Technologically advanced toys are a wonderful way for kids to learn skills for future careers while still having tons of fun. Toy Insider Mom Laurie Schacht stopped by Fox Dallas to show off some of the smartest STEM toys of the year. For more on the products in this segment, check out the notes below, and be sure to check out our complete holiday toy guide.
Think & Learn Code-A-Pillar (Fisher-Price)
- Preschoolers can arrange Code-A-Pillar’s easy-to-connect segments in endless combinations to send Code-a-Pillar on his path: forward, left, right, or even wait for a couple seconds before moving again.
- Kids can configure the segments in such a way that the Code-A-Pillar can reach targets they set up throughout the room.
- When kids connect the segments to make Code-A-Pillar move – that’s sequencing!
- When they figure out a sequence that will create a path for Code-A-Pillar to reach a target, that’s programming (and problem solving, too)! It’s all coding— and it’s all fun!
- Ages: 3-6
- MSRP: $49.99
Code & Go Robot Mouse Coding Activity Set (Learning Resources)
- The race is on to build hands on coding skills!
- Build your maze, and then use the coding cards to create a step-bystep path for Colby, the Programmable Robot Mouse.
- Program the sequence of steps, and then watch Colby race to find the cheese!
- This deluxe set includes 30 double-sided coding cards, 10 double-sided activity cards, cheese wedge, and Activity Guide to provide the perfect hands-on introduction to coding concepts.
- Create your path with 16 maze grids to create a 20″ x 20″ maze board, 22 maze
- walls, and 3 tunnels for endless possibilities.
- Colby lights-up, makes sounds, and features 2 speeds along with colorful buttons to match coding cards for easy programming and sequencing.
- Add multiple players with Jack, the Programmable Robot Mouse, sold separately.
- Ages: 5+
- MSRP: $59.99
Barbie STEM Kit (Thames & Kosmos)
- Thames & Kosmos partnered with Mattel to provide the Barbie STEM Kit!
- This S.T.E.A.M. project kit includes plastic building pieces and science experiment materials, as well as a Barbie doll, to create a complete experience based on the concept “You Dream It… You Make It!”
- From math and science to biology and chemistry, each kit is built to “Barbie-Scale” and meant to be compatible with the original Barbie Dreamhouse.
- Build seven different models and help Barbie get to the annual pet gala!
- Ages: 4-8
- MSRP: $29.95
- With the new 3Doodler Start your creative kids can finally bring all of their wonderful and imaginative ideas to life in 3D.
- The 3Doodler Start 3D printing pen extrudes an eco-friendly plastic that cools and hardens rapidly, allowing kids to literally draw in the air!
- The 3Doodler Start is specially designed to be clean & safe for kids, with no hot parts or messy resins or glues to contend with.
- The 3Doodler Start is seriously easy to use too, there’s only one speed and one temperature and no software or technical knowledge required – just turn it on, insert a strand and start Doodling in 3D.
- Ages: 8-13
- MSRP: $49.99
- The BOSEbuild Speaker Cube doesn’t just look and sound great, it’s easy to build, too. Its instructions immediately gets kids involved in the sounds of science, from how a simple magnet and coil make sound, to how a speaker reproduces music.
- The building help is delivered through a free companion app that combines step-by-step guidance with hands-on interaction, confirming success along the way until the Speaker Cube is fully assembled.
- Kids can add colored LED lights and silhouette covers, for a completely customized speaker.
- The Speaker Cube pairs to any smartphone or tablet, so streaming your favorite music just got much more easier.
- Ages: 8+
- MSRP: $149.00
- Available: Amazon, build.bose.com
