It’s getting down to the final days before Christmas, and if you’re still looking for any last minute gifts that are fun and educational, we’ve got you covered! These gifts are not only good for the holidays, but for birthdays too!
In 2018, it is predicted there will be over 2.4 million jobs in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) related fields that will remain unfulfilled. Most of these jobs come with great pay, great benefits and exciting opportunities for growth. These are future jobs for your children, but it’s important to get them excited about these fields early.
As the workforce changes, just like it did in the early days of automation, we will begin to see more and more STEM jobs. These fields saw a 24% increase in job growth within the last decade, while non-STEM jobs only saw a 4% increase. More and more schools, community groups, and families are focused on STEM and early childhood development.
This is a trend that is only growing. So, when you are considering what to buy your child this holiday season, it is good to keep in mind that toy manufacturers are creating products and programs specifically designed to promote an interest in various aspects of STEM fields.
Parents everywhere are turning to STEM games and toys to help teach these critical skills to students during their early years to get a head start on developing these skills. Below are some of the top 5 toys that will help your children get ahead early in life.
These toys are a set of magnetic shapes designed for kids in the earliest stages of educational development. They give kids an early introduction to engineering concepts by allowing them to design highly creative 3-D models and are specifically designed to fit into kids’ small hands.
This nifty kit comes with 100 blocks in 4 colors and 9 shapes. The kit is designed to promote motor skills and to foster creativity through the endless variety of shapes that can be built by interlocking the various blocks.
Edushape Magic Shapes Foam Building Blocks
This box of flexible shapes is perfect for children to build and design basically anything. The shapes interlock with each other so kids can build anything from houses to cars, to robots. This gift is for kids around preschool age. In addition to the creativity this toy offers, it also helps grow fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
Fisher-Price Think & Learn Code-a-Pillar 
This tool was one of the first on the market specifically designed to interest young kids in the fields of science, robotics, and coding. Kids are able to utilize specific segments that control the Code-a-Pillar’s movements. Helping them to problem solve, rearranging the pieces and getting the toy to move where they want.
Lego Boost Creative Toolbox and Coding Kit
This wonderful toolbox starts traditional Legos as the foundation. Kids can build several robot models including a cat, a car, or a guitar. The set itself is paired with an app that controls the final robot the child constructs. Once built, kids can move the robots around and control things like lights and motion. This toy set was specifically designed to generate interest in skills like coding.
While there are hundreds of great toys out there, these are just a few of the toys we picked to promote an interest in core STEM skills that will help your child excel in these subjects in school and eventually the myriad of job opportunities those fields offer. This holiday season you can give your kid the chance to not only have fun with some truly interesting toys but to master these core STEM skills too!
