Best STEM Toys for Toddlers

Space and science work hand in hand. STEM activities are a wonderful way for your kids to develop. We as Science mad parents have put together the best STEM Toys available for toddlers. Browse our guide today.

The most crucial aspect of the developmental process is the growth of the brain of a child. During the early years of development, a toddler's brain grows to its maximum capacity. The cells differentiate to cater to the complex responses of the stimuli in the surrounding of a child. 

The differentiation process, once initiated, takes a couple of years and then stops, and hence the intelligence quotient remains at that level of complexity for the rest of the life. So, this age of 1-5 years is the most crucial phase of development.

Creative activities and colorful stimuli elicit the process of differentiation of brain cells; the more complex the stimuli, the more the brain grows. Toys have an active role in their brain development, especially in the early years. 

The toys engage kids in creative activities. These toys can safely portray real-world scenarios. The point of explaining such intricate details of development is to open your eyes to the world of possibilities that exists in the world of toys; you can choose either a bunch of non-functional fictional toys or STEM toys that help build your toddler's intelligence quotient. 

Let's take a look at the top 10 best STEM toys for toddlers that are available in the market.

Our Overall #1 Rated Pick


Kidtastic Dinosaur Toys
  • Affordable
  • Helps with kids' social development
  • The set is lead-free safe for your kid
  • Improves kids critical thinking and problem-solving skills

STEM skills are essential for the early development of your young ones. It helps to improve critical thinking and problem-solving skills in kids. The first one on the list is this Kidtastic Dinosaur Toy kit; it is the best way to spend hours and hours of creative playtime for your kid. Imagination is one of the best traits your kid could ever develop, so here this toy kit will help your young one to improve it.

Nowadays kids are always playing games on electronic devices which are not suitable for there health and also don't help in their development in any way. On the other hand, these toy kits are a thousand times better because they help in developing critical skills in your kids that are going to help them in their practical life. 

The 10 Best STEM Toys Comparison Chart

The 10 Best STEM Toys Out There

In this section, we review the Top 10  STEM Toys available for Kids.

Kidtastic Dinosaur Toys

STEM skills are essential for the early development of your young ones. It helps to improve critical thinking and problem-solving skills in kids. The first one on the list is this Kidtastic Dinosaur Toy kit; it is the best way to spend hours and hours of creative playtime for your kid. Imagination is one of the best traits your kid could ever develop, so here this toy kit will help your young one to improve it. 

Nowadays kids are always playing games on electronic devices which are not suitable for there health and also don't help in their development in any way. On the other hand, these toy kits are a thousand times better because they help in developing critical skills in your kids that are going to help them in their practical life. 

This toy kit includes 106 pieces and comes with a user manual guide. They are very easy for kids to understand and build dinosaurs on their own. This kit promotes teamwork among your kids and also triggers their problem-solving strategies. This kit also promotes social development as they come to know how to deal and work in a team also how to coordinate with their teammates/partners in the game. 

Kids' early brain development is the most fragile time for them. You could make it right, or you could destroy it. This toy kit requires to build a dinosaur so it will improve kids' motor skills, eye-hand coordination, and logical thinking. It also enhances the interest in engineering from a very early age. The kit includes three 7-4 -inch tall dinosaur models and a coloring book. These toys have made STEM learning now an enjoyable and entertaining thing to do. 

PROS

  • Improves kids critical thinking and problem-solving skills
  • The dinosaur models are washable, and no batteries are required
  • Helps in enhancing STEM skills in kids
  • The set is lead-free safe for your kid
  • Helps with kids' social development
  • Affordable

CONS

  • Not have a long lifespan
Playkidz Super Durable Pound A Ball

The second toy on the list has the features that make it stand prominent in other toys. This toy helps in boosting not only the motor skills but also refine the critical thinking capacity of your kid from a very early age.

This toy kit is just the best for hammering practice. Enhancing sharpness, eye-hand coordination, arm movement, and handling. The design of the model is kid-friendly. The round edges are made for kids' safety, and a small hammer size is easy for a kid to handle. The smooth surface of the ramp and balls make the drop easy and hassle-free. 

There are multi-color balls available so that kids can choose according to mood and environment. The whole process from hitting the ball with a hammer and the ball reaching the bottom tray is a science. The kid will take a keen interest in finding out how it all works and what's the science behind it. This toy is ideal for developing STEM skills in your young ones.

PROS

  • Ideal for learning STEM skills
  • Durable
  • Affordable
  • Improves motor skills
  • Kid-friendly toy
  • Fun and educational at the same time

CONS

  • Not very sturdy, tips over easily
Goobi Juniors 20 Piece Construction Set

Goobi Juniors is an award-winning company. It makes one of the best STEM toys for kids. All the products they produced are high-quality and well furnished. Goobi juniors have a specialization in manufacturing the best educational and fun toys. These toys help in improving the motor skills of your young ones.

Creativity, coordination, interaction, imagination, and experimentation are few of the best results you found in your kid after playing with this exceptional toy. The material is also ABS plastic that is non-toxic. 

The whole kits contain a 20-piece set: including 12 plastic rods and eight steel balls. All these 20 pieces are enough to make a large impressive structure big enough to impress family and friends of the kid. All the parts have a vibrant color like red, yellow, blue, and green. 

As this is a STEM learning toy, so it is the best investment you could ever make. Moreover, it increases the sense of science, geometry, physics, and architecture.

PROS

  • Good quality
  • Durable and affordable
  • Enhance thinking abilities and logical thinking
  • Good for developing STEM skills
  • Non-toxic material

CONS

  • Metal balls are not safe for kids
  • Weak magnets
Marble Run Set Construction Building Blocks Toy

STEM skills are very important and crucial for kids of early age. It's tough for kids to learn about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics at an early age because their brains are not very developed. So, there is an enjoyable way to help them build their interest in these skills by developing their interest in STEM educational toys. 

This marble run set is just the right toy you can have for your little one. It is a very interactive game that helps to increase the teamwork and coordination in your kid. It consists of a total of 105 pieces, and there is no limit of imagination while building the structure with these marble pieces. 

A kid can build any kind of shape by imagining, which in return help sharpen logical thinking capacity, imagination ability, eye-hand coordination, and creativity in them. This toy develops patience and problem-solving skills in your kid. 

All the parts must be connected in a way that marbles could pass through them and reach the bottom quickly. This is a family-oriented toy. It helps to build an excellent parent-kid relationship.

PROS

  • Excellent quality and non-toxic material
  • Affordable
  • Improves motor skills
  • Ideal for developing STEM skills
  • Easy to assemble for kid

CONS

  • The structure might be a little weak
HAPTIME Electric DIY Drill

If you are looking for toy fun and educational at the same time, then this one is just the right pick. This toy comes with a mixed bundle of entertainment and education. Helps in improving motor skills, logical thinking, and problem-solving skills in your kid

This toy triggers the scientific thinking of kids and enhances their interest in science, technology, and engineering. The kit comes with 237 pieces, and all parts have vibrant colors. The kit has screws and a drill. Both are easy and safe to use for a kid. 

The toy is made from non-toxic plastic, so there is nothing to worry about. There are endless possibilities of imaginations while making the structures using the plates and screwing them onto the base. The kid can make any shape or structure. 

The kit includes interchangeable drill bits, electric drill, plates, plastic nuts and bolts, screwdriver, wrench, storage bag, and a storage case. It is easy to understand for a kid and also increases kid-parent relationship.

PROS

  • Affordable
  • Durable
  • Non-toxic and tasteless material
  • Best for learning STEM skills
  • Helps in improving motor skills

CONS

  • Not safe for kids under three years
MEIGO Building Blocks Set

Meigo building blocks are just the best if you want your kid to learn about engineering, technology, mathematics, and science. In short, it is one of the best STEM learning toys in the market. It helps in improving excellent motor skills among kids and also enhancing their practical thinking. There is no limit in creating structures from these buildings blocks anything a kid imagines like a car, airplane, robot, or any animal structure. 

This block set has a total of 117 pieces, including 114 blocks, a power drill, ratchets, container, and an instruction manual. It is very easy to understand by a kid. From 2D to 3D models can be build using these blocks. The kit has several different shapes that challenge kids' logical thinking and imagination. It could be the best gift for a kid interested in engineering and wants to learn more from an early age. 

A kid trying to build different and unique structures from these building blocks improves their motor skills, problem-solving capacity, eye-hand coordination, and creativity. With this modern building block kit, your young ones will spend more time in screening and brainstorming while collaborating with their teammates. 

It is a good toy to improve the parent-kid relationship. The product is safe for kids are the material is lead-free and non-toxic. The edges of the pieces are designed around, so a kid could not get hurt.

PROS

  • Affordable
  • Durable
  • Best for learning STEM skills
  • Improve motor skills
  • Enhance parent-kid relationship
  • Helps in building teamwork qualities
  • Easy to wash the pieces and comes with storage box
  • Non-toxic material
  • Easy to assemble and disassemble the pieces

CONS

  • The storage container is a little too small to store all the pieces
LiKee Wooden Pattern Blocks Jigsaw Puzzle

Puzzles are just the best way to build your kid's interest in STEM skills. They help kids in turning their imagination into reality. liKee pattern block set comes with 36 pieces that are made out of wood and 60 pattern cards that include animals, vehicles, etc. kids will try to build what is shown to them on the card there is no restriction of cards they can build whatever they like.

This helps in increasing there logical thinking and problem-solving skills. When kids will try to figure out how to make the shown figure using wooden blocks, it will develop their color and shape recognition, spatial awareness, and eye-hand coordination.

It keeps your kid quiet and busy in a good way, also a fun and entertaining way of learning. When kids play in a group, they develop good teamwork abilities.

PROS

  • Affordable
  • Improve motor skills
  • Helps in learning STEM skills
  • Durable
  • Fun and education
  • Improve kid-parent relationship
  • Environment-friendly wooden blocks

CONS

  • Might be a little tricky to understand
Crafty Connects Construction Building Set

The early age of kids is a very crucial time for them to learning technical and practical skills. Building construction kind of toys is fun and educational at the same time. These toys help parents to build technical skills in their kids. Crafty Connects manufactures educational toys for kids. Enhancing and building their interest in science, engineering, and mathematics.

It is a very famous toy for individual or group-based learning among the kids. The kit comes with three levels of learning: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. Each level has 24 challenges. There are a total of 408 pieces and a booklet for easy understanding. Kids can build any structure they imagine. It is safe to use because the material is tested thoroughly and approved to meet the safety standards. 

PROS

  • Help improving STEM skills
  • Enhance hand-eye coordination
  • Affordable
  • Durable
  • Fun and educational
  • Non-toxic material

CONS

  • Might be a little tricky to understand at first
  • Price may vary according to the size of the set
Jasonwell Aqua Magic Doodle Mat

One of the best educational toys for kids to develop critical thinking, brainstorming, and inspire their imagination. All the researchers agree that learning of any skills in kids is easy through playing and also healthy for the development of their brains.

When it comes to doodling, it means they are turning all their imagination into reality, which requires a lot of technical and scientific thinking. This kit comes with a drawing mat that is safe to use and easy to clean. 

The magic pen that comes with the kit, kid can draw with it, and the drawing will disappear after 3-10 minutes, and the mat is again clean to use. Non-toxic material is used for the mat that makes it kid-friendly and environment-friendly. The kit comes with suction cups, magic pens, a design booklet, stamps, and a storage box. It is the best toy to refine motor skills of your kid and encourage them to learn. 

PROS

  • Affordable
  • Easy storage
  • Reusable
  • Best for learning STEM skills
  • Enhance hand-eye coordination
  • Non-toxic material

CONS

  • The pens can get mold you to have to be very careful about it
LearnFun Strong Magnetic Building Block Set

Building construction toys encourage kids to take an interest in engineering, science, technology, and mathematics behind the structure they want to build. The best educational toy you could find for your kid in the market.

Nowadays kids are more interested in electronic games and don't take much interest in games like these. These STEM toys are a great way to stimulate your kid's motor skills, practical thinking, hand-eye coordination, brainstorming, creativity, and imagination. The kit includes blocks of different shapes: rectangles, squares, hexagons, diamonds, trapezoids. So many shapes allow kids to be creative and imaginative as much as they want to be. 

This innovative STEM DIY toy boosts kids' logical thinking and interest in engineering and architecture. A whole package of fun and educational toy enhancing the kid-parent relationship. A way towards positive and healthy mental growth of a kid. 

PROS

  • Helps refining motor skills
  • Increases STEM skills
  • Affordable
  • Durable
  • The material is safe for kids

CONS

  • Magnets are little weak

Buying Guide

There are hundreds of options in the market available today for toys attracting parents of young children. These toys often focus on the looks of fictional characters and thus attract the kids more actively. 

Whereas STEM toys are focused on the development of children's brains through practical toys. There are a lot of scams that post their toys to be STEM toys and claim they induce brain development but are nothing but a hoax.

To help you differentiate between those scammers and real STEM toys, we have created this buying guide. This buying guide entails every aspect you should consider before breaking out your wallet and buying your kids hundreds of toys.

About Stem Toys

We are always ready to buy our kids what their hearts desire, and almost all of the parents in our age shower their kids with toys to enhance the creative intelligence of our children. But in fact, the knowledge is only enhanced through STEM toys, let it be emotional intelligence or creative intelligence. 

These STEM toys are built in many varieties and forms, but their main motive is to create an undivided interest of a child on a productive apparatus. These toys are often built on the principles of daily life problems, and they are mostly designed to encourage kids to find solutions to fundamental issues by themselves. 

There are several factors that enhance the quality of these STEM toys, and some of those essential qualities that ultimately define STEM toys are given in this buying guide to lifting the burden off of your shoulders of deciding which STEM toy is better for you kid.

Colors

Colors are the first-ever stimulus that is received in the brain and hence have the most important effect on its development. There have been numerous studies to prove the importance of vital colors in the early development of a child. 

These experiments are not a joke; they have been associated with some of the top-ranked scientists of their ages. Even Piaget described in his early stages of development as the sensorimotor stage is the first, where the child only perceives colors and shapes as knowledge. 

The fixation on sharp and bright colors is not without a cause; these colors not only catch the immediate attention of a child but also strengthen their retinas. 

Dull colors, on the other hand, have been associated with grim personalities, and children exposed to such colored toys also fail to give prolonged attention to such toys. So, when out in the market, buying toys, choose the ones with distinct and bright colors for all the benefits we have described.

Material quality

Very often, we see people complaining about the quality of material used in the construction of such toys. These toys, because focused on sensorimotor development, have a specific, constructible aspect to them, children are often encouraged to create the toys they imagine and are just provided the tools. 

The toys are then more prone to damage if the material is of low quality because kids subject them to a lot of wear and tear. The most common material used in the construction of such toys is plastic; at times, this plastic is made flexible to not break under strain. 

But sometimes the manufacturers can create toys out of brittle plastic to get a cheaper rate, which creates not only easy to break toys but also subject children to dangerous conditions where they could be hurt by a sharp broken edge of a toy.

So, always look at quality material toys rather than spooling over cheap toys. Because in the end, everyone wants a safe and pleasant quality environment around their children.

Easy to use

A toy is successful when it catches the attention of the kid for a longer period. And that is possible only when there is a perfect balance between the complexity of the concept and easy deployment. 

If a toy is too complicated, it becomes impossible for the kid to focus on it because they think they are failing at it. It is imperative to make a kid feel accomplished even when they are playing with toys. 

So, a toy that is complex to some degree but also is easy to play with so the kid won't need any assistance from an elder is extremely important. Always look for toys that have a sturdy construction and with a toy with a basic agenda to fulfill, such as teaching toddlers about different shapes or colors.

Innovative

Everything in thing world changes over time, with time and better technology every little aspect of this universe creates something unique. In this ever-changing world where we are constantly subjected to newer knowledge and greater paradigms, the upcoming generations need to have complex integrational skills to thrive in this complex galaxy. 

And so, the toys that are being subjected to these children must create scenarios that help develop special skills, and in doing so, they need to be advanced as well. Innovation is the key to a successful future, in this dying industry of toys, only those survive who offer new and better possibilities.

The new, complex, and integrated toys are the ones that have the authority to be called STEM toys. For anyone out in the market, breaking down their wallet must consider before buying if the toy is up to date with time and age.

Safety 

Safety always comes first in any case. Whenever there is a question circulating any aspect of a child, a parent's first instinct calls for a safety check. And the same rule applies to the toys parents subject their children to. The safety feature is extended to every aspect of a toy. The safety concerns of a parent navigate where and when their child is comfortable, and the toys if causing stress to the kids won't be picked by them. 

There are multiple aspects to consider regarding the safety level of a toy, but they mainly depend on the age of the kid. If the toddler is 0-2 years, the main concern is the size because swallowing the toy has pretty good odds. 

When the kids get a little older and swallowing inedible objects is out of the question, then the material quality pops in. The material quality can be questioned in two aspects regarding safety, what kind of material is used in construction, and the quality of paint on the toy. Is the paint does not have any hazardous compounds; then the toy is good to go. And if the plastic that it's built with its flexible and not brittle, the toy can be given a thumbs up.

Educational 

Toys have many purposes of filling; one of the main reasons a toy seems desirable to parents is because it serves some educational purpose. In this vast toy industry where fictional representation characters as toys are considered the epitome of creativity, ponder upon the possibility of educational toys. 

The STEM toys serve this very purpose, and if then it does not educate your kid one way or the other, it is not an authentic STEM toy. The STEM toys are often designed such that they have some level of challenge in them, for example, a toy set that encourages children to build some structures by involving screws and joints. 

This teaches them that there are alternative ways to join two particles. Another way of educating kids through toys is by teaching those different shapes and sizes with the help of real-life based objects in the shape of toys. Always look for a toy option that can create new knowledge in your child's brain and intrigue them in one way or the other.

Stimulating 

Now this aspect is very interesting to discuss. When we say that a toy should be stimulating, we mean that it should create such instances where the children are forced to use different areas of their brains collectively to make a rational decision. This is created when a toy fulfills all the categories, i.e. when the toy entails bright colors with physical activities.

A properly stimulating toy is the one that has components so complex that they enforce handling of that toy with undivided attention and create use of all the structural limbs of a child. 

Cost 

Everything seems to come down to this very basic component of affordability. These toys can range from a couple of bucks to s couple hundred dollars. The question that remains predominant is that these extremely expensive toys serve some higher purpose of creating some superior intelligence, or are they just overpriced because of a brand name? 

The answer to this question is pretty simple, these toys at times do have multiple functions or offers various accessories in one toy set, but the cheaper versions can maintain the same knowledge and provide almost the same level of material quality in a lower price range. Everything can be dialed down to slimmer price range if you search enough, we have given a list of products in our blog to make that process easier for you. 

But at the end of the day if you have to pay a couple of extra bucks to get a better quality toy for your kid, then why not? After all, whatever we accomplish is to make their lives a little better.

FAQs

Do these STEM toys have the ability to generate complex integrational skills in toddlers?

Yes! We can say this without a doubt because these facts are supported by years of research and studies, which have shown positive results. These toys do end up stimulating complex areas of the brain necessary for raising IQ levels.

Are Colors important in these toys?

If the toys are being subjected to toddlers, then the colors are indefinitely vital because they develop the interest of kids in the toys and, at the same time, stimulate gray areas of the brain.

Final Words

STEM toys are essential for the development of a kid in a positive direction. They offer multiple variants of a toy and let the child decide what is going to be the result of these components. These toys stimulate creativity and enhance the quality of imagination through all sensory parts of the brain. 

They are a necessary component in a toddler's environment, especially if the kid is extra intuitive.

All in all, these toys have any backside for them. Even if they do not catch the immediate attention of your kid, they are not going to create any wicked obsessions, so there are no negative aspects to them. We all want the best of best for our kid's health, and they are indeed the best options in toys with a world full of stuffed animals. 

The top 10 best STEM toys for Toddlers that we have reviewed above along with the buying guide will definitely help you get the best STEM toy for your toddler!

Happy Learning and Playin, Folks!