You may have come across the term STEM toys when browsing through toy collections for your little one.
Yes, these toys have lots of educational qualities.
Unsurprisingly, children are intimidated by math, science, and technology concepts. STEM toys are geared toward making these concepts easier to grasp.
Let’s look into more about STEM toys and their role in education.
By Renuka.
What is STEM?
STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. STEM toys are multi-purpose educational tools that facilitate the development of skills, knowledge and learning in the disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math in an engaging yet fun way.
STEM toys invoke a child’s natural curiosity.
- It develops knowledge in various fields.
- It makes children interested in STEM-related topics.
- It improves a child’s cognition, critical thinking, problem-solving, spatial reasoning and creativity skills.
- The active interaction with STEM toys enables kids to explore and discover more about their environment and the world around them.
Examples Of STEM Toys
STEM toys range from microscopic kits to designing a robot.
Some examples of STEM toys include puzzles like legos, craft kits, designing robots, educational computer games, science models, programming code to solve real-world problems, and even the Rubik’s cube.
Benefits of STEM toys
These toys quash the notion that STEM subjects are too tough
Many people do not pursue careers in STEM as they believe the field is way too hard.
Children’s view of these subjects is impacted by how adults perceive these subjects.
If the adults paint these subjects as difficult or unattainable, then the child is likely to believe these subjects are off-limits and unattainable as well.
But when children are introduced to STEM through STEM toys at an early stage of life, then it will instill a sense of confidence in these subjects.
When children gain the confidence that they can grasp topics in science and math at an early stage, they are inspired to explore these later on in life.
If you think STEM toys are boring, think again.
They are far from it.
Let’s see why.
They make learning fun and interesting
Children learn better when they are having fun. This is where STEM toys come in.
When kids experiment with STEM toys and see how the concepts work practically, they associate math and science with fun, excitement and discovery.
Whether it learning a basic math concept, solving a Rubik’s cube that teaches pattern recognition and problem-solving, building complex structures with their legos, building an intricate science project or designing a robot from scratch – STEM-based toys are always interactive and make concepts of math, science and technology fun and easy to grasp.
This learning is something that kids will remember all their lives.
Problem-solving is an essential skill to have and STEM toys can help hone these skills as well.
Let’s see how in the next section.
Enhances problem-solving skills
STEM toys encourage children to think for themselves and think of unique solutions to overcome challenges and solve real-time problems.
When children think independently and overcome challenges to solve problems, it encourages independence and critical thinking skills.
The children must work out how to win a game by exploring various possibilities and overcoming hurdles.
When children indulge in these problem-solving activities early on in life, they gain confidence to approach problems, foster independence and improve their productivity.
It also helps children develop their motor skills. Let’s see how.
They teach coordination, fine and gross motor skills
STEM toys provide children with a means to develop hand-eye coordination, gross motor skills and dexterity.
Whether it’s puzzles or playing around with building blocks, these toys help children become more adept at using their hands.
STEM toys involve children building, model-making, constructing, balancing and many more activities.
Not only do these toys help children gain assurance physically, but it also helps to develop their intellectual capabilities.
It is particularly beneficial during early childhood and growth spurts.
STEM toys enhance a child’s creativity and help spark their imagination. Let’s see how.
Inspires creativity and imagination
STEM toys require creative thinking to tackle problems and solve them.
This encourages kids to use their imagination to create, build or design something new and original.
Playing with these toys enables children to figure out what works and what doesn’t and how a particular activity can produce a certain outcome.
This fosters creativity, critical thinking and decision-making.
STEM toys for 3-5-year-olds
Some STEM toys are better than others for toddlers. These toys help develop creative skills, basic counting, balancing, building and much more.
The toys should be:
Appropriate for the child’s age
Parents sometimes buy toys meant for older kids so that the kids can play with them for many years.
With STEM toys, however, you need to buy age-appropriate ones because you need to ensure they are safe, within the capability of the child to play and appropriate for their stage of development.
Interesting, interactive and creative
A good STEM toy should inspire your child’s interest.
It should facilitate learning and can be used in plenty of ways as it will stimulate their interest, boost creativity, and is good for their development.
Helps develop a whole range of skills
STEM toys develop fine motor, gross motor, hand-eye coordination, working together as a team to build something, problem-solving skills and stimulating the senses.
Children learn through their senses, and these toys stimulate the senses, keeping them engaged for hours.
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Best STEM toys for 3 to 5-year-olds
Here are some of the perfect STEM toys for 3 to 5-year-olds:
- Construction kits
- Gears
- Marble Run
- Building sets
- Stacking toy
- Magnetic building tiles
- Block sets
- Science kits
From building blocks, puzzles, and stacking toys to science kits and designing robots, there are endless STEM toy options.
You need to choose the right one for your child that is age-appropriate for their age and one they find interesting so they start on a fun-filling and educational activity.
Disadvantages of STEM toys
STEM toys come with plenty of benefits, however, there are a few disadvantages too.
Narrow Focus
These STEM toys have a narrow focus with a definite purpose or object in mind.
They do not promote open-ended play.
When kids are allowed to rely on their imagination they learn a lot quicker and pick up more skills than with STEM toys.
Toys don’t have to be complex for children’s development
Children don’t really need complex toys like STEM toys for their development.
According to a study, The Power of Play, simple toys are enough to develop a child’s mental, physical and emotional faculties.
There is no need for STEM toys to teach STEM concepts
There is no need for high-tech toys to teach kids lessons and concepts related to STEM.
There is no evidence that STEM toys help kids learn science, coding, math or technology.
The Research on STEM Toys is Still Out.
These toys are expensive
STEM toys cost a lot of money. Many of these are app-enabled, use AI or are integrated into the internet.
It is why they come at a premium price.
Conclusion
STEM toys invoke a child’s interest in concepts of math, science and engineering.
They come with lots of benefits for childhood development.
There are a few disadvantages to them as well.
I hope this article comes in handy to weigh the pros and cons before you buy a STEM toy for your child.
Photo by Alena Darmel.
