Toddlers are naturally curious as to how things work, and they all love to build. There are some toddlers, though, that are a bit more mechanically inclined.
What does this mean?
Mechanically inclined toddlers are generally more curious about how things work and need a bit less instruction on how to piece components together to make the things they want to happen, happen.
How do You Know if Your Toddler is Mechanically Inclined?
There are a few ways to tell if your toddler has a high mechanical aptitude. Here are a few things to ask yourself when making this determination.
- Does my toddler enjoy taking things apart, just to reconstruct them?
- Do they enjoy watching intently while others build things?
- Can they look at an item or picture and try to recreate what they see using building blocks or other building toys?
- If you answered yes to any of these questions, it is likely you have got a mechanically inclined toddler on your hands.
In order to follow their interests and build upon their skills, it's a great idea to invest in STEM toys that are made for helping toddlers develop their engineering prowess.
Below is a great list of toys for mechanically inclined toddlers. Because some of these toys come with small pieces that can be choking hazards, an adult should always be present and attentive during play.
1. VTech Go! Go! Smart Wheels Deluxe Track Playset
This is a fun toy for toddlers that gives them a chance to engineer their own car track. The pieces are brightly colored, which toddlers love.
Piecing the tracks together helps toddlers develop their fine motor skills and figuring out which pieces link to each other helps enhance their critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
This is a great toy for toddlers that enjoy constructing, taking things apart, and then rebuilding. It's also a lot of fun to use after it's built.
Check it out: VTech Go! Go! Smart Wheels Deluxe Track Playset
2. SainSmart Jr. Toddler Wooden Train Set with Log Cabin
Warning: The product contains choking hazards. Not for children under 3 yrs.
This is the ultimate toy for a mechanically inclined toddler. It's a new take on the classic Lincoln Log toys we all grew up with - a toddler version.
With this playset, toddlers get the chance to build their own towns with the logs, then construct the train track set to go around it or through it.
By playing with this neat set, toddlers satisfy their appetite for building while developing a wide variety of engineering skills.
Check it out: SainSmart Jr. Toddler Wooden Train Set with Log Cabin
3. KIDWILL Tool Kit for Kids
Warning: The product contains choking hazards. Not for children under 3 yrs.
The KIDWILL Tool Kit for Kids gives toddlers the opportunity to use a safe set of tools to construct all sorts of neat projects.
The building experience this playset provides helps kids develop their fine motor skills, mechanical skills, and hand-eye coordination through the open-ended play it provides.
This is a great (and safe) way to introduce nuts and bolts to toddlers. Because it is easy to use and the instructions are easy to follow, parents enjoy getting to watch their toddlers make things "all by themselves".
Check it out: KIDWILL Tool Kit for Kids
4. Wooden Stacking Toys
Wooden stacking toys are not just for babies and very young toddlers. They help even the most mechanically inclined children develop and refine essential building skills.
This set of wooden stacking toys is great because it comes with 4 differently shaped bases and a set of stacking rings that correspond with each one.
Toddlers are challenged to figure out which stacking rings go with each base, while also figuring out which order they should be placed in. It looks simple to adults, but it's a fun challenge for toddlers.
Check it out: Wooden Stacking Toys
5. Fat Brain Toys Stacking Train
This is a really fun engineering toy that my own kids thoroughly enjoy.
With this STEM toy, toddlers learn about the building process, how different shapes fit together to make other shapes, and develop lots of other crucial learning skills.
Toddlers are challenged to link each train together, then build up the cars in a way that makes sense to them. This toy also helps toddlers learn their colors while enhancing their fine motor skills.
It's great fun for toddlers to play with the train after it's put together, as well.
Check it out: Fat Brain Toys Stacking Train
6. Learning Resources 1-2-3 Build It!
This is one of the toys for toddlers that teaches the basics of mechanics in a simple and satisfying way.
With this STEM toy, toddlers get the chance to build their own toys, including a train and a rocket.
Toddlers enjoy the process of getting the pieces to fit together, all while their fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and problem-solving skills are fine-tuned.
This is a great child-friendly building kit that helps develop a toddler's engineering mindset.
Check it out: Learning Resources 1-2-3 Build It!
7. VTech Go! Go! Smart Wheels 3-in-1 Launch and Play Raceway
This Smart Wheels track is a toddler-friendly alternative to some of the more difficult to build toy car tracks on the market.
It develops all the same important engineering skills for toddlers, but it is designed especially for the fine motor abilities of toddlers.
With this fun construction toy set, toddlers get a chance to practice a wide range of skills and brush up on the basic mechanics of building. The multiple track configurations make for hours of fun.
The fun variety of colors also helps toddlers practice color recognition,
Check it out: VTech Go! Go! Smart Wheels 3-in-1 Launch and Play Raceway
8. Picassotiles Marble Run
Marble runs are some of the most fun and educational STEM toys on the market. What a great idea Picassotiles had in creating a toddler-friendly alternative.
Toddlers can let their building creativity flourish by piecing together this cool STEM toy. They will learn how to change the trajectory of the marble by making simple adjustments to the height or design of the pieces.
Marble runs are also a ton of fun for the rest of the family, making this a STEM toy your whole family will love.
*Product contains choking hazards. Adult supervision required.
Check it out: Picassotiles Marble Run
9. K'NEX Kid Wings & Wheels Building Set
Warning: The product contains choking hazards. Not for children under 3 yrs.
The K'NEX Kid Wings & Wheels Building Set is a construction toy that toddlers will have a blast with.
The pieces to this plastic set are made special for small hands. So, even young toddlers will be able to piece together some pretty neat projects.
This set is much easier for toddlers to snap together than regular K'Nex, which gives toddlers the chance to fine-tune their fine motor skills without the frustration and extra assistance from mom and dad.
The projects in this kit are fun and creative, ensuring toddlers will have a great time while further developing their love for mechanics.
Check it out: K'NEX Kid Wings & Wheels Building Set
10. Learning Resources Gears! Gears! Gears!
Warning: The product contains choking hazards. Not for children under 3 yrs.
This set of toys for children is nothing short of incredible. Toddlers get to learn about the inner workings of machines while engaging in hours of open-ended play.
This STEM toy comes with 100 colorful pieces that can be constructed in a wide variety of ways. Toddlers can stack, sort, spin, and create, letting these fun gears take their imaginations to the limit.
Kids enjoy setting the gears up and using the crank to make them move, toddlers have fun while developing their fine motor skills, understanding of mechanics, and critical thinking.
Check it out: Learning Resources Gears! Gears! Gears!
11. Snap Circuits Beginner
Warning: The product contains choking hazards. Not for children under 3 yrs.
The Snap Circuits Beginner set is seriously an awesome toy for a mechanically inclined toddler. It's advertised for the 5-and-up crowd, but my own child, as well as many others, are able to successfully complete these circuit building projects at the age of 2.5+.
There are no instructions to read; just easy-to-follow diagrams. The board is also much smaller than regular Snap Circuit sets, making it easy for toddlers to apply what they see in the diagrams onto the circuit board.
If you have a mechanically inclined toddler, there's no need to wait to get them started with Snap Circuits. This is a seriously awesome STEM toy.
Check it out: Snap Circuits Beginner
12. ZCOINS Take Apart Dinosaur Toys
Warning: The product contains choking hazards. Not for children under 3 yrs.
This take-apart dinosaur kit is perfect for toddlers interested in engineering. It's also a ton of fun.
With this cool STEM toy, toddlers get to connect a drill bit and then use a real drill - how cool is that?
This dinosaur set also comes with screwdrivers that really work. Kids get to use these tools to build and deconstruct their own dinosaur toys.
This is a great toy for toddlers that are always asking how things are built.
Check it out: ZCOINS Take Apart Dinosaur Toys
13. FYD 2in1 Take Apart Jeep Car
Warning: The product contains choking hazards. Not for children under 3 yrs.
This take-apart jeep is a great toy for toddlers that enjoy looking on as dad or grandpa fix their cars.
This STEM toy satisfies a child's curiosity for mechanics by letting them build and repair their own toy car using a real, working drill.
This toy helps a toddler develop hand-eye coordination, problem-solving skills, and fine motor skills. Because a little assistance from mom or dad might be needed, it also promotes bonding and those all-important social skills.
Check it out: FYD 2in1 Take Apart Jeep Car
14. Blockaroo Magnetic Foam Building Blocks
These magnetic foam blocks are seriously amazing. There's nothing to snap together with this STEM toy, which makes it great for mechanically inclined toddlers that haven't yet developed the fine motor skills for some of the other toys on this list.
With these colorful building blocks, toddlers can let their imaginations run wild while they build. The blocks attract each other on all sides, making it so toddlers can create anything they can think of.
These magnetic blocks are also really cool because they float, won't be damaged in the bathtub, and are dishwasher safe. This means STEM learning doesn't have to stop when it's time to take a bath.
Check it out: Blockaroo Magnetic Foam Building Blocks
15. LookengQbix 23pcs Magnetic Building Blocks
This set of toddler building blocks is like no other. These are blocks for building, but they also have the added features of axles and joints.
This building set lets toddlers either follow the schematics provided or engage in some open-ended engineering fun.
The pieces in this set are easy for toddlers to connect and perfectly sized to accommodate a toddler's hand grasp. They are just challenging enough, though, that kids still get the benefit of fine-tuning their motor skills by engaging with this toy.
Check it out: LookengQbix 23pcs Magnetic Building Blocks
16. Magna-Tiles
Warning: The product contains choking hazards. Not for children under 3 yrs.
No list of toys for mechanically inclined toddlers would be complete without a Magna-Tiles set. This Magna-Tiles set is a little different, though.
These magnetic tiles are solid-colored, which makes them an ideal set for the toddler crowd. Building structures with these solid-colored tiles gives toddlers a more concrete impression of their creations.
The solid-colored tiles are also great for reinforcing a child's knowledge of colors.
All of these things make this Magna-Tiles set perfect for toddlers.
Check it out: Magna-Tiles
17. Skoolzy Nuts and Bolts
Skoolzy is a great brand for all your toddler's STEM needs. They seriously make some of the best toys for kids.
This STEM set is a great introduction to the concept of how nuts and bolts work. The pieces are perfectly sized for a small child's hands, which gives kids the opportunity to build and match without difficulty.
This toy helps develop a toddler's attention span, concentration, fine motor skills, and problem-solving skills, all while having a great time matching colors and shapes.
Check it out: Skoolzy Nuts and Bolts
18. Teytoy 100 Pcs Bristle Shape Building Blocks
Bristle blocks are fun building blocks that are covered with a neat bristle pattern. These bristles connect the blocks to one another.
The benefit of building with this type of block for toddlers is that they are easy to connect and disconnect, unlike building blocks that snap together.
This makes it so even the youngest mechanically inclined toddler can build fun structures like houses, bridges, cars, and rockets. This set comes with fun design ideas, but it's also great for open-ended play.
Check it out: Teytoy 100 Pcs Bristle Shape Building Blocks
I hope you enjoyed the information and got some fun ideas for toys for your mechanically inclined toddler. It's important to remember to follow your child's interest and present these toys with a no-pressure attitude. Your toddler will develop their mechanical aptitude while they play.
18 Totally Awesome STEM Toys For Toddlers