- 9.40/10 1. Premium pick: Osmo - Little Genius Starter Kit
- 9.80/10 2. Editors choice: LEGO DUPLO Town Space Shuttle Mission 10944
- 9.20/10 3. Best value: Electric Drill Puzzle Toy
- 9.60/10 4. KID K’NEX – Budding Builders Building Set
- 8.20/10 5. GeoSafari Jr. My First Microscope
- 9.40/10 6. ZoZoplay Interlocking Pipes
- 9.60/10 7. Magformers Challenger Set
- 8.80/10 8. PlayShifu Plugo Count
- 8.80/10 9. Nature Bound Bug Catcher Vacuum
Looking for a way to get your toddler's mind ticking over and exploring the possibilities of creativity, science, engineering, math, and technology at an early age?
Of course, you are! The best way to engage your little one in this way is to choose some appropriate toys. STEM (and STEAM) are terms we often associate with the development of school-age children, but there's no reason why toddlers shouldn't get in on the act.
Here are some of the best STEM toys for under-fives that help understand the building blocks of everything from an early age.
One of the most interactive STEM toys for toddlers you will find, the Osmo – Little Genius Starter Kit includes everything you need to get your little one engaged with the Osmo world. Combining real-world objects with the online digital environment of Osmo, this kit relies on the tablet’s camera and a mirror to detect what is happening on the table, resulting in remarkable engagement.
All Osmo kits are toddler appropriate and have a heavy dose of STEM content. Other Osmo kits are available, but this is the place to start.
The Osmo - Little Genius Starter Kit is available for iPad and Amazon Fire 10 HD tablets.
- Encourages letter recognition, phonics, and more
- Engaging app and on-screen characters
- Tactile interaction with app via tablet camera
- Encourages problem solving, critical thinking, and motor skills
- For Ages: 3 to 5
- Batteries Required: No
- Assembly Required: No
- Interactive: Yes
- Number of Pieces: 59
- Brand: Osmo
- Dimensions: 4.75 x 12 x 9.6 inches
- Weight : 3.5 pounds
- Material: Plastic
- Available for iPad and Amazon Fire 10 HD tablets
- Engaging, fun way for a child to use a tablet
- Can be time-consuming to assemble
If you’re looking for a building toy for your toddler, there is nothing better than DUPLO, the big bricks for little hands from Lego. As the name suggests, DUPLO bricks are twice the size of standard 2x4 stud LEGO bricks and are designed to a 2:1 ratio.
While many DUPLO kits are available, the LEGO DUPLO Town Space Shuttle Mission 10944 is the most suitable for STEM learning. This kit combines tactile development, color recognition, and engineering skills with the theme of launching a shuttle into space.
Better still, it is compatible with all other DUPLO kits.
- 23 reconfigurable pieces
- For age 2 and above
- Endless building possibilities
- For Ages: 2 and above
- Batteries Required: No
- Assembly Required: Yes
- Interactive: No
- Number of Pieces: 23
- Brand: LEGO DUPLO
- Dimensions: 11.1 x 10.32 x 3.76 inches
- Weight : 1.21 pounds
- Material: Plastic
- Encourages dexterity and role play
- Combines with other Duplo kits
- Doors sometimes fall off shuttle
Featuring a collection of mushroom-shaped pegs, screws, and nuts, along with a number of different colored plates and struts, the Electric Drill Puzzle Toy arrives in its own carry case, complete with a battery-powered electric “screwdriver” and a wrench.
The possibilities with this toy are endless, from mosaic-like patterns with pegs to 3D constructions using the plates and screws. The kit also includes eight animal pictures to decorate with the mushroom pegs.
With 176 holes to mount your pegs and screws, this Electric Drill Puzzle Toy is a must-have STEM toy for any creative toddler.
- 224 piece set, includes 31 colorful buttons and 50 mushroom nails
- Decorate animal pictures
- Encourages STEM and analytical thinking
- Carry case
- For Ages: 4 to 9
- Batteries Required: 2x AA
- Assembly Required: Yes
- Interactive: No
- Number of Pieces: 224
- Brand: SUPSTEM
- Dimensions: 12.5 x 2.5 x 9.5 inches
- Weight : 2.18 pounds
- Material: Plastic
- 6 month 100% Money Back Guarantee
- Promotes shape recognition, creative thinking, problem solving, construction skills
- Pieces fit in case for full portability
- 2x AA batteries required (not included)
With 100 pieces and 50 building ideas, this Kid K'nex kit is as ambitious as it gets for toddlers. Despite the name and colorful box design, there really isn't much different from a standard K'nex set. Although the pieces included are chosen for their safety for toddlers, it remains a great toy for building.
Kid K'nex enhances STEM and STEAM learning among small children, aiding in the strengthening of hand-eye coordination, motor skills, and problem-solving.
Significantly, K'nex has an eye on the future, manufacturing pieces at a zero-waste, landfill-free facility in Hatfield, Pennsylvania.
- 100 colorful pieces
- 50 building ideas included
- For Ages: 36 months - 15 years
- Batteries Required: No
- Assembly Required: Yes
- Interactive: No
- Number of Pieces: 100
- Brand: K-nex
- Dimensions: 13.75 x 8.75 x 7.63 inches
- Weight : 2.64 pounds
- Material: Plastic
- Ships in reusable tub
- Developmental benefits
- Limited only by imagination
- Missing parts are common
The GeoSafari Jr. My First Microscope is the perfect introductory microscope for kids and gives toddlers their first look at the magnified world. Designed with a pair of extra-large eyepieces and a chunky focusing knob, this microscope magnifies up to eight times.
An award-winning STEM toy for toddlers, the GeoSafari Jr. My First Microscope features a sample tray, non-skid feet, and an integrated LED lamp. This is an awesome learning toy for toddler-sized scientists!
Small parts mean that this device is not suitable for children under three years old.
- Real, working microscope
- Large controls for small hands
- Magnifies to 8x
- LED light
- For Ages: 3 to 6 years
- Batteries Required: 3x AAA
- Assembly Required: None
- Interactive: No
- Number of Pieces: 1
- Brand: Educational Insights
- Dimensions: 1.12 x 8.1 x 10 inches
- Material: Plastic
- Easy to use
- Brings the world closer
- Flimsy plastic construction
- Batteries not included
6. ZoZoplay Interlocking Pipes
If you’re keen to let your children make noise and explore music, the ZoZoplay Interlocking Pipes are an excellent choice. Combining whistles with pipes and trumpet-like bells, the 72-piece kit offers 56 different possible assemblies.
Promoting motor skills, color recognition, and visual and audible creativity, the pipes are easy to connect. Toddlers will soon be marching around making a racket with the ZoZoplay Interlocking Pipes, so get your ear defenders ready!
(If things get too noisy, you can always hide the whistle...)
- 72-piece kit includes whistle
- 56 different constructions possible
- Encourages motor skills and creativity
- For Ages: 3 to 10
- Batteries Required: No
- Assembly Required: No
- Interactive: No
- Number of Pieces: 72
- Brand: ZOZOPLAY
- Dimensions: 11.1 x 7.83 x 4.72 inches
- Weight : 1.92 pounds
- Material: Plastic
- Easy to assemble
- Good for logical thinking, color perception, problem solving
- Whistle might be too loud for some
7. Magformers Challenger Set
If interlocking bricks don’t bring your toddler’s latent engineering urges to the fore, perhaps magnets will.
Containing neodymium rare-earth magnets, this 112-piece magnetic building kit consists of triangles, squares, hexagons, pentagons, and even a pair of wheels. Coated in ABS plastic, the magnets satisfyingly “click” together in an almost countless number of combinations.
One thing to note with this set is that structures are not as sturdy as they appear, and can collapse with pressure from the wrong direction.
To get you started, the Magformers Challenger Set includes an ideas guide. Additionally, the set is compatible with others from the Magformers range.
- 112-piece magnetic building set
- 48 triangles, 46 squares, 4 hexagons, 12 pentagons and 2 wheels
- ABS plastic-coated magnets
- Compatible with other Magformers kits
- Includes building ideas guide
- For Ages: 3 and above
- Batteries Required: No
- Assembly Required: No
- Interactive: No
- Number of Pieces: 112
- Brand: Magformers
- Dimensions: 22.5 x 3 x 16 inches
- Weight : 22.5 x 3 x 16 inches
- Material: Plastic and neodymium
- Encourages dexterity and coordination
- Countless combinations are possible
- Constructions aren’t as strong as they look
- Uses neodymium rare-earth magnets, so Magformer pieces should be discarded in the event of breakage
8. PlayShifu Plugo Count
PlayShifu offers a range of STEM toys for toddlers, and Plugo Count is one of the most popular. This is an AR (augmented reality) powered game where the aim is to solve story-based challenges with the included digits and arithmetic operators.
There are no electronics in the kit, no Bluetooth required, and no cables. Instead, the PlayShifu companion app relies on the tablet camera. Learning outcomes include improved logic skills, counting, basic math, and problem-solving.
The PlayShifu system is intended to run on Apple, Samsung, and Amazon Fire tablet devices. Check the listing for compatibility information.
- AR-powered STEM gaming kit
- 5 free STEM games included
- 1 foldable gamepad, 1 Count Spike, 4 arithmetic operators, and 2 sets of digits 0-9.
- For Ages: 4 to 10
- Batteries Required: No
- Assembly Required: No
- Interactive: Yes
- Number of Pieces: 26
- Brand: PlayShifu
- Dimensions: 15 x 10 x 5 inches
- Weight : 0.352 ounces
- Material: Plastic
- Suitable for Apple iPads, Samsung devices since 2015, Amazon Fire 7 and 8
- No Bluetooth required
- Other device compatibility cannot be guaranteed
- Risk of losing pieces
Getting outside and into nature is an important part of any toddler’s development. But creepy crawlies can be a bit icky, which is where the Nature Bound Bug Catcher Vacuum comes in.
A hands-free bug catcher designed to pick up and deposit insects and other critters without any physical contact, the catcher and the case both feature built-in magnifiers. Toddlers can get a closer look at what they’ve caught, see how bugs move around, climb, crawl, and wriggle without any risk of being “touched” by the creatures.
Once the observation has ended, the catch and release system can be used to return the bugs into the wild.
- Bug catcher and habitat kit with built-in magnifiers
- Patented capture core for bugs
- Carabiner clip and carry handle
- Battery powered
- For Ages: 3 to 12
- Batteries Required: 4 x AA and 3 x LR55/AG13 Button cells
- Assembly Required: Minimal
- Interactive: No
- Number of Pieces: 2
- Brand: Nature Bound
- Dimensions: 8 x 11 x 5 inches
- Weight : 1.2 pounds
- Material: Plastic
- Encourages children to engage with nature
- Catch and release system provides touch-free interaction with “creepy crawlies”
- Choking hazard from small parts or bugs
FAQ
Q: What Are STEM Toys?
STEM is an acronym developed by educators to refer to a specific group of topics: science, technology, engineering, and math. You may have seen an alternative form, "STEAM." This is largely the same, with the addition of art to cover creative disciplines.
STEM (and STEAM) toys, therefore, are designed to focus a child's mind on these subjects while engaging them as only toys can. LEGO, for example, is a toy that fulfills many STEM requirements. However, a STEM toy might equally be a telescope or a completely different construction toy.
If there is an element of construction, problem-solving, and scientific or mathematical exploration involved, it's a STEM toy.