Discover the Wonders of Science Gifts for Kids

Many youngsters (and their older guardians!) love dinosaurs, so this kind of toy is a great idea for a present that could ignite a love of science. Kids crack open the egg with a child-friendly chisel and brush (just like a palaeontologist digging for fossils) to find a dinosaur. Learning cards then teach them about what they’ve found. The box comes with 12 eggs, so one child could learn about 12 different dinosaurs, or it could make a great party favour. One family even hid the eggs at the beach for their son to uncover like a treasure hunt. The possibilities for Jurassic fun are endless.

No matter the age, it’s hard to find a child who doesn’t like making their own volcanoes. Some kits include a cheap plastic volcano, but this kit gives kids the tools to make their own bespoke plaster volcano. A wonderful twist is that it also includes ‘pop crystals’, so kids not only make lava flow from their volcanoes, they can make them bubble and ‘explode’ just like a real volcano. Perhaps the best bit is that the kit includes a piece of pumice and a geode, both of which were created by real volcanoes.

Not every kid has to be interested in coding to want to learn about science. The Creativity for Kids terrarium kit is a fun garden project that’s just the right mix of learning, creativity, and a little bit of patience. Layer the sand, stones, and soil in the bottom, add the chia and watercress seeds, then decorate with the adorable figurines and fun stickers. The seeds sprout in just a few days, and enough come with the kit to grow two rounds. (You can buy more seeds online or in a garden store.) In keeping with the campfire decor theme, the kit comes with 45 glow in the dark stickers to light up the “sky” of the terrarium. If their first terrarium is successful, they can always try making one with perennial plants.

No list of science toys for kids would be complete without something that creates rockets. What makes this set especially good is that the rockets light up, and they can go really high (up to 100 feet or ca. 30 metres). The instructions also include flight experiments that teach kids about physics (motion and aerodynamics).

Many kids get given solar system models to build and paint. Unfortunately, many of them are flimsy plastic and unrealistic. Not so with this kit. The Earth and Moon are realistic and high quality, and kids can use it to fully understand what happens as the moon revolves around the Earth.

Little animal lovers can learn about the development stages of a butterfly with this reusable butterfly garden. The kit comes with a voucher for ordering caterpillars when you’re ready to get started at the correct time of year for the butterflies to hatch (caterpillars can be shipped anywhere in the US except Hawaii). A journal for making observations and drawings is included; it’s a great tool for helping kids feel involved in their learning as they watch the caterpillars become pupa and hatch into butterflies, and they feed the butterflies with fruit and sugar water until they’re ready to be released.

Children interested in engineering will be thrilled with this beginner circuitry science kit. For more reluctant to learn kids, especially young gamers, this kind of kit can ignite a love of science as they begin to understand the circuits their computers are built with. One of the best things about this engineering kit is that it’s very reasonably priced, yet children can use it to build over 100 different circuits that do something interesting (play music, run a fan, power lights, etc.).

There are plenty of crystal growing kits out there. This one stands out because it includes a way to display the crystals, and includes the tools to grow crystals in different (and captivating) shapes. Some of the crystals even glow in the dark! The manufacturers recommend this for ages 6-12, however, crystal growing takes some patience and manual dexterity, making it well-suited to slightly older children. Also, the science behind crystal growing can often be better appreciated by those aged 9 and older.

This massive marble run building kit will keep kids busy for hours, and learning about physics while they work. The Meland set comes with 102 building pieces, five roulette sections, 30 glass marbles, and three staircases. There’s an instruction booklet that comes with ideas for what kids can build, or they can make their own towers and courses. With multiple openings at the top, kids can each drop in a marble and race to the bottom. All Meland marble kits are compatible with each other, so kids will be able to expand on their current builds if they get more kits. (Note that we prefer the glass marble kit to the LED marble kit, since reviewers report the LED marbles getting stuck in the tubes.)

The manufacturers of this kit recommend it for ages eight and up, however due to the complexity of the build, it’s better suited to slightly older children. It’s a great kit for any child interested in robots or sustainable energy, and it’ll keep kids entertained for ages as they build 12 different styles of robot, which can wheel, walk and even surf.

While younger children can use the kit, especially if they have help from a grownup, this advanced construction kit is well suited to children aged 11 and older. Unlike other building kits, kids won’t just use this to build generic planes and buildings. Instead, this architectural engineering kit enables children to build complex models of famous, real-world buildings like the Sydney Opera House and the Eiffel Tower, and other intricate creations, like a Ferris wheel.

You can’t visit space if you’re not an astronaut, but you can get pretty close with the Smithsonian’s optics room planetarium projector. Project a rotating star pattern of the northern hemisphere sky, and 24 different HD images of space can be added and subtracted to make more than 50 possible combinations. Three slides can be added in to overlay images on the night sky. Kids can explore the planets, moons, nebulae, space crafts, and more. It’s not the most complex, in-depth space projector on the market, but it’s a great introduction for younger kids interested in seeing the universe.

Suitable for kids and adults, this impressive telescope inspires those interested in cosmology and astronomy and gives you awesome views of the stars, planets, and intergalactic activity. It’s designed for amateur astronomers and comes with a wireless remote and smartphone adapter for easier sky exploration and capturing starry images. It comes with a finder scope with mounting brackets and crosshair lines that also help you locate planets and stars easily, plus an adjustable tripod and carry bag to set up the telescope and transport it while chasing stars.

Little rockhounds and geology fans will love this rock tumbler kit that turns dull rocks into sparkling gemstones. The kit includes nine types of real, rough gemstones from around the world, a rock tumbler, four polishing grits, a sifter, a learning guide, and even jewelry fastenings so kids can proudly wear their polished gemstones. Simply add the rocks into the tumbler, add in the grit and water, and tumble the rocks in the tumbler. The tumbler’s motor is designed to be 75% quieter than other plastic models, and a leak-proof rubber barrel reduces noise.

Aspiring environmentalists can learn about how to take dirty water and make it clean with this desalination kit that extracts salt from seawater. It includes a plastic filtration system, active carbon, sand, rock, and filter paper. All you need is a water glass to conduct three different experiments: water desalination, solar water purification, and creating a carbon filtration system. The 12 pp. color manual provides instructions for performing the three experiments, ideas for additional experiments with the kit, asks thought provoking questions, and provides background information on water, filtration, distillation and pasteurization. You provide a few common household items, like soil, cooking oil, drinking glass, ice cubes, etc. Each experiment can be performed three times. Ages 8 and up. Adult supervision is required.

Kids can conduct 11 experiments to learn the basics of science with this kit. Make fizzy potions, write secret messages to friends, make colored crystals from cabbage, and erupt a color-changing volcano. Each activity helps kids learn about chemical reactions, acids and bases, and various aspects of STEM. We like this kit for its variety, as it covers lots of scientific bases and is a good starting point for kids to dive into science.

Kiddos with a knack for forensic science will love this crime scene kit. Play detective to try and crack the case by using real-life forensic techniques and tools. Mark off the scene with the included crime scene tape, then gets to work. Gather evidence and DNA with chromatography and test acids and alkalis to find the secret writing. Develop, lift, and match fingerprints to find characteristics, or look at shoe prints and compare them to those left at the crime scene. Use cloth fiber analysis to figure out who drove the getaway car, and use the sticky labels to help you note your suspicions.

Kids interested in anatomy—or even young teens interested in the medical field—will find fun in this 1-foot-tall human body model. It includes 21 organs, bones, and muscles, plus tweezers and forceps for you to remove the parts and rebuild. Take out body parts and place them on the body part organizer for closer examination, or check out the included 24-page biology book and watch as a piece of pizza travels through your body. The book also discusses other bodily functions and includes illustrations, photos of real organs, and answers to common body questions. A stand is included as well, so you can place the body there when not in use.