Our STEM Holiday Gift Guide
Handpicked gifts to inspire a love of coding
Anyone who has ever watched a toddler methodically take apart a Tupperware drawer should know that many children are natural-born engineers. As parents, teachers, and caretakers, we get to nurture their creativity — and clean up the mess afterward. Wrap up a few of these STEM toys for your future scientist to craft, tinker with, dismantle, or program. Hopefully, they'll thank you for the early encouragement when they're older.
KiwiCo Tinker Crates
Ages: 0-18
Tinker Crates aren’t just another science kit. In every box, they create “low threshold, high ceiling” projects, so they’re accessible and fun for all types of learners. Not to mention, they provide fun ways to expose bright, curious kids to STEM concepts that they otherwise wouldn’t encounter in school for years!
Switcheroo Coding Crew
Ages: 3-4
With simple buttons sized for little hands, the Switcheroo Coding Crew help preschoolers learn early programming concepts without a moment of screen time. Design endless coding challenges with the included interactive town playset.
Dash & Dot, Programmable Robots
Ages: 5-14
BB-8 better watch its back, because it’s got some cute competition. Dash and Dot, the programmable robots, are award-winning Toys of the Year and are beloved by kids and teachers around the world. Kids can program these smart bots to move, sing, dance, flash their lights, respond to voices, make sounds, and even tell a story.
Snap Circuits
Ages: 5-14
Snap Circuits teach basic engineering, electronics and circuitry concepts by using building components with snaps to assemble electronic circuits on a simple “rows-and-columns” base grid. Future engineers can build a huge variety of projects like radios, digital voice recorders, burglar alarms, doorbells and other awesome circuitry.
Osmo Coding Starter Kit
Ages: 5-7
With the Osmo Coding Starter Kit, kids learn basic to complex coding concepts by manipulating physical game pieces to create music, solve puzzles, and more in three app-based games.
Sphero Bolt Coding Robot
Ages: 7-18
Sphero is a tiny robot with a big personality. It comes with many different sensors, and can be programmed entirely by your child using either straightforward block-coding language or Javascript. Introduce your child to coding, robotics, and engineering with a spherical buddy!
VR Science Experiments
Ages: 8-12
Abacus Brands has invented toys that teach STEM through Virtual Reality! Using a simple set of VR goggles, kids can explore the solar system, learn the science of cooking, or even get a lesson from everyone’s favorite TV scientist, Bill Nye.
Architect Electronic Smart House
Ages: 8-15
With the Architect Electronic Smart House, kids can design, build, and electrify! After building a custom structure with snap-together baseboards and wall/floor panels, your child can make their dream home come to life with wires, switches, lights, noisemakers, and more.
Trial Coding Class at The Coding Space
Ages: 6-17
Gift a trial coding class at The Coding Space to your curious coder. Our coding classes bring students together each week to make progress on individual projects, dive into hands-on activities, and explore opportunities for self-expression. The Coding Space is the leading provider of coding education in NYC and has been recognized in Time Out, Nickelodeon, Good Morning America, and more.