Technology is ever changing and it’s hard to keep up. While I limit screen time and other devices in my children’s day, I want to encourage skills such as science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), but let’s face it–standards, reading dry textbooks, and boring lectures aren’t a way to help our kids learn. Being natural scientists, children love hands-on projects and a whole Learning approach. Easily implemented at home, the new STEM programs make learning fun. Need fresh ideas?
Lego Duplo
Legos are awesome, and they hold my children’s interests for a long time. Of course, you don’t want to get your early learner small legos since they’re choking hazards, but Lego Duplos are a win! Playing with legos enhances your child’s imagination and creativity through engineering their custom places, spaces, and creations. Legos also build mathematical skills through colors, counting, and patterns.
A Primary Science Kit
As I mentioned above, children are little scientists, and early childhood is all about discovery and learning from the environment. Foster this learning through science without your kids even knowing. Primary science kits include goggles, magnifying glasses, and plastic test tubes. Your little learners can enjoy their backyard while learning about the flowers, bugs, and worms in their habitat.
Talking Telescope
Educational Insights has a great talking telescope that allows kids to peer through and look at over 200 different slides. As your child looks at the “pictures,” they learn facts about planets, animals, and plants. They can even answer questions about the slides.
Fisher Price Think and Learn Code-a-Pillar
Computers and technology are here to stay. Much like piecing codes together to make a computer work, the Code-a-Pillar allows kids to connect segments of the caterpillar together to make it move left and right or back and forth. Children learn letter recognition, categorization, and object properties, and have fun while building their knowledge.
Green Kids Crafts Subscription Boxes
Everyone loves getting stuff in the mail especially boxes of fun! Green Kids Crafts subscription boxes are geared for ages 4-10. Each box comes with a science theme in which kids can do up to 8 different STEM projects.
Count Along Cash Register
Make believe and pretending are great ways for kids to learn. Money skills are crucial, and while they’re learning how to work the cash register, your early childhood learners will have so much fun pretending to be a cashier, they won’t realize they’re learning how to count money, make change, and understanding core math concepts.
Learning Resources Code and Go Robot Mouse
This cool toy is an excellent way to teach early learners about coding and technology. Kids can engineer a maze, and program a step by step path into their programmable mouse using coding cards. As your child learns sequence, coding, and cause and effect, they will love watching their crazy mouse whip through mazes to find the cheese.
Have you started STEM learning in your home? Christmas is the perfect time to get STEM toys in your home. If you haven’t added these seven best toys for early childhood to your Christmas list, you need to!
For more gift guides for your family this Christmas, make sure to check out iHN, where several bloggers share their absolute favorite guide ideas:
Christmas Blessing Giveaway
Speaking of the Christmas season, it’s time for the annual Christmas Blessing Giveaway.
Just as we wrapped up the November giveaways for Young Living essential oils and Usborne Books, I have a couple of great giveaways in store for you in December, both of which would have been impossible if not for the team of 25 bloggers joining forces to bring you one fantastic prize!
$500 Paypal cash to be exact! I don’t think I’ve ever been a part of such a massive giveaway! Whether you decide to use this money for fulfilling your kids’ Christmas lists, paying off a bill, or saving for a rainy day, it’s exciting to know that someone will be blessed. After hosting giveaways for years and knowing the hearts behind the bloggers who offer them, we are as excited about notifying them as they are to hear they’ve won!
How to enter? Keep reading!
I know it can seem tedious and time-consuming to go through all the entries, so take your time.
Who knows, maybe you will find some new blogs to follow?
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The winner will be notified by email shortly after the giveaway ends and will have 48 hours to respond to claim the prize, or the rafflecopter will generate another winner. You must have a Paypal account to win.
While you’re here, be sure to grab this month’s free Advent calendar and 25 Christmas printables to stay on top of shopping.
The post The 7 Best STEM Toys for Early Childhood and $500 Giveaway appeared first on A Mama's Story.
