Our Favorite STEM Games for Kids

Finding the best STEM games for kids has become an important task since our two youngest (sons) are big on science, technology, engineering, and math. Every chance we get we are looking for fun new games to feed their hungry appetites for the STEM way of thinking. Over the years we’ve collected some wonderful STEM games and toys that have been a big hit with our sons and daughter. As the children continue to grow, we enjoy searching out new STEM toys and games to get them throughout the year. We have found so much joy in our homeschool and free time by using STEM in our approach to education and learning. Here are the top STEM games for kids according to our experience.

Our Favorite STEM Games for Kids

Learning Resources Gears! Gears! Gears! – Boost fine motor skills, and encourage engineering skills and reasoning as children create moving experiments with spinning, colorful action. The turning gears in this colorful set offer hundreds of 3-D construction possibilities. All pieces in the set are compatible with all GEARS! GEARS! GEARS! building sets, allowing you to easily add on for your child over time.

DuneCraft Dome Terrariums – Herbs – Grow delicious, fresh herbs to spruce up any meal right in your own kitchen. This complete kit contains everything you need to grow and keep fresh herbs in your home. Sprout and start seedlings in your culinary dome and in two weeks your herbs will be ready to accompany any culinary dish. Kit contains five herb seed packets (basil, sage, dill, cilantro and parsley) enough for three or more plantings, colorful decals, five stakes, natural gravel, planting mixture, per-lite drainage mixture, and instructions with an information sheet about all your herbs.

SmartMax Basic Stunt – Have fun building incredible structures and vehicles with SmartMax! SmartMax allows children to explore magnetism safely. The oversized pieces are specifically designed for handling by young kids as they learn about the effects of magnetic attraction and repulsion. While older children will have fun using the pieces to construct towers, bridges, and other creations. The magnets are strong enough to carry up to 60 times their weight! The Basic Stunt set is a great combination of SmartMax fun: building both structures and vehicles! Includes 46 pieces and a guide to build models!

Geode Explorer Science Kit – Crack Open 7 Amazing Rocks and Find Crystals! – This basic geode kit includes 7 geodes from 3 different mines–so that you’ll be able to experience a variety of crystal formations. Geodes are an amazing natural phenomenon and cracking them open is a thrill for all ages! This kit includes safety goggles and a full-color adventure guide (written by teachers) filled with cool science facts about geodes and the crystals they contain inside.

More Science Games 

MindWare KEVA Contraptions Playset – Our KEVA Contraptions are fantastic toys for teaching children to embrace their creativity and start designing engineering marvels. With 200 identical wooden planks crafted to be used as scaffolding, ramps, paths, and much more, this toy is perfect for any child looking to build and learn problem solving with basic physics. One of the best STEM games for kids we’ve ever found.

4M Solar System Planetarium – Art and science combine with the 4M Solar System Planetarium. The Solar System Planetarium set teaches children about the wonders of the solar system. Just assemble, paint and learn. This set includes planets, stencils, squeeze glow paint pen, rods, string, a fact-filled wall chart and 10 sets of Kidz Quiz questions. Complete assembly instructions included. No batteries required. Recommended for ages 8 years and up.

LEGO Ideas 21301 Birds Model Kit – Build and display these authentic, well-loved birds! LEGO Ideas brings you 3 incredibly detailed models of iconic birds from around the globe-the Blue Jay, Hummingbird and Robin. Put down your binoculars and get closer to nature with these intricate LEGO models of well-known birds! Created by keen gardener and bird enthusiast Thomas Poulsom and selected by LEGO Ideas members, each replica bird hails from a different continent: the Robin from Europe; the Blue Jay from North America; and the Hummingbird from South America.

Snap Circuits SC-300 Electronics Discovery Kit – Snap Circuits makes learning electronics easy and fun. Just follow the colorful pictures in our manual and build exciting projects such as AM radios; burglar alarms; doorbells and much more. You can even play electronic games with your friends. All parts are mounted on plastic modules and snap together with ease. Enjoy hours of educational fun while learning about electronics.

Educational Games for Kids

SmartLab Toys ReCon 6.0 Programmable Rover – More than just a toy robot, the SmartLab ReCon 6.0 Programmable Rover is a learning tool that teaches basic programming, early mathematics, and simple problem solving. Kids ages eight years and up can program the Rover to navigate specified courses to deliver a treat to a pet, surprise a family member with a personalized message, or when the mood strikes, dance. The Rover can also record and play sounds and flash its LEDs for alarmingly good fun.

Learning Resources Pretend & Play Calculator Cash Register – Winner of 23 awards and the perfect addition to any pretend store, this cash register is a working solar-powered calculator that holds both real and play bills! Oversize buttons and a big number display make it appropriate for all ability levels. Includes U.S. play bills, plastic coins, pretend credit card and suggested activities. Measures 10½” L x 9½” W x 5½”H. Grades PreK+.

My First Lab Duo-Scope Microscope – MFL-06 – The Duo-Scope is a dual functioning biological microscope that incorporates modified objectives with dual cool LED illumination! This allows the user to view both microscopic sized specimens on slides as well as macroscopic (solid) objects like bugs, stamps and coins!

More Fun Games!

Melissa & Doug Classic Wooden Abacus – This wooden “calculator” helps teach math skills, patterning, and color recognition. Counting and moving the beads on this wooden frame develops a visual and tactile relationship with numbers and early math concepts–but to a child sliding, sorting and counting on this colorful abacus, it just feels like fun!

MindWare Q-Ba-Maze Big Box – Q-BA-MAZE 2.0 is a unique system of colorful cubes that interlock to form a marble run. The big difference? You can create marble maze sculptures in the form of animals, geometric shapes or any other design! Configurations are unlimited, allowing for unpredictable action when steel balls travel the various routes. Its a live demonstration of probability, physics and art, all in one! Big Box includes 72 cubes in five different colors and 20 steel balls.

STEM games for kids have become an absolute obsession and way of life for us. While we have many more STEM games and toys in our home, the ones above has been used with three different children over the span of a decade so we can certainly testify to their longevity and how much children enjoy them.

What are your favorite STEM games for kids?

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