in this wooden learning toys set from Rolimate! The largest item has slots for three wooden balls which can be hammered with the small wooden mallet. The balls then hit a xylophone and roll down its surface, making musical notes. Of course, the xylophone can be removed and used by itself. There are two xylophone sticks included for just that purpose. There's much more to this toy, including holes in various shapes on the side of the main 'box', through which differently shaped blocks may be inserted. At this age, infants love colors, sound and hitting things. This toy has all that and more. Just make sure the mallet doesn't get used on siblings! Rolimate Wooden Hammering and Pounding Toy Set Key Features: Bright colors and patterns

Wood-on-wood makes a pleasing sound

Many possible play modes

Simple, yet robust construction

Best STEM Toys By Category

Best Robotics Kit

Best STEM Subscription Box Best STEM Box KiwiCo Tinker Crate Our Rating: Best for Learning: Science, Design, Innovation, Experimentation

Recommended Age: 9+ Years Check Price (KiwiCo.com) The KiwiCo Tinker Crate is a wildly successful STEM subscription box for kids in the tween to teen age range (9 – 10 year-olds). KiwiCo was founded by a mother of 3, to help parents to support and encourage the kids' innate creativity and curiosity. The fact of the matter is, despite the best of intentions, as parents we are pressed for the time needed to come up with new ideas and gather materials for kids' projects. STEM boxes are a great way to get those ideas and materials conveniently delivered to your door on a regular basis. KiwiCo is at the top of a rapidly growing list of companies that provide exciting STEM boxes. Actually, their products are probably better labeled as STEAM boxes, since they also incorporate art components. We believe the Tinker Crates are a sweet spot in terms of projects available and the age these kits are targeting. Tweens and Teenagers love projects like building a trebuchet, or a hydraulic-powered (via syringe!) claw. Tinker Crate kits are well designed, include excellent 'blueprint' instructions and even offer additional science experiments and activities for kids to extend their fun and learning. For kids (and adults!) of other ages, KiwiCo has lots of other options catering from 0 to 104 years-olds! I guess if you're 105, you're out of luck! And for all our top picks, be sure to read out guide to the best STEM subscription box for kids. KiwiCo Tinker Crate Key Features: Hands-on STEM projects delivered monthly

Boxes that encourage creativity and a 'tinkering' mindset

Everything needed to complete the project in each kit

Online video tutorials with tips and tricks

Best Active/Outdoors STEM Toy Best Active STEM Toy Omano JuniorScope Microscope Our Rating: Best for Learning: Biology, Microbiology, Basic Microscopy

Recommended Age: 8+ Years Check Price (Amazon.com) It might be surprising to see a microscope win our Best Outdoors/Active STEM Toy Award! But, using a microscope is only a small part of what budding biologists will spend their time doing! They will joyfully spend many hours collecting samples from the backyard to use with their microscope, all while exploring and learning so much more about the natural world around them. The Omano JuniorScope Microscope is a reasonably priced starter microscope that is powerful enough to delve into the fascinating microscopic world. It has three magnification levels - 40x, 100x and 400x - and the optics are high quality, giving relatively sharp images for this price point. There's a battery-powered LED light which is handy for 'fieldwork', although the microscope can also run on AC power. We particularly like the extras included with the microscope - a petri dish, forceps, stains, dropper, test tube, slides and more. Perhaps the most valuable inclusion is "The Amazing Microscope Adventures" set of experiment booklets, which guides young biologists through how to use their microscope and outlines several fun experiments to get them started Omano JuniorScope Microscope Key Features: 40x, 100x and 400x magnification levels

Portable - includes battery-powered LED light

Many extras included, eg. petri dish, stains, slides, guides, etc

Includes high-quality experiment booklets

Other STEM Toys We Considered

There are so many more STEM toys that we considered, and that came very close to getting a prize. Below are some honorable mentions, each of which are certainly toys that we strongly recommend.

UBTECH Robotics Kits Our Rating: Best for Learning: Coding Basics, Robotics, Mechanical Engineering

Recommended Age: 8+ Years Check Price (Amazon.com)

UBTECH robotics kits are some of the best STEM toys for kids aged 8 and up to develop skills like creativity, design, coding and robotics. With snap-together parts, similar to K'Nex or Lego, kids can learn about mechanical engineering through building their own fully functioning robots. This is guided through an awesome 3-dimensional, 360-degree animated guide in the JIMU Robot App for IOS and Android.

What we love about the UBTECH JIMU range is that there are lots of different options depending on your needs. If you are on a budget, the 2-robot Muttbot & Buzzbot kit is a great choice, if not you could go for the 675-piece Inventor Kit with 6 different builds. There is also a Unicornbot Kit that is more likely to appeal to budding young female engineers! In their Mythical Robot series, UBTECH also has red dragon-like 606 piece Firebolt Kit. That said, due to the modular nature of the parts, kids can experiment with their own builds too.

But the fun (and learning, of course) doesn't end there! Once kids have built their robots and machines, they can then bring them to life through the JIMU Robot App. There are two ways to do this, the first is through a menu of pre-programmed actions - essentially remote control. Keep kids engaged and learning with STEM boxes! Keep the kids learning and having fun with engaging activities. No need to brainstorm ideas or hunt for materials – it’s all done for you! Get a STEM box delivered to your door for hassle-free kids activities. View our guide to the Best STEM Subscription Boxes available in 2020!

The second is through writing your own programs with the drag-and-drop coding interface Blockly. This simple platform created by Google is designed to teach kids fundamental coding principles in a fun and interactive way. Kids can learn to control servo motors, infrared sensors, LED lights, speakers and more through writing their own programs! We love this kit and think it can be a great start for kids looking to get started on the road to learning coding and robotics.

Kano is a company most well-known for their build your own computer kits for kids. However, this recent team up with the Harry Potter franchise is bound to excite fans of the wizarding world, whilst educating them at the same time! The Harry Potter kit is all about building your own simple wand and then learning the basics of coding through the Kano App. With more than 70 challenges, kids can use the Kano software to create programs for the wand. These are then executed and animated on a tablet screen through a whole range of cool spells. You can program the LED lights, sound effects, and more. The exciting combination between the much-loved saga and coding should help to keep kids engaged and learning valuable STEM skills. This coding kit works with most iOS, Android or Amazon tablets, and even Windows and Mac computers. If you're looking for another magical STEM toy to us with iPad, read our in-depth review of the Osmo Genius Kit.

Ever since Cozmo came onto the scene back in 2016, we have recommended it as one of the best STEM toys out there. Designed to teach kids and adults basic to advanced coding, in many ways Cozmo really redefined what a toy can 'be' or 'do'. With their 2018 release - Vector - Anki once again raised the bar. Whilst they might look similar, Vector differs from Cozmo in a lot of ways. Rather than having a heavy focus on play, Anki envisions it as a personal assistant and have incorporated a suite of features to enable this. First off, Vector has its own onboard processor with over 10x the computing power than its predecessor, as well as built-in WiFi. This enables the robot to operate without the need for a companion device, hoorah! Combined with the onboard camera, microphone and own voice, this tech enables Vector to interact with you and respond to voice commands. Similar to a Google Home or Alexa device, you can call out to Vector to set alarms, reminders or ask questions. Other hardware in Vector is also far more advanced than Cozmo. For example, it has a touch sensor on the back so it can sense being picked up or stroked, among other improved sensors.

We aren't going to go into any further detail comparing the two 'bots specs, so see our Cozmo vs Vector comparison article for more info. Since what is most important is the educational element, let's take a closer look at that. Vector definitely has less of a focus on learning than Cozmo, with fewer options and resources for learning to code at this point in time. For example, Vector cannot be programmed with a graphical drag-and-drop platform. Therefore, we would not recommend Vector for younger learners at this point in time. Programming Vector is done through the Software Development Kit (SDK), a platform that enables you to write custom software using the text-based programming language Python. This is a language with wide applications in industry, so valuable skills can also be developed as you experiment with Vector. The SDK gives users access to a vast array of advanced robotics hardware and technologies, including the HD color camera stream, touch, drop & infrared laser sensors, facial recognition, animations and intelligent mapping. Furthermore, the addition of onboard WiFi connectivity and much more powerful processor means Vector has so many capabilities for customization. Feeling overwhelmed? We don't blame you... But for the beginners out there, Anki provides a list of 13 examples to get things started. This starts with the basics, such as programming Vector to drive in a square or to display an image on its face. There are also more complex examples, such as getting Vector to display an animation when a specific word is called out. From there on it's down to your creativity, and coding knowledge, to see what you can make Vector do! However, if you need support or want to see what others are doing with the Vector SDK, the developer forums are a great place to start. Due to the high level of sophistication in how Vector can be used, we believe it is one of the very best STEM toys for teens. Ever hear “I’m bored”? We’ve created the Ultimate Boredom Buster – 101 Ideas for Kids Who Are Bored! To grab your FREE PDF copy, click here now!

Another microscope?! We've looked at quite a few of the best STEM toys for kids and adults to learn skills like coding & robotics, but it's great to look at things that are different. Even though we gave the prize for Best Active/Outdoor STEM Toy to the Omano JuniorScope, competition for the best beginner microscope is very tight. Indeed, the AmScope Student Microscope is a great introductory microscope for elementary school kids and up, to learn about microbiology and microscopy. The microscope features an all-metal frame, glass optics (rather than lower quality plastic) and 40 - 1000x magnification. That maximum magnification is actually greater than our winner, the Omano JuniorScope. The AmScope also has great accessories and learning resources. This includes prepared slides with specimens so kids can get right in, blank slides, staining dyes, forceps, a petri dish and several other tools. Furthermore, there is also a comprehensive guide with introductions and activities to get kids started on the right track. We think this is one of the most important elements and is ultimately why we chose this microscope over others.

Last on our list of the best STEM toys this year is the Makeblock Neuron Inventor Kit. This awesome kit aims to teach kids 8 and up about basic electronics through building their own circuits. The modular electronic components clip together with magnetic pogo-pins, which not only makes assembly easy since there is no soldering. This also means that kids can build and break down circuits as many times as they like! The kit includes a power module, LED panel, gyro sensor, buzzer, servo motors and Bluetooth module. Controlling how the circuits function can be done in two ways. The first is offline mode, where they function as you'd expect a circuit to function with default settings. The second involves programming custom functionality into the circuits on a tablet via the Makeblock Neuron App. Also included in the kit are several cardboard cutouts for building projects that combine with the electronics modules. Animated instructional guides for these can also be found in the App.

Our Decision Criteria

We considered a number of criteria to arrive at our recommendations for the Best STEM Toys this year: Build Quality First and foremost, we looked for high-quality toys made from good components. Nothing is more frustrating, for parents and children alike, than toys that are so poorly manufactured that they don't function as intended! Or, they don't last beyond unwrapping. Or they are downright dangerous, due to sharp edges, unsuitable materials or even lack of adequate instructions! STEM Learning Outcomes We might have 'toy' in our name, but the products we are interested in are those that lead to new learning and STEM skills through play. Great STEM toys ask more questions than they answer. They provoke the imagination and lead to new creative endeavors. We are particularly looking for toys that are open-ended, and those that can progress in difficulty or sophistication with the child. For example, the best coding toys make it easy for kids to start, with blocks-based, drag'n'drop programming languages like Scratch, but they also allow the user to progress to text-based languages like Python or Javascript.

Fun Factor In many ways, the best STEM toy is the STEM toy that gets used! It is hard to define exactly what makes a toy fun for kids to play with, but you know it when you see it. Some products just have a magic to them, in design and execution, that draws kids (and adults!) in and leads to smiles all-around. A 1000-page book on Python may have great potential as a STEM learning resource, but kids are never going to engage with it the way that they engage with the Piper Computer Kit!

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