The holiday season is fast approaching, which is why we were so happy to find Purdue University’s Engineering Gift Guide, which is a list of toys, games, books and apps to encourage engineering thinking and design for kids ages 2 and up. Here are our favorites from the Purdue’s much more comprehensive list.
For kids 2 and up, this helps them develop basic programming skills.
This designed to improve spatial reasoning and motor skills in toddlers and older kids.
3. Q-bitz Jr.
This mix-and-match game for ages 3 and up will familiarize your kid with patterns, and hone their problem-solving skills.
4. 1-2-3 Build It! Car — Plane — Boat
Is it a plane, a car, or a boat? You decide — and figure out which one to build, and how. Its for kids 3 and up.
This 29-piece magnetic construction set helps build critical thinking skills in kids ages 2 and up.
The name of this game, for kids 6 and up, says it all. Your kids can learn how to build their own roller coasters. What could be more fun (other than riding on an actual roller coaster)?
7. Rosie Revere’s Big Project Book For Bold Engineers
This one, for kids 3 and up, is my personal favorite, because the activity book encourages girls’ interest in science and engineering.
These magnetic tiles are more about design than STEM — encouraging creativity, artistry and imagination in kids ages 5 and up.
For the creatively inclined child, 5 and up, this game focuses on creating melodies and compositions.
This is a programming game that builds up logic skills in order to activate robots. It’s for slightly older kids — 11 and up. And what 11-year-old doesn’t like robots?
This game, not on the Purdue list, is definitely the most sophisticated of the bunch — and perhaps the one you’ll enjoy the most as a family (and you know, for yourself). Because you get to build and customize your own Bluetooth speaker. Seriously.
