At 12 years old, your child is considered a young teen. Kids at this age have developed a better ability for complex thoughts. Now it’s the time to help shape your child’s future career planning by providing the best STEM toys for 12-year-olds.
If you notice that your child feels stressed about challenging school work easily, don’t worry, because this is very common. As much as we want to help, our young teens have to learn to deal with challenges and difficulties. STEM toys are perfect to help deal with such situation because it makes taking on such challenges more fun and entertainings.
We’ve rounded up these best STEM toys for 12-year-olds. They are strongly STEM-focused, have moderate complexity, and are catered to 12-year-olds’ interests and personality traits.
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Best STEM Toys for 12-Year-Olds
1. Best STEM Engine Kit for 12-Year-Olds
Why We Love It?
- Kids can build a working steam engine
- Teaches interesting engineering concepts
Overview – This Steam Engine Building Kit comes with more than 140 colorful parts. Your child can learn how a real-life steam engine works and will be impressed with its realistic sounds and feel.
STEM Value – This toy aims to teach 12-year-olds the basic engineering principles by building a train engine. Your child will learn how steam can power mechanical movements, as well as the mechanical structure of a working engine.
2. Best STEM Car Toy for 12-Year-Olds
Technic Car Transporter Building Set
Why We Love It?
- Features realistic features and functions of a car transporter
- It is compatible with other LEGO toys
Overview – If your child is impressed or fascinated by tractors or dump trucks, he will love a car transporter truck toy that he can build on his own. This LEGO toy is an educational kit that features a V6 engine and a V8 piston engine. It’s a learning toy that 12-year-old boys and girls will be proud to own
STEM Value – As a vivid replica of a transporter truck, this LEGO set provides hands-on knowledge about car mechanics. There are 2000 pieces of parts to put together, ideal to train your young teen to stay focused and be persistent.
3. Best Solar Robot STEM Toy for 12-Year-Olds
Why We Love It?
- The robot can be powered by solar power
- It can perform simple as well as complicated tasks.
Overview – No batteries, no AC power, this 4M Solar Robot Kit builds a robot that can use solar power to get through the day. Made with household recycled materials, this robot can also turn into a dinosaur or monster, and carry out various commands.
STEM Value – The 4M Solar Robot Kit teaches many STEM subjects: electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, environmental protection, and solar power. This kit doesn’t come with an overwhelming number of parts but is entertaining enough to foster curiosity. It’s suitable for kids who are new to STEM toys.
4. Best Race Car STEM Toy for 12-Year-Olds
Why We Love It?
- A combination of a race car and an off-road truck
- Teaches comprehensive knowledge about car mechanics
Overview – Is your 12-year-old fascinated by cars? Well, this remote control car kit will be a huge hit for him. Coming with 325 parts, this realistic-looking race car even features shock absorbers to provide a smooth ride.
STEM Value – As one of the best STEM toys for 12-year-olds, this car kit introduces a wide range of engineering principles. Your child will learn the construction of a race car, how it functions, and how to use a remote control to make cool moves.
5. Best Chemistry STEM Toy for 12-Year-Olds
Bubble Science Chemistry Lab Kit
Why We Love It?
- Comes with different bubble-making methods for interesting experiments
- Comes with educational guides
Overview – Explore different ways of making bubbles can making learning science more relaxing and fun. Plus, it motivates your 12-year-old to stay outdoors and be active. Not only can your child build giant or unbreakable bubbles, he can also perform interesting experiments with them.
STEM Value – Do bubbles have to be round? Well, this science kit may make your jaw drop because it makes “bizarre” bubbles. This science kit aims to promote curiosity and encourage your child to think outside the box.
6. Best Drone for 12-Year-Olds
Why We Love It?
- Captures 4K high-quality images
- Portable, lightweight, and foldable
- Has follow-me and return-home feature.
Overview – This drone is equipped with various features, including the GPS Follow-Me, Return Home, and TapFly. It offers your 12-year-old a new perspective of the landscape and lets him practice photography.
STEM Value – STEM toys don’t have to teach a specific STEM discipline. The key is that it should invite a child to explore and think scientifically. Drones are always a big hit among teenagers. This one is perfect for 12-year-olds because it’s fairly inexpensive and straight forward to use.
7. Best Invention STEM Toy for 12-Year-Olds
Sphero SPRK+:
App-Enabled Robot Ball
Why We Love It?
- It is capable of following commands through coding.
- It can be controlled using a smart device.
Overview – If your youngster is a Star War lover (who isn’t), he will adore this Droid Inventor Kit though it means he needs to practice programming. This STEM robot lets you customize its appearance as well as its tricks and moves. It can perform tasks by in-app controls or programming language.
STEM Value – Don’t be intimidated by its futuristic look because this robot uses block-based coding commands. Assembling the mechanical parts is only half the fun. Once put together, this droid can understand hand gestures, move around in several modes, and self-navigate. Don’t forget though you will need a smart device to control it.
8. Best STEM Puzzle for 12-Year-Olds
Why We Love It?
- Your child can create a vivid French Gothic Cathedral replica
- It trains youngester to concentrate, be detailed oriented, and plan ahead
Overview – Take the opportunity to construct a world-renowned French architecture, the Notre Dame de Paris. This STEM puzzle is also a brilliant puzzle set to use for casual family fun. Your child’s hard work will eventually turn into elegant home decor.
STEM Value – This STEM toy teaches structural engineering and the beauty of construction. Another key benefit is that your child will learn to be detailed-oriented and stay patient. On top of that, it’s a wonderful toy to practice dexterity.
9. Best Engineering Kit for 12-Year-Olds
Why We Love It?
- Includes seven interactive building ideas
- Encourages collaboration and teamwork with its comprehensive instructions
Overview – This Engineering Machine is ideal for young teens who are into mechanical engineering. Your child will learn wheels and axels, as well as inclined planes. It lets your child build real-life machines using these color-coded parts.
STEM Value – The entire set comes with 221 parts. With them, your child can build 7 real-world machines that also function! Using real-world subjects can help a child learn to apply STEM knowledge in everyday life and use his learning as a tool to solve real problems.
10. Best STEM Lego Robot for 12-Year-Olds
Why We Love It?
- Kids can build, code, and play with the robot.
- The kit comes with an intelligent hub, motors, and sensors.
Overview – Building, coding, and interacting: this Lego Control Robot Kit has everything you look for to combine learning with fun activities. Though comes with 1,000 pieces, the reward is a 9-inch tall robot friend who quickly becomes your child’s best companion.
STEM Value – 1,000 parts will keep your little inventor busy for a while. But after assembling everything together, your child will code using the Robot Inventor App to bring his friend to life. This robot can perform more than 50 activities and transform into different types of vehicles.
How To Find the Best STEM Toys for 12-Year-Olds
There are many was to help a 12-year-old academically and introducing age-appropriate STEM toys is one of the best approaches. At this age, kids can get bored by overly easy STEM toys. But if you introduce something too complex, all you get is their complaints about how overwhelmed they are.
So how to find the most interesting STEM toys for 12-year-olds that are also educational. Here are some guidelines
Summary
It’s perfectly normal to see your 12-year-old stressed about school work. Understand that this is only temporary. The best STEM toys for 12-year-olds can help your child learn difficult disciplines in a more relaxing and interesting setting. They should bring happy memories and make your child feel proud.
Cecilia Yeung is a successful entrepreneur and product researcher. She has a background in psychology and children’s education. As a working mother of two, she loves to write about children’s education and development.
