Welcome to our article featuring the the best Marble run sets on the market. We’ve created a product roundup to make shopping easier for you. These products have been curated by considering features, benefits, quality, price, and consumer feedback.

We also have plenty of sections to help you decide what kind of marble set is right for your child, and how to choose one.

Are Marble Runs More than Just a Toy?

Science, technology, math, and engineering–more commonly known as STEM–are all rapidly growing sectors in the economy. In fact, STEM jobs are predicted to increase at a 17% rate, while non-STEM jobs are increasing at a rate of less than 10%. 

You’re probably thinking, “What does that have to do with my kids? And what in the world does that have to do with marble runs?” 

STEM education can start early, and it doesn’t have to start in schools! We love a great toy that doubles as a learning opportunity. Marble runs and marble race games are great ways to teach critical thinking skills, patience, spatial awareness, cooperation, hand-eye coordination, and more–all great tools that can spark an interest in STEM!

Lots of toy companies have picked up on this desire for educational toys, so there are tons of marble runs out there to choose from. Don’t fret! We’ve made it easier by narrowing down the options and compiling this list of the 10 best marble runs in 2019!

Things to Look For in a Good Marble Run Set

You’ll notice that there are a lot of standard features that most, but not all, marble runs have. 

Marble Racing Games

Some marble runs double as marble racing games. What that means is that once a track is built (and there are usually dozens of possible tracks per set), builders can engage with friends, parents, and siblings in a marble race! Separate tracks will carry three or more marbles at the same time, and the player whose marble reaches the exit first wins.

Marble racing games are ideal for families who already love board games or any interactive toy that brings the whole family together!

Marble Sizes and Materials

Most of the tracks on this list (with two noted exceptions) will fit standard sized marbles, which means that you can easily order extras in case more or desired or you lose your marbles.

Most included marbles will be made of glass, but some are made of plastic. Plastic marbles are notably slower, due to their lighter weight, which means parents might want to invest in a separate purchase of standard, glass marbles. 

Number and Material of Pieces

One of the biggest differences in the sets we’ve picked is the number of included pieces. Marble run games with more pieces are typically more suitable for older children because they require more patience and skill to assemble.

Most of the time, a marble run will come with translucent pieces that allow players to watch exactly where their marbles go and how quickly they tumble. A few, however, do not have translucent pieces, and this may be seen as a drawback for some parents and kids!

Now, let’s take a look at the best marble runs on the market in 2019! 

10 Best Marble Runs in 2020: Choosing the Best Marble Set

Here are our options for the 10 Best Marble Runs for your family.

Kids ages 3 and up can build a multi-track run from the 126 pieces that come with the Thinkbox Marble Run. With up to 3 starting places, building is only half the fun. This marble run doubles as a marble race game! 

This set comes with plastic LED light-up marbles! Kids can watch them blink as they race down the translucent, multicolored tubes.  

Kids ages 3 and up can build tons of different tracks with the 120 run blocks that come with the WTOR Marble Run Super Set. The run blocks are on the larger size, allowing for marble runs up to 2 feet tall. Once the run is constructed, get ready for marble racing with up to 3 starting places!

This set comes with instructions for a few different setups, although the possibilities are endless. Plus, you’ll get 96 plastic marbles and a storage box for quick and easy cleanup!

The ThinkFun Gravity Maze is designed for kids 8 and up, testing not only their creativity but their logic! The goal is to create a maze that will carry your three included metal marbles from the starting position to a target tower, designated by included playing cards.

Each set comes with 60 cards with challenges for beginners all the way up to experts. Don’t expect that your child will be creating tall towers with this one–it’s all about logic and critical thinking with this set!

Because the Marble Galaxy Track has 4 designated track-building combinations, it’s probably best for younger kids who are new to marble racing games! 

Each set comes with an instruction manual showing kids (and parents) how to use the 70 multi-colored, translucent building blocks to make increasingly difficult marble runs. It comes with 20 glass marbles and a storage case for fast and easy clean up! 

Every Marble Genius marble run toy comes with a download to the free instruction app. This app is compatible with any smartphone or tablet and is regularly updated to include new and exciting marble run tracks!

Each set, made for children 3 and up, comes with 100 translucent, multi-colored pieces. They can be combined with any other Marble Genius brand marble run to create even more possibilities! Also included are 15 glass marbles.

MindWare makes a variety of marble runs with extras we haven’t seen other places. One of their sets even features a motorized elevator! But our most favorite is their Aqua Maze.

The Aqua Maze water marble run features vertical water wheels and lots of spraying functions. MindWare has created this marble run for kids to enjoy engineering in a new way.

If you’re looking for a marble run for your younger child, the Ranphykx set is the perfect choice. It features large building blocks, and marble run attachments that add some extra fun to the normal building fun.

The set comes with some great building suggestions- but the most fun is creating things on your own with your child in order to encourage thinking outside of the lines!

Almost every marble run toy says it is designed for children ages 3 and up, but the Klobrov Building Blocks Kit is truly ideal for younger kiddos. The track is constructed of 135 bulky, easy-fit blocks that are great for little hands.

One notable difference between this set and the others we’ve included on this list is that rather than small glass or plastic marbles, Klobrov gives you four large plastic balls that are purposefully made to cut down on choking hazards. 

Not unlike the Klobrov, the CUOUMOXA Marble Run is best suited to younger children with its bulky building blocks. It comes with 97 pieces, but the track is bigger than the Klobrov. Bigger can mean more interactive, prompting your child to stand and move about to see the track from every angle!

Each set, made for kids ages 3 and up, comes with 4 large plastic balls.

If you’re looking for the perfect combination of STEM and imagination, the SpringFlower Fairy Tale Automatic Marble Run set with building blocks is just the best. Featuring a fun and creative design, this marble run is one of a kind and will bring amazing opportunities for creative story play.

Benefits of Marble Runs

We’ve touched on the fact that marble runs are great STEM toys because they can develop certain skills that will be useful to STEM learners and workers. STEM learning is important. But why start early and with fun, encouraging, and interactive games?

By the time children reach their freshman year of high school, almost 30% declare an interest in STEM-related studies. However, by the time they graduate, nearly 60% of those students have lost that interest. 

We believe that encouraging children from a young age to explore STEM-related activities can build a lifelong interest in science, technology, engineering, and math. In other words, providing your child with fun learning opportunities can set them up for success! 

Does your child have a passion for STEM? Do you want to see more STEM toys on our site? Contact us and let us know!

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