Stem Gifts For 4 Year Old Boy – As I teach STE(A)M enrichment classes for kids, I am often asked “What are the best science, technology and engineering toys for kids?” From marble runs to building toys, pulleys to tools, electronics and robots, my STEM gift guide for 2022 with great ideas for sensory play, games, books and experiences. Over 200 boys and girls aged 3, 4, 5 and 6 in my class, science-minded and not, all play-tested.
I like marble runs or ball runs, or marble mazes, whatever you want to call them – those things where you line up the track in different ways and roll the ball, then adjust the track and roll it again. The longest run, the fastest run, the most dramatic. Get a run, or whatever. They are one of the best possible engineering toys for learning the tinkering mindset as well as learning about gravity and inclined planes. I have instructions on how to make your own from PVC pipes, and here are ideas for easy ways to make a DIY marble run.
Stem Gifts For 4 Year Old Boy
You can use it on a refrigerator or other metal surface. We use oil drops to play these and other magnets
Stem Gifts For Kids That Foster Creative Thinking And Innovation
. Amazon carries tons and tons of plastic pipe style marbles. Just search for Marble Run. If you like wooden toys, check out Hap Marble Run.
There are many fabulous building tools to choose from. I am blessed to have access to so many options on my teaching site and my home stash. We use tinker toys when we study levers, we use gears during wheel week, canex for simple machines, kava blocks, translucent blocks and magna-tiles during tower week.
While we study light and shadow (note, playmags are much cheaper than magna-tiles, but I haven’t had a chance to compare quality), Lincoln Logs House Week and Zoob Skeleton Week and maybe others I’m forgetting!
We also use a lot for construction – just get creative: plastic solo cups, plastic shot glasses, straws and pipe cleaners, toilet paper tubes and cardboard, gum drops and toothpicks, raw spaghetti and marshmallows, sugar cubes, cereal boxes, PVC pipes. . , rolled newspapers, binder clips and craft sticks and more. (See our Building Structures lesson plan.) And of course, the classic wooden block
Stem Building Toys For 3 6 Year Old Boys, Learning Toy Kit For 3 4 5 6 Kids Boy
, it will be Lego / Duplo hands down. This is the most versatile, high quality, modular building set up there. For a gift for a 3 – 4 year old, you can’t go wrong with a basic Duplo set. For 5 – 6 year olds, choose Basic Lego.
They say “The more active the toy, the more passive the child.” Active electronic toys with lots of bells and whistles. Blocks are a passive toy that creates creativity and engagement in an active child. (Learn more.)
Having a set of basic pulleys makes science fun (learn about pulleys here) – you can buy them at a hardware store or sporting goods store, or you can make your own from an empty spool. In class, we use this type of utility pulley
, or this rockery pulley with 1/4 or 3/8 inch nylon rope. For a fixed pulley system you will need 20 – 25 feet of rope, if you want a more complex pulley set-up.
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For 3 – 4 year olds, I love Black & Decker’s play equipment. We used their toy hammers to hammer golf tees into the styrofoam blocks, pumpkins, and foam insulation we used for our Build a House project. For 5 – 6 year olds, consider buying real tools – a small hammer, a hand drill, sand paper, screwdrivers and wrenches and give them real scrap materials to work with. (If there is an adventure playground in your area or not!)
If you spend a lot of time cooking, get them real kitchen tools they can use. If you garden, get gardening tools… whatever you do, they want to join in, so make it possible for them to do so by putting out kid-sized, kid-safe, useful tools.
Also, be sure to get their basic science equipment: a magnifying glass, binoculars, and a bug catcher. For more recommendations for microscopes, safety goggles, lab coats for dress-up, and other science equipment, read my A Scientist post.
For elementary age children, ages 5 and up, learning about electrical circuits, the perfect balance of affordable and quality toys is the Snap Circuits Classic Set. (Or check out the Snap Circuit Light which lets you connect any MP3 player to enjoy music and a light show.) Read my review of the Snap Circuit here, which compares them to the LittleBit. For 2 – 3 year olds, check out Start-up Circuits. (I haven’t had a chance to test it yet.)
The Best Gifts For 4 Year Olds
I reviewed many robots in 2017, in my own search for a good gift for a 6-year-old. A family favorite for early fun was the Sphero, but my favorites for long-term learning were the Code and Go Robot Mouse. I’m intrigued by the Sphero Indy, but I haven’t played with one yet.
For preschoolers 3 – 4 years old, I would focus a lot on sensory play: water toys, such as water wheels, scoops, pumps. Sensory bin – a large plastic tub filled with rice, or beans, or popcorn kernels or sand that kids can pour, scoop, dig, and bury, and fun tools to use with the materials (our conveyor belts and Learn about the grain auger.) post we use in our STEM class). Check out The Ultimate Guide to the Sensory Table and The Ultimate Guide to the Water Table.
Play-dough is great for developing small motor skills and hand strength. I make all my play dough myself. It is easy and inexpensive to make, and has a better elastic quality than commercial Play-Doh. Here is the recipe. Play-dough can be combined with many types of tools: pizza cutter, garlic press, rolling pin, cookie cutter and more.
Also, make sure they have musical instruments to play, especially percussion instruments. (Learn more about how music helps children learn the stem.)
Learning Resources Stem Explorers … Curated On Ltk
For the sheer enjoyment of board games, I have many favorite games, which I will write about one day. For now, here are some board games and learning games that are fun additions to a complete lesson plan on a STEM topic. So, here are the games
This is fun for 5 – 6 year olds. And Elefun, which we use during air and flight week, is great for 3-year-olds.
Here’s a list of where to find my most recommended books about inventors and makers and the books we use in our classes: 100 Books on Engineering and Simple Machines, 100 Books on Science, and 100 Books on Biology.
I rarely buy books, but we check out over 400 books a year from our local library! If you give a book to a child, consider giving the parent a list of other great books they can check out at their local library. (And make sure they know about library story time!)
Stem Toys For 3 6 Years Boys, Shark Race Track Toy, Flexible Track Playset With Shark Car For 3 4 5 6 Year & Up Old Boy Girls Best Gift
I don’t really buy many toys for my own kids. (Read my thoughts on “How Many Toys Are Enough” for recommendations on how to choose the toys you buy.) I love experiences in general – when we get to learn and explore together.
We spent countless wonderful hours at the Children’s Museum and the Science Museum. (Just click on the Destinations section in the sidebar to your right on a desktop or mobile device. You’ll find my reviews of great museums in Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona) Here are tools to find options near you, or near where you’re traveling: Science Museums – Association of Science-Technology Centers, Association of Children’s Museums, Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Consider purchasing a membership closer to your home (or closer to your gift recipient’s home). ie obstruction of inspection
Less If we had to pay full price every time we went to the zoo, we could only go a few times a year. But when we buy a membership, I want to go at least three times to get the membership back, but we go way beyond that… sometimes going crazy for just a short 1 hour visit. Also, the associations listed above have partner programs, where you get discounts on other amenities around the country when you travel. On one road trip, we visited three children’s museums and two zoos, all for free!
Many parks also have great science-based presentations. Check out the Junior Ranger Program and other national parks programs, plus check with your local park departments. Plan a visit soon.
Pcs Montessori Stacking Toys Toddler Sensory Stem Toys Age 2 4 Preschool Learning Activities Building Blocks Learning Educational Fine Motor Classroom Toys Kids Age 3 5 6 7 Year Old Boys Girls Gift
There are many sciences that can be learned just by playing outside or going to school. Here is a long post summarizing all the benefits of letting your kids play outside. If you live in the Pacific Northwest, here’s a guide to learning about native plants. Here’s a guide to staying connected externally during the coronavirus.
Read my post “Cardboard and Plastic Lids
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