STEM toys for toddlers are toys that are designed to develop critical skills like fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, tactile skills, critical thinking, and basic science skills.
When choosing toys that promote STEM development for toddlers, it's important to pick out toys that require the child to do the work, rather than simply push buttons and watch what happens.
Here is a list of the most educational and engaging STEM toys on the market.
The Grimm's Stacking Rainbow is a simple wooden toy that encourages all the same STEM skills of more complicated STEM toys.
Through open-ended play with this toy, your child will develop problem-solving skills, hand-eye coordination, and spatial awareness. The bright colors of this toy are appealing to toddlers, meaning this toy will get played with - a lot.
Check it out: Grimm's 12 Piece Stacking Rainbow
You have probably heard of Picasso Tiles. They are a brand that makes affordable magnetic tiles that are a great alternative to Magna-Tiles.
Well, these Picasso Tiles are even cooler than the traditional type. They have fun bristles to make them super easy for toddlers to connect.
With these brightly colored, fun-to-touch tiles, kids will develop problem-solving skills while learning basic engineering concepts.
Check it out: PicassoTiles
Mega Bloks are a precursor to other classic STEM toys like Duplos and Legos. These blocks give even the youngest toddlers the opportunity to build their own amazing structures.
This bag of colorful blocks is a great way to introduce your toddler to the endless possibilities interlocking building blocks provide.
Check it out: Mega Bloks First Builders Big Building Bag
Infantino Press & Stay Sensory Blocks are great for toddlers. They connect and disconnect easily which takes the frustration out of building with interlocking blocks.
Toddlers of all ages will enjoy developing their motor skills through the open-ended building opportunities provided by this STEM toy. The blocks are all brightly colored and fun-feeling, which keeps toddlers interested.
Check it out: Infantino Press & Stay Sensory Blocks
This STEM toy is a ball-pounding toy and fun ball run rolled into one.
With this STEM toy, kids develop math skills, fine motor skills, and color recognition. This is a great toy for schematic play, as it gives toddlers the satisfaction of pushing the balls through the holes and watching their trajectories.
Check it out: Playkidz Award Winning Durable Pound A Ball, Learning
This Counting Ladybug toy helps toddlers develop math skills and fine motor skills simultaneously. This toy can be used to teach 1:1 correspondence and to reinforce number recognition.
Playing with ladybugs is a fun activity that gets kids excited about learning. This is a well-made, Montessori-inspired STEM toy that toddlers will have a lot of fun with.
Check it out: Counting Ladybugs - Montessori Counting Toys for Toddlers
Toddlers are excited about learning numbers and getting to work with small-ish objects. This fun toy gives young kids the chance to do both of these things at the same time.
By placing the wooden pegs into the numbered wooden blocks, STEM skills like math and visual discrimination. The lack of bright colors actually keeps toddlers focused on the purpose of the activity.
Check it out: Holz & Schnüdel Wooden Montessori Counting Toy
These specimen viewers introduce toddlers to natural science in an age-appropriate way.
Because the specimens are included, there's no need to hunt for plants and insects in your yard. Because the specimens are embedded within the viewers, toddlers do not need the coordination and skill that it takes to hold a real magnifying glass.
Check it out: Environments Toddler
These specimen viewers introduce toddlers to natural science in an age-appropriate way.
Because the specimens are included, there's no need to hunt for plants and insects in your yard. Because the specimens are embedded within the viewers, toddlers do not need the coordination and skill that it takes to hold a real magnifying glass.
Check it out: Environments Toddler
Toddlers always want to do all the things they see us do. Building projects are no exception.
The Hape Tool Bench gives toddlers the chance to safely imitate us, all while developing important skills and enhancing their brain development.
This toy will provide hours of STEM fun for your toddler.
Check it out: Hape Build-a-Robot Wooden Tool Workbench
Building marble runs is so great for brain development, but it's simply not safe for toddlers to have marble. So, what's the alternative?
This Roll & Bounce Tower has the same features and functions as a traditional marble run, but with an age-appropriate sized ball and the vibrant color that draws a toddler's attention.
Check it out: Fat Brain Toys Roll & Bounce Tower
These stacking cups make great toys for toddlers. They are brightly colored, they help develop STEM skills, and they encourage critical thinking.
The stacking cups provide endless opportunities for open-ended play. Another great feature of these cups is they have tiny holes on the bottoms, which make them great for water play.
Check it out: The First Years Stack Up Cup Toys
Blockaroo Magnetic Foam Block set is one of the coolest STEM toys for toddlers on the market. With these fun magnetic pieces, kids develop problem-solving skills and other architectural skills.
This early engineering toy gives kids the opportunity to do so many different creative activities. This set of foam blocks is well made and highly rated.
Check it out: Blockaroo Magnetic Foam Building Blocks
Fat Brain Toys makes some of the coolest STEM toys for toddlers. This unique stacking toy is no exception.
This toy develops toddler's problem-solving skills by challenging them to screw the disks onto the pole. This is a step up from regular stacking toys in its encouragement of motor skills and critical thinking skills.
Check it out: Fat Brain Toys SpinAgain Kids Stacking Toy
This is a fun toy that reinforces color recognition, fine motor skills, and teaches children about engineering through balancing blocks.
The cylinders can also be used in different ways to help develop STEM skills and spatial awareness.
The "man in the moon" base is a lot of fun for toddlers, too.
Check it out: Fuyage Moon Equilibrium Game
This GeoSafari microscope is a durable and functional science tool that's great for introducing toddlers to the concept of magnification.
Toddlers can easily use the knobs to adjust magnification while they explore things like leaves, bugs, and household items. It's great for getting toddlers interested in exploring the world around them in greater depth.
Check it out: Educational Insights GeoSafari Jr. My First Microscope
This bucket balance is a fun and easy way for toddlers to explore the concepts of weight and gravity.
Unlike other toddler scales that have chains and trays, young kids can easily place items into these buckets for weight comparison.
This toy will keep your toddler busy finding things to compare, all while developing their critical thinking skills.
Check it out: Learning Resources Primary Bucket Balance Teaching Scale
Toddler toys have come a long way from when we grew up. This Goobi construction set is proof of that.
Connecting the rods and balls, toddlers develop critical skills like fine motor, spatial reasoning, problem-solving, and hand-eye coordination.
This award-winning toy can be used from the toddler years all the way through the elementary years for fun STEM projects.
Check it out: Goobi 20 Piece Construction Set Large Building Blocks
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best STEM toys?
The best STEM toys are the ones that prompt engagement from children with their function and visual appeal, rather than have children do the prompting through pressing buttons. Simple toys like wooden blocks, Legos, and magnetic tiles are all great STEM toys.
Is Lego a stem toy?
Yes, Legos are one of the simplest and most effective STEM toys. Building with Legos challenges children to use critical-thinking and problem-solving skills to create structures using only their imaginations.
Are Montessori toys better?
There is no such thing as a Montessori toy, however, toys that align with the Montessori philosophy are designed to engage children in ways that enhance their brain development.
20 STEM Toys For 9 Year Olds That Are Fun & Educational