Twice and a Blue Moon

I’ve recently become very fond of STEM toys in our house. This isn’t because of some article I read or study that I’ve found. I could pretend to be a better advocate for childhood development and open ended toys yadda yadda but lying isn’t my forte. While I am positive that there are a multitude of logical and sound reasons for encouraging  learning focused STEM play, my biggest motivator has been getting the loud toys out of my house and replacing them with toys that are both quiet and engage my children for longer than 2 minutes, you know because SANITY. And it just so happens that many STEM toys meet both of those basic requirements. I have about lost my damn mind over my children digging through their toy box, spewing toys all over the house, none of them actually catching their attention and all of them singing some sort of cutesty song about life on a farm, running a race, twinkle twinkle little star and so on as they rain hellfire upon me. In an effort to reclaim some of my sanity and to stop wasting money on toys that really don’t get much love anyways, I’ve made it my goal to shift our toy cupboards from toys that make you want to scream to toys that make you want to think.

So here is our family lists of our top 10 hit toys for your favorite Preschooler. All Toy Name Titles include links to the toy on Amazon.

1. Educational Insights Design & Drill Take-Along Toolkit

Recommended Ages: 3-6 years
Approved by: My 2.5 & 4.5 year old

Mess Potential: Low
Noise Potential: Medium

Why they love it: Both of my boys, like most young uns are fiddlers. How does this open? Which way does that turn? They also are both very interested in dad’s tools. This toy scratches the itch to play with a power drill with all of the fun and none of the danger.

Why I love it: This toy was unwrapped on Christmas morning and was immediately the star of the show. Some parental guidance was required to get them started but each boy spent significant time drilling all of the screws in and then all of the screws out multiple times that day and since. And since there are enough screws to fill both sides of the handy dandy carrying case and different bits to attach to the drill that is a whole lotta mama having peace time.

2. Kidwerkz Dinosaur Take Apart With Tools, Construction Engineering Toy Play Set

Recommended Ages: 3 years and up
Approved by: My 2.5 & 4.5 year old

Mess Potential: Low
Noise Potential: Low

Why they love it: Dinosaurs are big in this house. What is it about toddlers and dinosaurs? I don’t know. But whatever it is it is working. Add in the ability to use a screwdriver and they are both happy campers.

Why I love it: I am forever looking for toys that I can throw in the backpack to accompany us to restaurants or doctor visits. This toy fits the bill. Small enough to drag along, makes no noises, and simple to clean with disinfectant if it falls on the floor at the Children’s hospital. Boom.

3. Blagoo Building Blocks Suction DIY Car Toy Set

Recommended Ages: 3 years and up
Approved by: My 2.5 & 4.5 year old

Mess Potential: Medium
Noise Potential: Low

Why they love it: Building blocks are cool and all but I’ve found that any simple twist on the building concept makes them even cooler. These suction cups stick to the sliding glass doors or the tables or each other and are equally fun to throw all over the room if you are 2 and surly.

Why I love it: In a house where every toy is bound to become a projectile at some point I first and foremost appreciate the low injury potential that comes with these suction blocks. I also like how this toy makes you think. Even I’m sitting there like, “wonder what I can stick this to?”

4. Toy Car and Ball Tunnel Ramp Race Track

Recommended Ages:18 months – 8 years
Approved by: My 2.5 & 4.5 year old

Mess Potential: Low
Noise Potential: Low

Why they love it: Over the past few years we have collected an absurd amount of matchbox cars but they very quickly lost their appeal as they don’t really “do” anything. Once the boys understood the concept of this tube every old race car was new again and suddenly exciting. As was pretty much any toy small enough to fit through the opening of the tube.

Why I love it:I know you are looking at this toy thinking, “seriously? $20 for a tube?” I get it. But much like the ol’ joke that the best gift you can give a kid is a box, I promise that this tube is worth every penny.

5. Edushape Marbulous Marble Run

Recommended Ages: 4 years and up
Approved by: My 2.5 (with a lot of supervision) & 4.5 year old

Mess Potential: High
Noise Potential: Med

Why they love it: I don’t think there has been a single other toy that has entertained both of my children simultaneously for a longer period of time than this marble run. While mom and dad actually completed the construction of the run, it was the kids who couldn’t stop adding more and more marbles to the mix over and over and over and you get the idea.
Why I love it:This was a toy that really brought a lot of joy to our family night and which I hope will continue to entertain as the boys get older and become more skilled at the assembly portion of play. Other than my mild anxiety of having voluntarily allowed a bag of marbles into this house this was the equivalent of a toy home run.

6. Spirograph Junior

Recommended Ages: 3 years and up
Approved by: My 4.5 year old

Mess Potential: Low
Noise Potential: Low

Why they love it: My 2.5 year old is not really into drawing much so this toy has not peaked his interest one bit but my 4.5 year old loves being able to make complicated and crisp designs with ease. He also loves the fact that there are different colored markers that came with it AND I bought him his own set of colored gel pens to also add to the novelty.
Why I love it: Talk about nostalgia! Spirograph is a toy I remember loving myself as a kid. It encourages creativity, keeps the pen on the paper and off the tables AND it’s sooooo quiet. The Trifecta! In fact, this spirograph is currently babysitting entertaining my 4 year old as I finish up this post in peace and quiet. Can I get an “Amen?”

7. Learning Resources Gears! Gears! Gears!

Recommended Ages: 3 -10 years
Approved by: My 4.5 year old

Mess Potential: High
Noise Potential: Low

Why they love it: This toy has not peaked my 2.5 yr old’s interests but it’s one that is making my 4 year old’s wheels turn every time we bring it out. There is no right or wrong way to build with these gears and by the tongue sticking out in this picture I think it’s clear to say that my kid is working his own gears while playing with these gears.
Why I love it: This is a toy set that can grow with the child. There are enough add ons available to keep this toy fresh for years to come. And bonus! It comes with it’s own case which has so far successfully encouraged me and my son to pick up after we play and keep the pieces together, a tradition I hope I can keep going.

8. Magnetic Stick N Stack SHAPE MAGS

Recommended Ages: 3 years and up
Approved by: My 2.5 and 4.5 year old

Mess Potential: Medium
Noise Potential: Low

Why they love it: Magnets make building stacks and towers easy and fun. This is another twist on the basic block. They love making high towers and then knocking them over with gusto. In my house it’s building by the 4 year old and destruction by the two year. That’s freakin’ teamwork!
Why I love it: This is a toy I recommend every family try. The magnet portion makes stacking fun for toddlers and the magnets also make design more fun for older preschoolers. And I must admit I don’t even mind picking these toys up. I just walk around with one in my hand and let the magnet do the bulk of the work! Ta-da!

9. Toddler Lacing & Stringing Beads

Recommended Ages: 3 years and up
Approved by: My 2.5 and 4.5 year old

Mess Potential: Medium
Noise Potential: Low

Why they love it: Stringing things is a fun activity for most preschool aged children. Both of my boys enjoyed pouring the beads out on the carpet (there is your only mess potential right there) and stringing beads to make “necklaces” for mommy.
Why I love it: Like so many of the toys we have been drawn to lately, the simplest concepts are often the best for focus. This toy had both boys tuned in on the task at hand. Mama didn’t need to be tagged in for anything other that tying a bead at the end of each string to keep the next one from falling off as they strung.

10. Dig It Up! Dinosaur Eggs

Recommended Ages: 4 years and up
Approved by: My 4.5 year old

Mess Potential: Medium
Noise Potential: Low

Why they love it: This is like the ultimate hatchimal activity without the crying needy toy at the end. And for a fraction of the price. Inside each egg is hidden one of 12 different dinosaurs. My preschooler and I took turns chipping away at each egg with anticipation. While my 2.5 year old was too young to participate he was all eyes waiting to see what we would find.
Why I love it: When I was a kid I was a sucker for toys like Puppy Surprise where you knew you were getting puppies but you didn’t know exactly how many or what they would like. This is a similar twist but with the added fun of getting to work a little for the big reveal. I had just as much fun digging in the fossils as my 4 year old did.

*One thing I will caution when moving into the STEM world of toys, is to be forewarned that they often involve lots of pieces! Great for little minds, not so great for your living room play area.  As we have made the shift from Playskool to Preschool I have cleared out some shelves and invested in lots of Tupperware bins to help keep our activities organized and so I can easily put them away when play is done. Any toy left out unattended is sure to be scattered from one of my home to the next in the time it takes me to take a quick bathroom run.  I do miss the ease of being able to scoop all the toys on the ground up and just dump them in the nearest toy box but I can’t deny that little kid minds love something they can build with or take apart much more than a fake cell phone that sings the alphabet (and those fake cell phones aren’t fooling any kid.)  

Happy playing!