What are STEM and STEAM toys and how do they work when it comes to toddlers?
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The acronym STEM stands for SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING and MATH. The ‘A’ was added to represent ART. STEM and STEAM toys are learning tools that help to cultivate these skills in babies, toddlers, and preschool age children through play. They help to develop interests and passions in all these areas and engage them in new ways.
But, wait… I thought STEM toys were all about technology?
Confused? Don’t Be. STEM and STEAM toys work as a tool for your child to unlock their interest in the world around them and how things work. And it absolutely does not have to be anything pricey or flashy. In fact, it doesn’t even have to be electronic!
Simple low-tech types of STEM toys are brain-building powerhouses, without the negative consequences of too much screen time.
They will learn all the technology of course as they grow, it’s pretty much unavoidable and yes, necessary for their life.
But when they’re babies and toddlers, it’s a much better idea to work on the basics with low-tech creative building, and mechanical toys.
What Are The Best Educational Toys For Kids?
If you want to go STEM, choose lower-tech versions, such as Legos and K’Nex. “Choose things that involve building or creating. Look for toys that are interactive, involve open-ended solutions, and encourage collaboration. Those are the building blocks of STEM.” ~ Dr. Amy Lee Ph.D. Center for Pediatric Behavioral Health, Cleveland Clinic.
The other day my 4-year-old son was building with his Legos and the concentration on his face was so intense, that I swear I could see the wheels turning in his brain. He was focusing on how to build his structure as high as he could, and which pieces fit where for the best results.
Yep, good old-fashioned Legos, wooden ABC blocks, Jenga, or Lincoln Logs are all excellent basic STEM toys. Nothing flashy or ultra-expensive, just something for him to play and build with. Constructing something like that gets him thinking about how things fit together and what happens when it topples over.
Some of the best STEM and STEAM toys are the most simple, not something that promises your kid will be coding computers by the time he’s 10, (a pretty outrageous claim if you think about it).
Even the youngest of toddlers will benefit from simple STEAM toys as they build their brains and work on their fine motor skills.
Nesting toys such as a classic Fisher-Price stacking ring or wooden puzzles (my son LOVED his chunky farm puzzle ) for baby is a great place to start, and as your baby moves to the toddler and preschool stages, you can try different types of STEAM toys that will grow with their ever-expanding brain!
SIMPLE YET SMART STEM-STEAM TOYS – GIFT IDEAS FOR TODDLERS
There are many great STEM-STEAM toy choices out there for birthday or Christmas gifts, or any time at all. We’ve narrowed them down to 10 of our favorites to share with you to get you started on your low-tech learning journey.
Fat Brain Toys, Fisher-Price, Legos, and anything from Melissa and Doug are excellent options, of course depending on your child and what he or she naturally gravitates towards. Let’s dive in!
Fat Brain Dimple
A simple and affordable toy for babies age 10 months+ that is very basic yet will hold their attention. It has 5 colorful, soft silicone bubbles built into a plastic frame. Teaches cause and effect and helps develop fine motor skills.
2. Melissa and Doug Pounding Bench
A classic pounding toy with a wooden mallet and colorful smiley face pegs. The cool thing about this particular one is that the pegs are NOT removable so they won’t roll under the couch and get lost. Recommended for age 2 and up (although we got ours a little younger than that around 15 months), this toy helps teach colors, strengthen fine motor skills and grip, and of course, cause and effect with a Peek-a-Boo twist!
3. Melissa and Doug See-Inside Numbers Peg Board Puzzle
A fun colorful wooden puzzle that has easy-to-grasp peg handles, helps your child develop number recognition, counting skills, and matching. It has cute animal pictures matching the numbers underneath on the puzzle board.
4. Dreampark Wooden Geometric Shape, Sort, and Stack
You will get a bang for your buck with this one. It’s inexpensive yet durable because of its wooden material. We received this as a gift for our son when he was 1 and he still plays with it now at 4 years old.
At first, it’s great for developing pincer grasp and fine motor skills your child gets grows, they will discover new games to play with them as they get to know the shapes.
I swear by these simple types of toys. They are amazing as they let imaginations run wild finding new ways for their play to evolve.
5. Steam Life Kids Tool Set
If your little one is fascinated when you pull out the power tools to fix something around the house, this toolset is sure to please. Their very own safe toolset is complete with a toy drill, hammer, tons of accessories, and a toolbox to keep it all organized.
It even has the cute little safety goggles for your little handyman (or handygirl)! Learning about tools and how they work is a great way to stimulate their imagination and creativity.
6. Jogotoll Flower Garden Building Set
This is such an adorable, fun STEAM toy for toddlers that will get them interested in flowers, nature, and how things grow. Your child gets to design and build his or her own little flower garden with these exchangeable pieces. It is great for learning about color, design, as well as hand-eye coordination.
7. Educational Insights Design & Drill Robot
This is a simple, cute robot toy for toddlers. He’s very basic, with no flashing lights or electronic robot voice but instead is a building tool. Your preschooler will have a blast snapping the body parts together, screwing and unscrewing bolts, and of course, talking in a robot voice.
Our son really wanted a robot last year for Christmas, but no way I was getting a “real” one. This little guy (we have since named him Rodney) was a great alternative and is a favorite at our house.
It comes with cool stickers for your child to decorate, and its own special fat screwdriver, which will help with hand-eye coordination and fine motor development.
8. ETI Jumbo Gears Building Set
Just one example of a fantastic interlocking construction STEAM toy for toddlers. This one has 192 pieces for endless hours of fun building whatever whacky contraption your child (or YOU) can dream up. Not only will this one help with creativity and motor skills, but working on a project like this with your child, helps to show them about teamwork and accomplishing tasks with others.
9. Learning Resources Gears! Gears! Gears! 100-Piece Building Set
This is another terrific interconnecting gear set that is different every time you build to foster imagination and offer ways to experiment with simple mechanics and science; supports STEM by introducing children to sorting, grouping, counting, designing, constructing, and putting physics into play with spinning gear movement.
We had hours and hours of fun playing with this one!
10. Step 2 Jumbo Art Easel
This free-standing easel has it all, including built-in storage for all the art supplies. Everything you need for hours of art and learning fun. Yes, it can get a little messy, but that’s ok! If you have a little budding artist on your hands or just one that likes to make a creative mess, something like this will be a big hit.
Drawing and painting help develop sensory skills and knowledge about primary and secondary colors and how to make them.
Art can also be an excellent way to teach toddlers about emotions and express how they are feeling as they are learning to talk.
Be sure to put on some old clothes or painting smocks, try different-sized paint brushes or use sponges to apply paint. If you live in a smaller home, consider a tabletop easel more suited to your space.
Make Simple DIY STEM & STEAM Toys With Household Items
Some of the best educational toys for your child are the most simple and low tech. You can even use common household items as toys for toddlers to incorporate STEAM and STEAM concepts.
One of our favorites is ‘Sink or Float’ and yes it’s as easy as it sounds. Just grab a large Tupperware or a small plastic bin and fill 2/3rds with water. Use small toys like dinky cars, Legos, and small balls. Try items like rocks, marbles, and wooden spoons, and experiment with your child to see which items sink and which float. Have your child guess and ask them why they think that.
Grab a colander and push pipe cleaners through the holes. Any type of arts and crafts activity you do with kids will open a whole world of learning and discovery.
Baking and cooking is always a fun teaching opportunity too, as you deal with measurements and chemistry. For example, how heat from the oven turns liquid batter into a delicious cake!
There are a million simple ways that you can spend time with your little ones, have fun and at the same time, spark their interest in how things work and why. You honestly can’t go wrong with these simple, yet smart STEM and STEAM toys that toddlers will love as they explore the world around them.
We hope these ideas will help you as you search for creative, fun, and brainy gift ideas for the little ones in your life!
Until next time, K.
Kelly Blakely is the founder and creative force behind Just Our View From Here. As a first-time mom over 40, she brings a fresh perspective to parenting and family life on her blog. Kelly also explores a wide range of lifestyle topics in her writing, including fashion, beauty, self-care, and well-being.
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