Thinking about buying a STEM robot kit? Whether you are buying a STEM robot kit for yourself or as a gift for someone, make sure to read this guide first!
To make sure of this, it is best to understand what to look for in a STEM robot kit before you buy. And this complete guide to the best STEM robotics kits will tell you everything you need to know.
What Is STEM?
STEM is an acronym that stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics in education as well as fields of work. It is an umbrella term that can refer to various educational subjects, career paths, and activities.
What Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics have in common is that they are all subjects that involve innovation, working with numbers, using technology, problem-solving, logic, and trial and error.
Therefore, STEM is also a method of learning and developing various skills.
When STEM is listed on a product, book, or academic course, it will involve using Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.
What Are The Benefits Of STEM?
For children, the main benefit of STEM is that it teaches and builds skills in science and mathematics, technical proficiency, problem-solving, creativity, building and engineering, logical thinking, methodology, and lots more.
Depending on the activity or source of learning, this can involve one, several, or all of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) subjects.
A range of careers can come out of STEM learning at a young age, especially jobs that involve mental, technical, and mathematical challenges.
These include becoming a scientist, programmer, coder, engineer, mechanic, architect, designer, and more.
Overall, the benefits of STEM are that it is useful for developing children’s cognitive functions and creative skills.
STEM Robot Kits – What Are They?
STEM robot kits are DIY kits that provide all the components to assemble your own robot using STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). These kits are highly educational as well as fun!
STEM robotics kits come in various designs for different age ranges, and can be either simple or complex to build and assemble. In general, STEM robot kits involve a mixture of building, engineering, wiring, and programming for different ability levels.
As STEM robots are fun to build, they are available for kids as educational toys. If you have a child in your family who has a particular interest in Lego, Roblox, or any kind of activity that involves building and using imagination, the next step might be to get them a STEM robot!
Buying The Best STEM Robotics Kits – What To Look For
STEM robotics kits come in all shapes and sizes, with different designs, features, technical aspects, age ranges, and prices. They can be simple DIY assembly kits for budding young engineers, or advanced robot builds that involve various technical challenges.
While STEM robots are not cheap, they make unique gifts for kids that are also highly educational and lots of fun.
So, before you buy a STEM robot kit, especially if you are buying one as a gift, it is important to make sure you know exactly what to look for!
Below is everything you need to take into consideration when buying any STEM robotics kit.
The best STEM robot kits will challenge a child’s creativity and cognition, while sending their imaginations wild!
Versatility
Did you know some STEM robotics kits can be assembled to create different designs?
By choosing a multifunctional STEM robot kit, you can further challenge your child’s skills in a way that lets them deassemble and reassemble the various pieces into new models and robot designs over and over again.
Not only does this provide more of a rewarding challenge, but this can extend the enjoyment they get out of the kit. If the possibilities of the STEM kit are endless, then so is their ability to learn!
So, when looking at STEM robotics kits, have a look to see if the kit itself can build multiple designs from the pieces included.
Age Range
It can be difficult to choose the right STEM robot kit going by age range alone, as we want something that will provide a good challenge without being frustratingly hard. If it is too hard to build, you run the risk of leaving your child discouraged.
You can use the recommended age range on any STEM robot kit as a guide, then follow your judgment in regard to their cognitive ability.
If your child is competent at completing jigsaw puzzles, Lego models, and other creative tasks with ease, you might want to choose a kit that involves more technical aspects, such as basic electrics.
All in all, STEM robotics kits are diverse in age range, available for as young as three years. Educational Value
All STEM robotics kits provide good educational value. Think of them as Lego building blocks, except with other challenges thrown in, such as setting up lights and sounds, wiring, and moving mechanics.
However, it is still worth checking out how the STEM robotics kit is built to have an idea of what your child will learn, as well as the overall difficulty of the kit itself.
Most online stores and sellers will provide the details on how the STEM robot kit is assembled, plus the skills and knowledge it will teach.
You can also find out how educational the STEM robotics kit will be for your child by searching for the official instructions of the kit online, or watching a step-by-step video of its assembly.
Technical Features
STEM robots kits can be quite technical, therefore it is important to know what the kit involves in terms of its assembly.
In addition to general building and assembly (putting pieces together), STEM robotics kits can involve power (batteries and wiring), motorized components, coding and programming, as well as external connections, such as controlling with the use of an app or piece of software.
While these can indicate how complex the STEM robot kit is to build, it is also a measure of how stimulating and enjoyable the kit will be!
For example, if you have a child who enjoys a challenge, then you might want to introduce them to a technical aspect that they are yet to experience.
This is what is great about STEM robotics kits – that they have the capacity to learn through play!
Imagination And Creative Stimulation
All STEM robotics kits are perfect for sending your child’s imagination wild, as well as stimulating the way they think in a creative capacity.
When looking for a STEM robotics kit, have a think about how it might stimulate your child’s imagination and creativity.
This can be through the technical challenges the kit presents, or how enjoyable the fully assembled robot is to interact with and play with.
There are STEM robot kits that are based on fictional robot characters or cars in popular movies (more focus on being toys), as well as STEM robot kits that can be assembled in various different ways from the pieces the kit provides.
This allows endless possibilities and building variations!
All in all, how stimulating the STEM robot kit is for your child’s creativity and imagination is something important to consider, no matter whether your child is naturally creative or needs further stimulation.
This is important to think about in regard to your child’s age, and whether they are looking for something to play with (that is not easily broken), or a multifunctional piece of tech with various special features.
There are STEM robot kits that can be remote controlled, as well as STEM robot kits that can be programmed to respond to various gestures and sounds. As mentioned, some STEM robot kits can also be connected to an app to perform different functions.
On the other hand, there are also many STEM robot kits that are designed to be easy to build and durable, with the purpose of serving more as (powered or mechanized) toys for younger audiences.
Price
The price of STEM robot kits can range from moderately affordable to eye-wateringly expensive.
However, how much you are willing to spend can be gauged by how you view the kit in regard to the details we have listed above!
Of course, STEM robotics kits are some of the most educational toys or products that you can buy for young children and budding engineers. This might make it worth it in the long run, no matter the price of the product.
If your child is specifically interested in building and assembling things, solving problems, and getting hands-on, STEM robot kits are definitely worth the price, and can allow your child to develop long-term skills that can help in school and their chosen career path.
Enjoyment
Aside from the above, how much enjoyment will your child receive from the STEM robotics kit you are planning to buy?
This can be a result of how challenging, creatively stimulating, and versatile the robotics kit is to build, as well as how interactive and playable the final product is when assembled completely.
This is important as, after all, learning should be a fun and engaging experience! While most STEM robot kits are highly educational and great fun (even for adults!), it is worth thinking about this to make sure you buy the best STEM robotics kit for your child.
Frequently Asked Questions
Read the answers to frequently asked questions about STEM down below.
Is STEM Education Good?
STEM education is good for developing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics knowledge and skills as a whole, especially if a career is desired within the various branches of each of these four subjects.
STEM education can involve activities, creative DIY projects, and more, all designed to develop and improve skills in engineering, science, mathematics, coding, programming, problem-solving, and logical thinking in general.
Is STEM Related To Robotics?
As STEM is an umbrella term for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, robotics and the building of robots is a STEM educational activity – and occupation – that universally involves all four concepts.
Robotics can involve electronics, building and engineering, science, mathematics, coding and programming, innovation, as well as creativity. These are all related to STEM, making an interest in robotics perfect for achieving a career in any STEM-related field.
What Jobs Include STEM?
STEM jobs can be any job that falls under the various branches of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This makes STEM education important for any individual looking to undertake a career in these fields.
A range of careers can come out of STEM education in young children, especially jobs that involve mental, technical, mathematical, and science-based challenges.
These include becoming a scientist, programmer, coder, engineer, mechanic, architect, inventor, accountant, and more.
Conclusion
The best STEM robotics kits offer a practical and mental challenge that is also fun and entertaining.
This is what we love about STEM robot kits, as well as what makes them ideal gifts for kids with a special interest in building things, getting hands-on, and using their heads.
To make sure you buy the best STEM robotics kit for your child, evaluate the kit in terms of its features, technical aspects, educational value, creative stimulation, interactivity, and general enjoyment – both in assembling it and playing with it!
STEM robot kits are some of the most educational products that you can buy for children.
Not only are they entertaining as learning toys, but can help your child to develop valuable long-term skills in engineering, programming, mathematics, science, and more.
Hi, my name is Elena Jones, and my full-time job is a teacher. Through teaching, I have discovered that children learn in many different ways, and have seen the positive impact both STEM and Montessori toys have on children.
Through this site I hope to educate parents and adults about these toys, providing them with useful information on how they can be used, and provide some in depth reviews of different toys to consider too.
