Your daughter seems excited in STEM – but what can you do to help? You see ads for STEM toys, but many just seem like a poor fit. Maybe she’s even said “that’s a boy toy!” We’re here to say you can find STEM toys for girls that they will actually enjoy, that won’t break the bank, and even if you don’t know the difference between a neutron and an electron, that CAN build your child’s enthusiasm for STEM.
Our Top Five STEM Toys for Girls
Below follows our five (current) favorite STEM toys for girls. Now, it’s important to note a few things. First, we did NOT just cruise through Amazon reviews and spit out what we thought were the top sellers. You can see some of our other more in-depth reviews of toys that didn’t make the top STEM toys list (e.g. Mind-blowing science, piper and kano computer kits). Nothing wrong with these – just a limited number of spots.
So, how exactly are we coming up with these particular toys? What does the decision criteria and evaluation process actually involve? First, our reviews are based on actual “play” time. While most of our “test subjects” are our girls, their friends and my niece, it’s still a real life application. Second, we also consider how the toy functions from the kid, parent and scientist perspectives. Ideally, we hope to find one that can satisfy all three. Ultimately, we see these toys offering a fun, creative play opportunity for your kid, that will help teach them about a STEM topic.
It is important to mention that these selections weren’t spur of the moment; we’ve thought long and hard, and conferred with the kids for suggestions. We’ve seen other reviews highlight that they spent a whole two hours of “research” creating their list.
Wait. Huh?
Call us old-fashioned, but if you are going to spend money on these toys, we felt the need to go a bit deeper. Please feel free to leave a comment at the end if we are missing one, if you’ve had a different experience, or if you have any questions.
Lastly, this list will probably be updated as we go along and encounter “new” favorites. One important lesson to pass on to the kids is that STEM fields require continual learning. Especially with increased focus by developers creating more STEM toys specifically geared towards girls, the landscape is constantly changing. Thinking back to my own youth – “girl” friendly STEM toys simply weren’t a thing. These are exciting days! We love the optionality and commitment from companies to offer a more diverse product base!
At the end of the list, there is more info about what STEM toys are, where to find them and our STEMium’s A-B-C-D-E guide on how to find the best STEM toys for your child.
#1 ThinkFun – Gravity Maze Marble Run
Ages: 8yrs and up- Manufacturer: ThinkFun
- STEM category: engineering
- Description: Kids must create three-dimensional mazes for a marble to fall through and reach an end spot.
- Features: The game comes with a board, stainless steel marble and various “bricks” that have differing angles and shoots that drop the marble in different directions. Additionally, there is a challenge book which presents various puzzles for the kids to complete.
- Why we like it: Coming in at #1, ThinkFun’s Gravity Maze Marble Run game tops our list. First, it’s a budget-friendly toy, open-ended and fosters problem solving as well. Kids can be creative in terms of the solutions they arrive at. Second, our kids (girls) love it. This toy is one they ask to play! Always a great sign! Third, there are multiple challenges which means the kids won’t get tired or run out of time with it right off the bat. Fourth, the mazes require some dexterity to maneuver the bricks and they will work on figuring out the different angles/geometry. Admittedly, we’re big time ThinkFun fans (see here). I think their toys are great for boys and girls. Even still, this is just a fun game that our kids enjoy. I have yet to purchase a ThinkFun game that the kids haven’t played with repeatedly and the gravity maze keeps that tradition going. Overall – Great for building those engineering skills in a fun manner at a good price!
#2 LittleBits Rule Your Room kit
Age: 8yrs and up- Manufacturer: LittleBits
- STEM skills: engineering, technology
- Features: Accessories for building touch-activated inventions – this includes wires, boards, servos, power supply, etc. Also included is a manual/instruction guide that outlines projects for kids to assemble/build.
- Why we like it: The LittleBits kit is for all those girls who are “makers” – who are interested in building unique, tech-y gadgets. Both daughters have tried it and found it was probably easier for the 9-10yr old range, whereas 7-8yrs will likely need more assistance. The younger one specifically has a little trouble making sure connections were properly made. Both girls really enjoyed creating solutions that were “real” and that “worked”. A theme a lot of the kids seem to bring up. To invent! That screams creative problem-solving right there! The guide is easy to follow and color coded, which makes it easy for kids to assemble the “bits” in the right order. There is also an app that can be downloaded which offers more challenges for kids to try (e.g. invent a pet gadget). The fact they call out HOW things work is great to help kids understand things like circuit – but it is also taken a step further and the guide attempts to relate how the bits work similarly to other real world examples such as a doorbell or car alarm. While LittleBits offers other kits, we felt like the Rule Your Room kit specifically offered a great variety of projects for a great price.
#3 Elmer’s Ultimate Slime Kit
- Age: 5+ years
- Manufacturer:
- STEM skills: Science (chemistry)
- Features: The kit comes with various “glues” which will be used to make different types of slime (e.g. glitter slime, glow in the dark slime). There is also “magical liquid” which is Elmer’s version of a cross linking solution. All of the materials are washable and non-toxic.
- Why we like it: We’ve embarked on roughly 10,000 slime-making adventures at this stage and tested a range of kits. We will detail our experiences in a later post, but slime making is a great way to teach kids about chemical reactions in a fun way. It’s also easy to convey how important different materials are to the reaction that’s occurring. Add too much cross linking agent and slime gets “brittle”. Not enough? It’s a soupy mess! Plus there are a range of cool add-on’s you can put in to stay creative – magnetic slime and color-change slimes have been a big hit with our girls! They are big fans of the glitter and glow-in-the-dark ones. If you are a slime-newbie, this kit is great and with many girls leaning towards something that’s more made for them, we think this kit will be great for the younger ones. Be sure to supervise with these – beyond the fact they’re mixing things that aren’t intended to be edible – messes are likely to ensue. The cost of science! 🙂 While we’ve had the best results with the Elmer’s kits, there are certainly plenty of alternative options out there. Once you get more comfortable and learn the ratios, a more cost-effective option involves buying larger, bulk quantities of materials.
#4 Mancala
- Age: 5+
- Manufacturer: varied
- STEM skills: Math
- Features: A typical board will arrive with “stones”, “jewels” or “marbles”. Very bare bones/basic but that’s all you’ll need to play a game!
- Why we like it: I know, I know. You’re probably thinking – “Mancala?!? REALLY?? How is THAT a good STEM toy for girls?” OK. I sense some hesitation. There’s just no way we could assemble a list of STEM toys and NOT include more of a pure math game. After much debate, the girls suggested this one as a great toy for younger girls to help build math fundamentals. From my perspective, I would have opted for something like Zingo or cribbage, but this is where the “boots on the ground” kind of feedback is helpful. Why it’s a good STEM toy for girls? As already mentioned, it helps with basic math fundamental skills. Mancala also encourages social interactions (playing against an opponent, taking turns, sportsmanship) and that physical interaction with the beads/gems helps reinforce counting concepts. Boards can be found for a relatively inexpensive cost and this is one that holds good staying power. Keep in mind that to be a great STEM toy, a product doesn’t always need fancy bells and whistles. Or even an LCD screen. Putting all those ideas together, Mancala joins our favorites list!
#5 Wonder Workshop Dash Kit
- Age: 6+ yrs
- Manufacturer: Wonder Workshop
- STEM skills: Technology, Engineering, Math
- Features: Dash is a robot that comes with Bluetooth technology and can connect to iOS, Android and Kindle devices. Dash has a range of different sensors and multiple processors. There are additional accessory packs available for purchase (e.g. gripper building kit).
- Why we like it: It’s a pretty amazing time that we live in! Dash is a programmable robot which kids use a “Scratch”-like interface (Blockly) to setup commands. We fully acknowledge that Dash is not necessarily a girl-specific toy. However, when we compare it to some of the other programmable robots that are out there, Dash may resonate more with younger girls. Dash comes with apps that pose programming challenges for kids to work through. The apps introduce progressively complex sequences and challenges. What’s really neat about Dash is that it is extensible enough that girls can make their OWN apps using Java or Swift. That obviously ventures down a more advanced path, but the fact it’s an option is pretty neat. Our daughters played with this one with relatives. The general consensus is that it holds a strong “cool” factor.
Conclusions: Don’t Let Options Overwhelm You
I said it before and I’ll say it again – what a cool time we’re living in! It is so amazing to see such a diverse range of STEM toys in general, but also toys that are now designed to appeal specifically to girls!
Before we conclude, the section below offers additional tips for finding a cool toy we may have overlooked.
Who carries STEM toys for girls? Where can I buy them?
A trip to the local Walmart to find STEM toys for girls may or may not be successful. So, where can you buy good STEM toys?? Don’t get discouraged! More options exist than it seems. We offer some examples below.
Amazon’s STEM Club Toy of the Month
Amazon’s STEM Club Toy of the month
We have not personally tried this, so we offer it as an option. For a monthly price, you opt in for a box once a month, every two or every three months. Different boxes are available for kids ages 3-4yrs, 5-7yrs and 8-13yrs. Based on what we can see, the subscription does give you a discounted rate compared to buying toys straight from retail (so that’s nice!). There are endless subscription services that offer this setup, so if it’s not right for your kids, it is easy to move along. One note: subscribers have the option to “opt out” and cancel a given month if the toy in question appears not a good fit (this would be a nice feature). If you subscribe, you can login ahead of time and see what you is on deck. Check out this link on the STEM club toy of the month for more info.
Don’t forget about specific vendors! Look at companies: ThinkFun, GoldieBlox, LittleBits.
All three companies offer multiple products, and all are STEM-focused with considerable design emphasis placed on making STEM toys that are “girl” focused as well. If you’ve made it this far, you’ve already read about my ThinkFun affection. GoldieBlox was specifically started to create unique, cool STEM toys for girls. By empowering girls at an early age, their goal is to help girls realize their interests and pursue their dreams. Pretty neat! Our daughters have had a bit of a mixed reception to the GoldieBlox line; however, it is still likely to click with many kids out there. Check out the company websites to find local vendors/suppliers in your area.
Local, independent toy stores
If you are lucky enough to have one near you, we highly recommend stopping in and asking questions. You might be surprised with their recommendations and we’ve found the staff at our store just genuinely enjoys trying to find unique toys for girls. Here is a directory of independent stores – hopefully, there is one by you!
How to pick the best STEM toys for your child: STEMium’s A-B-C-D-E framework
Finding good, quality STEM toys for girls – that’s a challenge! To help take some of the mystery out, we’ve created an easy-to-use framework. As you’re considering making your next purchase, step through these criteria to help find toys that fit best for your child.
[A]pplicability – age, language, dexterity, attention
My oldest loves getting gifts from relatives. To be honest, who doesn’t. One thing she’s less excited about is when she gets done unwrapping a present, only to find out it is a toy that is better suited for someone five years younger.
When you’re selecting a STEM toy make sure you consider the applicability to your child. Consider things such as age and language. Will the toy require strong dexterity? What if your child has attention issues – a toy that comes with detailed, complex instructions to follow might be avoided in favor of one that allows for more “free form” play. Envision your child playing with the toy in consideration.
[B]uild problem solving skills
Toys that truly challenge kids in terms of how they think about the world, places, things are fantastic! Some of the best STEM toys help kids work on problem-solving abilities and spark curiosity. When you find one, jump on it! Even better if there’s a game or toy that forces kids to work with other kids to solve problems, they’ll be working on building interpersonal/social skills. Also super important in an era where screen time dominates too much of the time (in our view).
[C]reativity – Play is an important part of development
Along those lines, toys that give kids a creative outlet stand head and shoulders above toys that are more limited. What??? Weren’t expecting us to say that?? There’s more to STEM than memorizing facts and equations. Building curiosity is not only critical for kids pursuing STEM fields, it aids in development overall. Win win! You might see these toys referred to as open-ended toys. Our suggestion – aim for toys that allow kids to be creative. Are kids really learning or are they just drawn into flashing lights? Are they thinking or spacing out?
[D]etails – cost, warranty, other items needed to run the toy
Think back to when you were a kid, and maybe at a birthday or Christmas you peeled off that wrapping paper to find an awesome gift! You were PUMPED to get started!
<screechhhh!>
Wait.
You needed AAA batteries?? Awe, Mom bought AA batteries. Sorry! No playing today!
Same concept applies to STEM toys. Consider what you’ll need (e.g. add-ons) to run the toy. Need an iPhone, but you have an Android? Probably not the best idea. Only $399, but no signs of a warranty and you wanted to spend $39? Move along… Fancy doesn’t equal better. And sometimes, a more simple toy may prove the better winner.
[E]ducational niche – S, T, E, M
Looking for the Swiss Army Knife of girl STEM toys?? One that does it all – that’s a hard find. It’s probably out there… we might be missing it.
What may be an easier strategy is to find toys that fall within a specific STEM vertical. Math an interest? Consider a game that works on those skills. Engineering interests? Building toys stand out.
