The Top 6 STEM Toys for 3-year-olds

Do you want to cultivate your toddler’s curiosity and creativity? Would you like to broaden your little one’s sense of imagination? In this post, we will list our top recommended STEM toys for 3-year-olds. But before we go into details, let’s first explore what these educational toys are.

What are STEM toys?

“STEM” is the acronym that stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. The primary purpose of STEM toys is to help children develop essential skills that will become necessary when the time comes for them to face the real world. These toys represent simplified versions of real-life challenges. For example, building kits teach kids about engineering and putting things together.

Children’s learning can be more engaging, fun, and interactive with STEM toys. They simplify complicated science, technology, engineering, and math concepts into age-appropriate activities that children can understand more easily.

Our list of recommended STEM Toys for 3-Year-Olds

Magnetic Construction Toys

Historically, many engineering-themed toys have been geared toward boys. But more recently, many toy manufacturers have begun to offer beautiful and colorful sets for both girls and boys. A great example is magnetic construction toys, which provide 3-year-olds with plenty of opportunities to hone their problem-solving and motor skills.

A construction set effectively enriches your child’s creativity because it requires critical thinking, creating, and building. At the tender age of three years, children have incredible imaginations. Playing with building toys is a great way to trigger their growing curiosity.

Cash Register Toys

Playing make-believe is another great way for your child’s imagination to soar. Combine this with a STEM toy, and your child’s play session will become even more educational. These kinds of toys can teach your child the basics of math by practicing counting items and money. Enacting cash register scenarios also provide opportunities to learn about the value of honesty by learning about spending money. 

Magnifying toys

This type of toy is as simple as it gets. Toys that magnify objects and sights give kids a chance to see things in finer detail. As toddlers observe their surrounding environment, it can be fun to give them a tool to help magnify plants, rocks, and insects, as it further encourages their curiosity and increases their interest in science. With younger children, it’s best to purchase a magnifying lens that’s shatterproof and easy to grip.

Coding toys

Believe it or not, children as young as toddlers can be taught some basic concepts of coding, robotics, and computer processes. 

A good example is coding caterpillars. By connecting segments, this type of toy enables your youngster to decide which direction it will go. This is an excellent tool for enhancing your child’s developing fine motor skills. There are countless combinations that your child can produce.

Block sets

Just like magnifying toys mentioned above, block sets are simple toys that teach children the basics of engineering concepts and problem-solving skills. Children can explore the names and uses of different buildings and bridges as they design their own structures. Doing so allows them to discover which types of foundations are solid and which ones are unstable.

By playing with blocks, children also learn about numbers and measurements. They discover basic mathematical concepts such as shapes, numbers, counting, and arithmetic. They can also combine and sort figures based on similarities and differences.

Science kits

Children are curious by nature. You can empower their inquisitive minds and critical thinking skills through the use of science kits. These types of toys set them on the path to making good decisions by asking key questions. Science kits teach children the power of observation. They may not become professionals in the science field when they grow up, but such activities will encourage them to test and prove their hypotheses.

Enhance their innate curiosity and encourage them to follow their instincts. 

Before your purchase STEM toys for 3-year-olds…

There are three considerations when selecting a STEM toy for your little one:

• Is it age-appropriate? Sometimes, parents want to save money by purchasing items designed for older children. This practice is not applicable when buying STEM toys. Age recommendation labels are there for a reason. They tell you which toys are safe for your children and suitable for their development stage.
• Does it pique your child’s interest? Ask yourself, “Does my child gravitate to a certain kind of toy?”  before purchasing a STEM toy. It may not be a valuable learning tool if your child has no interest in it. Let children take the lead when choosing what types of toys to buy.
• Is it interactive? Choose a STEM toy that creates a lot of possibilities. The process of building and rebuilding a toy in a variety of manners promotes increased development and maturation for children.

Young Scholars Academy has a collection of STEM toys for 3-year-olds. Contact us today for more information!