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15 Best STEM Toys for Toddlers

Updated 29 January 2021

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Author
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Daniel Booth

Daniel is our primary content producer here at TheToyZone. He is a big kid at heart and a self confessed geek. His mission is to find toys that kids will treasure, researching and writing about toys he wants to play with himself.

STEM toys have grown in popularity for older children in recent years as a way to engage them with science and technology while they’re having fun, but even younger kids can benefit. These STEM toys are aimed at helping toddlers develop motor skills and teach them how things work.

Some of them are so deceptively simple that you perhaps wouldn’t associate with a more modern concept like STEM, but they have been playing a crucial role in our development for generations. Because toddler toys need to be of the best quality possible, we’ve based our recommendations solely on reviews from real people, so you can trust them to be safe and fun.

  • 1Melissa & Doug Deluxe Jumbo Knob Wooden Puzzle - Geometric Shapes (8 pcs)

    B000FPCWXI-Melissa & Doug Deluxe Jumbo Knob Wooden Puzzle - Geometric Shapes (8 pcs)

    This simple-to-use puzzle provides toddlers with an interesting activity that helps to promote visual perception skills and hand-eye coordination. It is made from high-quality wood and it uses bright colors to help illustrate familiar shapes and objects, which helps kids learn not only colors but different shapes, as well.

    What we love

    • This puzzle set comes with a total of 25 pieces
    • It is made from extra-thick wood and has jumbo wooden knobs to make it easier to hold

    What We Don't Like That Much

    • Could be improved with the inclusion of a box for storage
  • 2Hape Creative Toddler Wooden Peg Puzzle, L: 7.8, W: 4.6, H: 7.8 inch

    B00712O1J6-Hape Creative Toddler Wooden Peg Puzzle, L: 7.8, W: 4.6, H: 7.8 inch

    This wooden peg puzzle has two ways that toddlers can play with it. It includes a total of four bases and the entire puzzle has a total of 16 pieces. The bases fit together like a jig-saw puzzle, and on each base, there is a pole with different peg arrangements that toddlers will allow the toddler to maneuver different shaped puzzle pieces onto the correct base.

    What we love

    • The bases and puzzle pieces are covered with a non-toxic finish to make them safe for toddlers
    • The bases are also a puzzle that toddlers can put together

    What We Don't Like That Much

    • Some of the shape pieces can fit on multiple base boards
  • 3Bristle Blocks by Battat – The Official Bristle Blocks – 112Piece – STEM Creativity Building Toys Dexterity Fine Motricity – Bpa Free 2 Years +

    B00CEW9BV6-Bristle Blocks by Battat – The Official Bristle Blocks – 112Piece – STEM Creativity Building Toys Dexterity Fine Motricity – Bpa Free 2 Years +

    For toddlers that enjoy building things, this set of bristle blocks are excellent because they are made from safe material and are capable of making different types of structures that some other blocks may not allow. This set comes with a total of 112 pieces and they are all different colors and sizes, which helps to promote imaginative and creative play for hours.

    What we love

    • Can be used with other bristle block sets to be able to build even larger structures
    • Comes with eight functional wheels

    What We Don't Like That Much

    • This set doesn't come with any sort of storage container for the pieces
  • 4USATDD Wooden Puzzles Brain Teasers Toy Russian Tangram Colorful Jigsaw Game Wood Puzzles Montessori Intelligence STEM Educational Gift for Baby Toddlers Kids 3 4 5 6 7 Years Old Boys Girls 40 Pcs

    B01HS1CWZ4-USATDD Wooden Puzzles Brain Teasers Toy Russian Tangram Colorful Jigsaw Game Wood Puzzles Montessori Intelligence STEM Educational Gift for Baby Toddlers Kids 3 4 5 6 7 Years Old Boys Girls 40 Pcs

    It is never too early to provide kids with a brain teaser game and this is one of the best STEM toys for toddlers. It is made from high-quality wood and designed to help improve a toddler's eye-hand coordination. It also helps them to recognize different shapes and colors. The board and the puzzle pieces are not only made from natural basswood, but they are also painted and made to have a smooth surface to ensure safety.

    What we love

    • Comes with a total of 40 puzzle pieces
    • Designed to develop visual perception skills

    What We Don't Like That Much

    • It can be challenging to find replacement pieces for this puzzle if any are ever lost
  • 5Goobi 20 Piece Construction Set Large Building Blocks Developmental Play Sticks STEM Learning Vibrant Colors Creativity Imagination 3D Puzzle Educational Toys for 1 Year Old Toddlers Preschool

    B075K1GPRG-Goobi 20 Piece Construction Set Large Building Blocks Developmental Play Sticks STEM Learning Vibrant Colors Creativity Imagination 3D Puzzle Educational Toys for 1 Year Old Toddlers Preschool

    It is never too early for a toddler to learn how to build and connect things. This construction set is designed to allow them to do just that. It contains a total of 20 jumbo pieces that are easy to hold by small toddler hands, and they are all too big to avoid them being swallowed. All of the pieces are made from high-quality plastic material, and they are all designed with vibrant colors blue, green, yellow, and red.

    What we love

    • Comes with a 100% satisfaction money-back guarantee
    • Helps with learning and developmental skills, like fine motor skills and creativity

    What We Don't Like That Much

    • The ball pieces are hard and can hurt if thrown
  • 6The Learning Journey Learn With Me - Counting Chicken - Counting, Numbers & Colors STEM Teaching Toddler Toys & Gifts for Boys & Girls Ages 2 Years and Up - Award Winning Preschool Learning Toy

    B07D7PHCH7-The Learning Journey Learn With Me - Counting Chicken - Counting, Numbers & Colors STEM Teaching Toddler Toys & Gifts for Boys & Girls Ages 2 Years and Up - Award Winning Preschool Learning Toy

    The Counting Chicken toy was designed to help toddlers learn their numbers, colors, and counting. The chicken itself is adorable and it comes with different colored eggs that have a number of dots on them to help with numbers and counting. When placing the eggs into the chicken, toddlers will be able to improve their hand-eye coordination and motor skills.

    What we love

    • Encourages problem-solving and listening skills
    • It can be played with solo or with friends

    What We Don't Like That Much

    • The egg doesn't have any sort of volume adjustment
  • 7TOP BRIGHT Preschool Learning Toys, Montessori Toys for Toddlers 1 Year Old Baby Girl Boys Gifts - STEM Educational Geometric Color Shape Sorter Stacking Games for Kids

    B07FDS2L12-TOP BRIGHT Preschool Learning Toys, Montessori Toys for Toddlers 1 Year Old Baby Girl Boys Gifts - STEM Educational Geometric Color Shape Sorter Stacking Games for Kids

    This caterpillar toy is designed to help improve a toddler's fine motor skills and it will also assist with color and shape recognition. This set is made from high-quality wood and it is colored with non-toxic paint that is safe if a toddler ever decides to put the pieces in their mouth. The toy comes in four sections and each has different puzzle pieces and shapes that are meant to go on that specific base.

    What we love

    • Makes for an excellent gift
    • The set includes four peg bases and 15 pieces of different colored shapes

    What We Don't Like That Much

    • The pegs could fall out and need to be put back in
  • 8TOP BRIGHT Dump Truck Shape Sorter Toys for Toddlers - Preschool Learning Toys for 2 3 Year Old Boys Girls Gifts

    B07FFKPN85-TOP BRIGHT Dump Truck Shape Sorter Toys for Toddlers - Preschool Learning Toys for 2 3 Year Old Boys Girls Gifts

    Toddlers are often fond of toy trucks and with this dump truck, they can have the excitement of playing with a toy truck while working on their hand-eye coordination skills by matching the wooden shaped pieces into the back of the dump truck. The truck is designed to emulate a real-life cement mixer truck, and the back of the truck is capable of spinning 360-degrees, which gives them access to the different shaped holes.

    What we love

    • The cab on the truck opens to let toddlers put the figure inside
    • It comes in seven different colored shapes

    What We Don't Like That Much

    • It does come with some smaller pieces that require supervision when playing with this truck
  • 9Yookidoo Baby Bath Toy - Spin 'N' Sprinkle Water Lab - Spinning Gear and Googly Eyes for Toddler or Baby Bath Time Sensory Development - Attaches to Any Size Tub Wall (1-3 Years)

    B07LB7J2BZ-Yookidoo Baby Bath Toy - Spin 'N' Sprinkle Water Lab - Spinning Gear and Googly Eyes for Toddler or Baby Bath Time Sensory Development - Attaches to Any Size Tub Wall (1-3 Years)

    Many toddlers still do not enjoy taking baths, which can make it a difficult task for their parents. However, this is one of the best STEM toys for toddlers because it will help to keep toddlers entertained in the bathtub and is designed to improve a toddler's time sensory development. It uses suction cups to hook to the tub wall and it comes with a couple of different accessories that will help kids with things like their numbers and hand-eye coordination.

    What we love

    • Encourages independent play
    • It is meant to help encourage physics and scientific exploration

    What We Don't Like That Much

    • The suction part on the toy might need replacing after a while
  • 10Fisher-Price Rock-a-Stack, Bat-at Ring-Stacking Toy for Infants Ages 6 Months and Older

    B07M9233QG-Fisher-Price Rock-a-Stack, Bat-at Ring-Stacking Toy for Infants Ages 6 Months and Older

    The Rock-A-Stack toy is a classical toy manufactured by Fisher-Price and it has helped generations of toddlers to develop various developmental skills, like gross motor skills and fine motor skills. The toy includes a base that rocks from side to side and it is designed to hold five rings of different sizes. Each ring is a different color, but the top ring also has a shiny surface and rattle beads on the inside.

    What we love

    • Easy to grasp by toddler's hands
    • It is made from high-quality non-toxic plastic material

    What We Don't Like That Much

    • Only one of the rings acts as a rattle
  • 11TOP BRIGHT Fine Motor Skills Toy for 2 3 Year Olds Girls and Boys Gifts - Montessori Toddlers Toy Magnetic Game, Sensory, Feeding, Preschool Learning Toys - Hungry Woodpecker Toy

    B07MV5TZTK-TOP BRIGHT Fine Motor Skills Toy for 2 3 Year Olds Girls and Boys Gifts - Montessori Toddlers Toy Magnetic Game, Sensory, Feeding, Preschool Learning Toys - Hungry Woodpecker Toy

    Toddlers need to work on their fine motor skills to ensure that their development is on track. This game is designed specifically to allow kids to work on those skills. The kids hold a handle that has a head shaped like a bird. At the tip of the beak, there is a small magnet that pulls worms out of the holes. Once they have a hold of the worm, toddlers place it into the bird's mouth in the tree.

    What we love

    • Designed to be an entertaining feeding toy for toddlers
    • Comes with a satisfaction guarantee

    What We Don't Like That Much

    • It does have magnets, which means it should be used with adult supervision
  • 12Boley Builders Electric Screwboard - STEM Toy for Kids, Toddlers - Toy Screws, Drills, Bolts - Creative and Educational Learning Toy Tool Set for Boys and Girls

    B07P19K7QW-Boley Builders Electric Screwboard - STEM Toy for Kids, Toddlers - Toy Screws, Drills, Bolts - Creative and Educational Learning Toy Tool Set for Boys and Girls

    This electric screw board was designed to help with a toddler's building and creativity skills. It will allow kids to tinker to their heart's content screwing and unscrewing bolts with a powered driver. They can make different patterns with the colored screws, which helps to promote creativity. This set comes with 60 bolts in four different colors and a power driver with two drill bits that operates on two AA batteries.

    What we love

    • This board comes with everything kids need to make different designs with the power driver and screws
    • It has a well-constructed storage container to keep the pieces together

    What We Don't Like That Much

    • Some of the pieces are small and may need adult supervision
  • 13175 Piece STEM Building Blocks, Pipe Tube Sensory Toys, Creative Tube Locks Construction Set with Wheels Baseplate, Preschool Educational Learning Toys, Present Gift for Toddler Boys Girls Aged 3+

    B07Z3FLRSN-175 Piece STEM Building Blocks, Pipe Tube Sensory Toys, Creative Tube Locks Construction Set with Wheels Baseplate, Preschool Educational Learning Toys, Present Gift for Toddler Boys Girls Aged 3+

    This is the ultimate STEM building set and will allow kids to build different structures and vehicles to their heart's content. The set comes with a total of 175 pipe tube pieces and they are all different vibrant colors. The pieces range from straight pieces to wheels, to t-shaped connection pieces that help to bring structures together.

    What we love

    • All of the blocks in this set are made from high-quality material
    • Compatible with most major building brick brands

    What We Don't Like That Much

    • The set doesn't come with any sort of building idea instructions
  • 14Ancistro Balance Counting Monkey Games- Cool Math STEM Preschool Learning Educational Toys for 3 4 5 Years Old Cool Math Educational Kindergarten, Numbers Counting Game for Girls & Boys

    B0874CVK3F-Ancistro Balance Counting Monkey Games- Cool Math STEM Preschool Learning Educational Toys for 3 4 5 Years Old Cool Math Educational Kindergarten, Numbers Counting Game for Girls & Boys

    This game is designed to help toddlers learn how to balance and count and it utilizes adorable monkeys to do so. It will help with counting and basic math skills and it is one of the best ways to promote interactive learning. All pieces of the game are made from high-quality ABS plastic material that is both non-toxic and tasteless, which is perfect for toddlers that still like putting things to their mouth.

    What we love

    • This game is designed to be easy to play and setup
    • Comes with 65 pieces in total, including 19 monkeys and 30 double-sided cards

    What We Don't Like That Much

    • The game has to be played on a flat surface and doesn't work well on carpet flooring
  • 15Matching Letter Game Learning Toys Gifts for Kids, Educational Toys for 3+ Year Old Boys Girls, Sight Word Flash Cards for Kindergarten Homeschool, Spelling Learning Games Activities for Toddlers

    B08GPMDXK1-Matching Letter Game Learning Toys Gifts for Kids, Educational Toys for 3+ Year Old Boys Girls, Sight Word Flash Cards for Kindergarten Homeschool, Spelling Learning Games Activities for Toddlers

    It is never too soon for toddlers to start to learn basic sight words, math, and other things. With this matching letter game, they can work on all of these things at the same time. This game includes 32 double-sided learning cards that contain different animals and things and a math problem dealing with each one for toddlers to work through.

    What we love

    • Easy to use for toddlers
    • It is made from high-quality and non-toxic material

    What We Don't Like That Much

    • You can't purchase any other card packs for the set