When gift shopping for your little ones, don’t just pick random toys that they will easily get tired of playing with. Sure, they will be ecstatic at first but eventually, they’ll just get bored with it. But when you give them educational toys and games, you create an impact that will last for lifetime. Educational toys help your child’s development by stimulating their brains, giving them a head start in reading, math, science and also spark their lifelong passion.
If you haven’t heard of STEM, it stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math which are very vital to every child’s learning develop. That’s why several toy companies have created STEM toys that promote these concepts while playing and having fun.
To help you come up with an educational toy list, here are 5 of The Toy Insider’s top STEM toys for 2016:
Thames & Kosmos Barbie STEM Kit with Barbie Scientist Doll (ages 3-5)
The concept of this toy is to help Barbie and Nikki prepare for the party as they learn important STEM skills such as exploring physics and engineering by constructing different models and conducting experiments, as well as learning about biology and chemistry by creating leaf-print, chromatography and optical illusion origami dresses for the dolls.
Learning Resources Code & Go Robot Mouse Activity Set (ages 3-5)
This activity is the perfect way to introduce children to science, technology, engineering and math through the fun of coding and puzzle solving. This is a great way to challenge children to think critically and solve problems effectively.
Fisher-Price Think & Learn Code-a-pillar (ages 3-5)
It’s designed for preschoolers to develop their critical thinking, problem solving, planning & sequencing skills as they figure out how to connect the segments to make Code-A-Pillar go forward, left, right or wherever they choose.
K’NEX Mighty Makers Director’s Cut Building Set (ages 6-8)
This toy is one of Amazon’s Toys of the Year. It lets children learn more about film making and sparks their “STEAMagination” (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Math). It includes 320 colorful pieces for kids to build and get creative with.
Bloxels (ages 6-8)
Also one of Amazon’s Toys of the Year, Bloxels is about hands-on video game development. This toy allows kids to build their own video games with a mix of physical and digital tools to create game rooms, characters and game art.
