STEM Gifts – 7 Great gift ideas for kids

Time To Buy your online gifts!

It’s crazy to think that Christmas is just around the corner!  But it is!  And before you know it, it’ll be too late to do all of your online shopping!  And if you’re anything like me, online shopping is key! I love it because I can do it from the comfort of my home!  You should do it too!   Kids always love toys, but it’s a great idea to get them games that make them think and expand their horizons.  Hubby gets annoyed when I let the girls get dolls as gifts… I got dolls as gifts, and I turned out just fine.  But I do agree that some play needs to be imaginative and creative, while other types of play are required for learning new skills.  And this is where STEM gifts come into play.

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What Is STEM

STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering & Math.  Over the last several years, people have been pushing STEM toys and games for kids (especially girls) to get them more involved in these areas.  Have them enjoy these areas.  As someone who has a career in engineering, I can first hand say there are very few women in these areas, so having a whole movement based around STEM is fantastic.

So, now that you have a basic concept of STEM, let’s move on to STEM gifts you can get your kids for the holiday season.  These STEM gifts are things they’ll love, and that will help them learn.  

OSMO – Genius Starter Kit

OSMO is a great learning-based game.  You can use it with your iPad or Fire Tablet.  There are lots of games that you can get with this system, but the Genius Starter Kit really does have the best bang for your buck.  You can check out my whole series on this system here.  I have written up all 5 games that come with the system, and I include some quick tricks to help you save some money if you want.  It’s a great kit, and my kids use it weekly, and they love it.

You can start off with the base unit or expand into more complex games.

You can check out the full details here.

OSMO – Coding Family Bundle

This OSMO game is a bit more advanced and excellent if you’re interested in teaching your little one to code.  It creatively uses OSMO coding blocks  to help with rhythm, melody, and harmony, as well as solving coding problems. 

You can check it out here for more details.

If you don’t have the OSMO set, you do need to invest in the OSMO base, which will cost a few pennies more, but if you get a bundle, it is usually included.

Robot Turtles

This is a board game that teaches kids the basics of coding.  You walk  around the board as a turtle and have to overcome obstacles to get to your gem.  The first person to their gemstone wins.  

The nice thing about this game is that it is set up for beginners, and once your kids get the hang of the game, you can start to use the more complicated cards to make it more challenging and engaging.

Circuit Maze Board Game

This is a board game created by ThinkFun, that teaches kids how to work circuits.  It helps kids learn about sequences and grow their logic skills.  It’s a bit advanced to start, but once they see things light up and work, they get really excited about it.  

My kids alternate between this and Robot Turtles on games night.

Puzzles

This is less technical in a sense, but puzzles really help children with problem solving and imagination.  We will spend hours making and remaking our favorite puzzles on the floor.  Puzzles that are 100 pieces can easily be put together in an evening for smaller kids (5-6-year-old).  And 200 piece puzzles can be put together in one evening by a bit older kids (6-9-year-old). 

However, having a bunch of smaller puzzles also works, as we will do 2-3 48 piece puzzles in one sitting instead of a large one.  It all just depends on the mood.

Growing Crystals

Growing Crystals is super fun for kids!  My kids always get a kick out of it. If you plan it right, they can help with the mixing and pouring, and then they can watch the crystals grown.  Typically the crystals will start to grown within the first day.  And once they’re done growing, they get to keep the crystal as a reminder.   Super fun!

Just remember that these are breakable… and they will break… and kids will cry.  Personally, I find a set with multiple crystals works best for just such a reason.

Shopping Done!

And just like that shopping is done!    There are lots of other options for things that you buy related to STEM gifts, but these are a few that we have found very helpful and fun at our house.

Check out some of the above items, and let me know in the comments below if this list helped you! 

If you liked this list, be sure to check out some of my other lists here.

More is yet to come!

If you liked this list of STEM gifts, stay tuned for STEM Activities that you can play with your kids, that require no purchases, just some random toys from around the house, a pencil and paper.