Coding & STEM Gifts for 2021
Every year companies try to grab your child’s attention with the latest and greatest toys.
We try to take a step further; however, because we’re also parents. We know that educational toys are most useful when your child plays with them more than once. So we’ve chosen toys that have a high “stickiness factor” — either our own children or those children in our classes have enjoyed playing with these toys over and over again.
We’re also a big fan of LEGO toys for any age level. While we’ve included a few from the Education lineup below, any LEGO set is a great learning tool for kids.
Ages 3-7
This bot is super fast and rugged (which makes it great for K-2 coders). Your students can use the Sphero Edu app to control and program Ollie to perform various tasks. Plus, the pill shape makes it much easier to tell which direction the robot is facing.
LEGO® Education WeDo 2.0 Core Set
We use these same sets in our K-2 classes. Build robots and control them via an app on a tablet. Your child will be able to learn how to manipulate the robots using loops, sounds, and events.
Unfortunately, Lego is retiring this set this year so the price has jumped a few hundred bucks. It’s still a great set but not quite the value it once was.
The new set is here: Lego Spike Prime Essentials. We haven’t used it yet, but knowing Lego, it’s probably a great set with great support through the Lego Education website.
LEGO® BricQ Motion Essentials Kit
Want a low-tech version of the same Lego learning? Try this set! Pulleys, gears, slides, and more will allow your kids to build, learn, and modify.
We used this set during the e-learning months of 2020 and had multiple projects to keep our kids engaged. There is a ton of support on Lego Education’s website to continue learning.
We’ve used Jack, the fully programmable robot mouse, during workshops with Kindergarten students. Students can quickly start giving step-by-step instructions to complete challenges that come with the kit. No tablet or computer needed!
Coding Toys for Ages 8-12
These tough, round bots are a step up from the Ollie’s above. They’re not quite as fast but have tons of sensors and customization options. Ms. Mikayla loves using them in our classes.
You might also consider this terrain park ($19.99) that gives your child more play options. Plus, who doesn’t love a good ramp?
littleBits are a great introduction to circuits. They’re similar to snap circuits but my kids have enjoyed playing more with the littleBits. The pieces hook together with tiny magnets and can be re-configured many different ways. There are many kits available but these are two of the best deals for starters.
LEGO® Education MINDSTORMS® EV3
For years, this set has been the standard for robotics education. Like the WeDo 2.0, Lego has retired this set this year. You can still find it on Amazon, though, and the attachments, software support, and expansion packs are all top-notch. We recommend finding projects online to keep your kids engaged after the first few builds.
The updated set is the Lego Education Spike Prime. We have not used this set yet, though, but are excited about the tight integration with Scratch.
Another great option is to enroll your child in an online class. We recommend Udemy, Outschool, and Teachable to find anything your child is interested in learning.
We’re biased but we think our online courses are some of the best out there and are working to add more:
Outschool – Upcoming live virtual classes
You can also reach out to us via our Contact page to order gift certificates for our in-person classes in Muncie.
Gift Idea for Teen Coders
We once wrote a post about purchasing or selecting a refurbished laptop for your child. This is a great idea if your son or daughter has never owned a computer before. Computers allow your child to use advanced programs like Unity, build websites, or do more complex computer programming.
This is a great all-in-one VR headset. That means it doesn’t require a computer to render the graphics inside the display. Up to this point, there hasn’t been a ton of VR content. However, that is starting to change and your child can access an app store from within the headset.
Bonus: your child can also create content to load within the headset. Check out this article from Oculus that tells you how to get started with Unity 3D.
We used this drone for our Tech-Spark Weekend last summer and the kids had a blast learning about it. Not only is it a great little drone with video capabilities, you can also use an app called DroneBlocks to actually program the flight path: Up 1 ft->Forward 2ft->Hover->Down 1 ft.
Have your kids take a “dronie” (selfie with a drone).
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