6-year-old boys and girls are undergoing rapid intellectual development and they are getting ready for school. Many parents start looking for the best STEM toys for 6-year-olds because these learning toys can complement what they learn in the classroom.
Kids at this age can speak complete sentences, read age-appropriate books, and focus on school tasks. STEM toys at this age should focus on simple math concepts, basic engineering principles, and easy-to-do.
After speaking with educators and child pediatrics, our team made this round up to bring parents some great ideas of brain-developmental toys for 6-year-old boys and girls.
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Best STEM Toys for 6-Year-Olds
1. Best Electrical STEM Toy for 6-Year-Olds
Why We Love It?
- Has 14 parts to build 20+ projects
- User-friendly manual perfect for kids
Overview – The Beginner Snap-on Circuit Kit offers 14 parts that can be used to build more than 20 projects. All components are snap-on and there is a colored manual with detailed guidance.
STEM Value – This toy is perfect for young engineer aspirants who want to learn electrical engineering without risking safety. Kids may also practice their problem-solving skills thanks to the numerous projects including a color-changing lighted fan.
2. Best Robotic STEM Toy for 6-Year-Olds
Why We Love It?
- An all-in-one coding robot
- Kids can custom commands and practice programming
Overview – The Wonder Workshop Dash robot can respond to voice commands and allow your child to do simple coding exercises. It is also a team-building toy to let your 6-year-old work together with friends or siblings. This toy sports great battery life with a standby time of a whopping 30 days.
STEM Value – The Wonder Workshop Dash robot opens up many chances of collaborations with other owners and users as well. It offers different coding exercises such as loops, conditions, events, and sequences while giving kids enough freedom to explore.
3. Best Terrarium STEM Toy for 6-Year-Olds
Why We Love It?
- Glowing Terrarium Kit allows nature exploration at home
- Completely customizable, with illumination options and dimension scaling
Overview – Glowing Terrarium Kit is used to create a simulated garden without worrying about space. It grows very fast as well, only taking about 3-4 days upon creation. The kit is also filled with botany treats that teach your 6-year-old the basics of horticulture.
STEM Value – The Glowing Terrarium Kit is more than just fascinating to 6-year-olds. It features a real-life garden that teaches your child the life cycle of plants. It helps make your child more observant and be patient, which are important qualities in learning STEM subjects.
4. Best Building STEM Toy for 6-Year-Olds
Why We Love It?
- A fun way to develop critical thinking skills
- Features kids’ favorite roller coaster
Overview – As a winner of the Toy of the Year Award Finalist, the Roller Coaster Challenge is the perfect STEM toy for fun and challenges. This toy contains 40 beginner to expert challenges, among which half are logic games.
STEM Value – The Roller Coaster Challenge aims to improve logical reasoning skills through solving problems and taking on challenges. It helps develop your child’s visual perception and creativity. Plus, which 6-year-old doesn’t like roller coasters?
5. Best Engineering STEM Kit for 6-Year-Olds
Why We Love It?
- Comes with colored parts that are easy to identify
- Promotes creativity and design-oriented thinking
Overview – The City Engineering Design Kit contains 89 components, ten cards, and one sticker sheet to bring the design to life. The kit lets your 6-year-old build his own skyscrapers, cranes, bridges, and other engineering structure.
STEM Value – The City Engineering Design Kit encourages your kids to be creative because it has so many building possibilities. This STEM toy aims to teach the basic principles of mechanical engineering. It also improves your child’s hand-eye coordination, critical thinking, and spatial skills.
6. Best Basic Coding Toy for 6-Year-Olds
Why We Love It?
- Easy to code for 6-year-olds
- No configurations or screens needed
Overview – If you think coding is too advanced for 6-year-olds, well, this toy may prove otherwise. Botley is one of the best STEM toys for 6-year-olds who are just starting to learn to program. Botley has the ability to detect objects and avoid obstacles, which makes it a fun toy for your child.
STEM Value – Botley helps kids improve their creativity by creating different codes and commands that will be carried out immediately. It also comes with a remote programmer, a detachable robot arm, and 40 coding cards. It’s a simple coding starter toy that is totally screen-free.
7. Best Building Block Toy for 6-Year-Olds
Why We Love It?
- It can build 25 adorable structures
- It helps inspire imagination and improve independent thinking skills
Overview – It’s no surprise that young girls love castles and fairy tales. This building block is not just a stunning toy for its appearance, but an educational puzzle set to encourage independent thinking and promote your child’s brain development.
STEM Value – Engineering toys don’t have to look dull and nerdy. This castle building block is as educational as it’s attractive. Besides teaching the basic STEM concepts, this puzzle set also works as a pretend-play toy to promote imagination.
8. Best Dinosaur STEM Toy for 6-Year-Olds
Why We Love It?
- A fun way for kids to discover and learn about dinosaurs
- Sparks curiosity and encourages kids to explore the unknown
Overview – Does your 6-year-old love dinosaurs? Well, let your little paleontologist uncover 12 different dinosaurs on her own. As one of the best STEM toys for 6-year-olds who love ancient animals, this toy set gives them the opportunity to discoveries and feel proud.
STEM Value – The Surprise Dinosaur Eggs are certified by STEM.org to have met the standards of STEM learning. Besides, it comes with full-color learning cards for your little scientist to gain a deeper understanding of dinosaurs.
9. Best Computer Kit Toy for 6-Year-Olds
My First Coding & Computer Kit
Why We Love It?
- A cost-effective way to kickstart computing and programming
- Your child can build fun projects such as binary necklaces, sorting races, etc.
Overview – This coding kit turns your home into a science lab that is filled with fun projects. With 30 plus tools and parts, your child can build science kits while learning computer science knowledge.
STEM Value – Coding is a hot subject nowadays as the world goes digital. If your child is interested in programming, this toy is a wonderful starter kit that won’t overwhelm them but instead intrigue them with unique projects. The goal of this toy is to teach the fundamentals of computer science.
10. Best Race Car STEM Toy for 6-Year-Olds
Why We Love It?
- The race car can travel fast and is convertible
- Can help promote problem-solving skills and planning skills
Overview – The Remote Control Race Car has a unique feature of turning into an offroad truck or a race car. Though it might be a bit advanced for some 6-year-olds, this toy made to our list because it teaches a wide range of STEM subjects.
STEM Value – It’s no surprise that 6-year-old boys and even girls love race cars. Letting them build their own is a fantastic way to strengthen their logical thinking skills and planning skills. Once put together, this race car can travel well on flat surfaces both indoors and outdoors.
Guide to Selecting the Best STEM Toys for 6-Year-Olds
What STEM disciplines are 6-year-olds ready to learn? It may seem a bit early for some parents to teach Engineering, Technology, and Maths for a kid who is just starting to go to school. But keep in mind that the goal is to sparkle a kid’s curiosity and train them to think logically, rather than teaching them a specific concept.
When looking for the best STEM toys for 6-year-olds, here are some tips that can help you find things that are age-appropriate and educational.
Summary
It’s exciting for parents to see their child turning into a first-grader. However, this can be stressful for your kid as he starts to face social and academic pressures from all directions. The best STEM toys for 6-year-olds should help them learn while keeping them entertained and amused. Remember, these toys are here to encourage your child to explore, not to deprive them of their playtime!
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.
