Apple, Google, Facebook, Instagram, Tesla – these brands are implanted in our children’s minds and they have taken over our lives. Our world is now run by Science, technology, engineering and mathematics companies (aka STEM), and now governments/countries around the world are desperately attempting to encourage our children to become STEM experts.

“If you study STEM, the world really is your oyster,” says Helen Wollaston, chief executive of WISE, which promotes women in STEM. “Growth in jobs is exponential. Tech has revolutionised every sector – media, music, fashion, health, transport – and they’re all looking for people. The pace of change is genuinely exciting. That growth isn’t going away – that we do know.”

So, what does this mean for our children? How can we help them develop the skills necessary to survive this ever-changing world?

We can help by encouraging them to play… with the right toys!

Below you will find our top 10 STEM toys to develop children’s STEM skills: Our in-house 8 year old toy reviewer, Lily Li-Smith, has given her personalised feedback on each toy, for that reason, you can trust these will delight and enlighten your child as well.

1. Lego

Most adults nowadays still have fond memories of building lego as children, so it will be no surprise to have this timeless toy in our top ten. This versatile toy encourages children to develop their kinaesthetic skills, spatial awareness, engineering skills and creativity.

Lego is my favourite. I always ask for lego during Christmas. There are always instructions, but the good thing is you can build anything you want.

Lily Li-Smith (age 8 , in-house toy reviewer)

2. Magna Tiles

These magnetic tiles are a life saver! Suitable for children as young as 3 (and as old as 99); this toy gives you the flexibility to create 3d shapes and objects. Children learn to develop their understanding of properties in 2d shapes and 3d shapes for Maths, as well as improve their spatial awareness, which is particularly useful for those who need to compete in non verbal reasoning exams for the 11+ or for logical reasoning tests often used by employers.

They’re fun because you can build houses, cars and plenty of other stuff. And when they break you can learn things like how to make nets of 3d shapes.”

Lily Li-Smith (age 8, in-house toy reviewer)

3. Snap Circuits

This toy will introduce your child to electronics and engineering, and with over 100 different projects to build the fun never ends. The instructions are easy to follow, so they can work independently. However, if you want your child to develop a better understanding they will need some explanation to understand the concepts of circuits, resistance and switches. Any budding engineer would benefit from this circuit kit.

These circuits are entertaining because you can make cool things from the manual like a lie detector which detects sweat.

Lily Li-Smith (age 8, in house toy reviewer)

4. Sillibird

If your child loves lego then they will also love this Sillibird robot. It is easy to assemble and encourages children to develop their understanding of mechanics and engineering. In addition, it will cultivate children’s creativity, spatial awareness, structural thinking and programming skills. This robot makes learning fun and is a perfect present for Christmas or for birthdays.

You can build different robots and it is powered by solar panels so you don’t need to worry about the battery.

Lily Li-Smith (age 8, in house toy reviewer)

5. K’Nex

K’nex allows children to build anything they can imagine using rods and connectors. The manual is easy to follow and K’nex develops a long list of skills including spatial awareness, engineering skills, creativity and problem solving. There are different sets for a variety of ages starting from as young as 3, and you will find not only will your child enjoy playing with this, you will too! A win win for everyone.

This is different to lego, because you can create different things you can not make in lego which makes it exciting. I love using this to build tall towers that can spin.

Lily Li-Smith (age 8, in house toy reviewer)

6. Mouse Activity Set

This awesome robots coding game is based on Colby the mouse who must manoeuvre the maze to get to the cheese. It introduces programming without the need to learn complex languages like javascript, html and css. Programming is represented as active, visual, engaging and fun, so your child will not want to stop playing this. The mouse activity set is also able to develop children’s critical thinking, problem solving skills and knowledge of programming fundamentals such as sequencing and if statements. An ideal toy for any child aged 4+.

I have something like this at school and I thought it was really fun. Everyone in my class liked playing with it too. You can make mistakes and learn coding from it.

Lily Li-Smith (age 8, in-house toy reviewer)

7. Sphero

Sphero offers three models at different price ranges. Essentially all three make learning coding fun by giving the children the tools to program a ball to manoeuvre around. Children (and adults) can learn javascript using the Sphero Edu app which is compatible with iOS, Android, Mac OS, Windows, Chrome, and Kindle devices. There are plenty of hands on activities to engage and stimulate curious minds and the ball is covered with sensors so children will constantly be in awe of what it can do. This toy will suit children aged 8 and older. It is also waterproof and scratch resistance, which makes it a hard wearing toy which will never need to be replaced. A great investment!

It is fun learning how to code with Sphero. It is not difficult to use and it is exciting.

Lily Li-Smith (age 8, in house toy reviewer)

8. GraviTrax Marble Run Construction Set

This toy is not just for children. Adults and children can become lost in the fun of designing and building cool courses for a marble. Whilst playing with GraviTrax,, you unknowingly develop experience and understanding in engineering, gravity, magnetism, and kinetics. The Starter set has 120 pieces and is suitable for children aged 8 and above. This is a ‘get it for the kids’ but secretly you just want to play with it toy.

It is very cool as you can build your own track and see your marble roll down.

Lily Li-Smith (age 8, in house toy reviewer)

9. Build Your Own Microscope 

Every inquisitive child will love this build your own microscope set. This set comes ready for experiments and discovery with petri dish, test tubes, forceps, dropper and instruction manual, so children can feel like Richard Dawkins or Stephen Hawkings! Bear in mind, this may be a little complex for younger children, so it would be best reserved for children aged 8 and above.

You get to build your own microscope and use it to see things very closely. This is cool because I never get to look at things that close.

Lily Li-Smith (age 8, in house toy reviewer)

10. Faburo Kids Science Lab Set

This 166 piece Science kit will satisfy your child’s curiosity. Children are exposed to basic chemistry with excellent easy to follow hands on experiments. They also develop their problem solving skills, sequential thoughts and maths concepts. This is a perfect Christmas or birthday gift for children aged 8 and above.

Doing lots of experiments and making magical Christmas trees is interesting.

Lily Li-Smith (age 8, in house toy reviewer)

 

 

 

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