One of the things I’ve enjoyed about my little boys getting older has been their strong interest in STEM toys and activity sets. As a parent, I just feel like we are getting so much more value from things like this. I love the concept of learning through play and I love that these kits give them the chance to explore ideas and problem solve.

Some of the kits the boys have been trying out recently are the National Geographic Dig Kits and the National Geographic Science Kits.

These really are wonderful kits, not only keeping children engaged but also improving their learning and fine motor skills as well. With Easter coming up, all these kits would make great alternatives to lots of Easter eggs. They will certainly last longer than a chocolate egg!

Depending on your child’s interests, there are a range of these STEM kits available. Perhaps you have a dinosaur mad child like me, or a child who is a bit of a magpie and loves shiny things and crystals (also me). Maybe your children love nothing more than making their own slime, but you’ve never quite got the recipe right? Whatever their passion – you can bet you will find a STEM kit to entertain them.

These kits range in price depending on what you opt for. For example, the Glow in the Dark Science Kit is currently £23.95 on Amazon, whilst the Dino Dig Kit is £9.95. Generally speaking, the higher the price the longer the activities last. There are larger crystal digging kits available for example that have around 15 crystals, versus the kit we tried with 3.

Whilst I think these make wonderful gifts, be careful who you are buying them for. If the child’s parents are a bit OCD about mess, these might not be the best gifts, although, you could always suggest the child does the activity outside, so they don’t miss out on valuable learning. The slime does stick to soft furnishings and walls, so do supervise the activity!

STEM toys are really important in expanding children’s learning. Science these days pervades every part of our lives, so it is really important to help our children improve these skills and expand their knowledge. Some of the areas of learning that can be improved through playing with STEM kits and toys are as follows:

• Creativity 
• Inquiry Skills 
• Critical analysis 
• Teamwork and collaboration
• Initiative 
• Communication
• Digital literacy
• Problem solving 

The Japanese Toy company Bandai produce tons of STEM toys each year, helping to improve children’s knowledge in all these areas.

Have your children used these STEM kits before? Which did they enjoy the most? My boys really love the digging kits, as they like to do these on their own, however, they also love building things together, or making things like the slime too.

This is a collaborative article.