The goal of STEM education is to prepare children for an ever-changing world. STEM toys can help young children develop their abilities in creativity, reasoning, problem-solving, exploration, and teamwork. A high-quality STEM toy will incorporate all of the aforementioned and encourage children to explore, manipulate, and imagine.
Toddlers are now being exposed to coding, building, and other STEM activities at younger ages. Some parents feel like they need to start their child on a STEM-focused educational path as soon as possible to ensure they don’t fall behind. However, not all parents are sure where to start or what the best STEM toys for their 3-year-old are.
Our list of the best STEM toys for 3-year-olds is a great starting point for parents who want to give their children a fun and educational toy that will help them develop important STEM skills. From coding and building to problem-solving and creativity, these toys will have your child engaged and learning while they play.
Our Top Picks
- Best For Car Enthusiasts: Kids First Automobile Engineer Kit
- Best For Dinosaur Lovers: ToyVelt Take Apart Dinosaur Toys
- Best Scale Toy: Hape Math Monster Scale Toy
- Best Magnetic Stacking Toy: TACTBIT 6-Set Electronic Cubes
- Best For Early Coders: Fisher-Price Think & Learn Code-a-pillar Twist
- Best Building Blocks Toy: MEGA BLOKS 80-piece Building Blocks
- Best Dominoes Toy: Dynamo Wooden Domino Set by Hape
- Best Marble Run: PicassoTiles 70 Piece Marble Run
- Best Puzzle Toy: SKYFIELD Wooden Animal Toddler Puzzles
- Best Binoculars: Educational Insights GeoSafari Jr. Kidnoculars
In This Article
HappyBabyHub’s Best STEM Toys For 3-Year-Olds Picks
Kids First Automobile Engineer Kit – Best For Car Enthusiasts
- The booklet comes with many different cars to design
- Well made plastic
- Wheels roll well on the floor
- Creative children will also enjoy just making things similar to Legos
- Adult supervision is still needed
Join Karlie and Ty Omega on their hilarious adventure to the grocery store with their father, where they construct simple models of the cars they see along the way. Along this winding path, the siblings create an assortment of vehicles to help the townsfolk solve problems and complete tasks.
As your 3-year-old follows the story, they can also construct replicas of the 10 cars featured in the tale. With large, colorful plastic building blocks, small hands can easily put together the models.
The guidebook, written in a narrative style, provides a fun approach to introducing fundamental engineering and physics principles.
ToyVelt Take Apart Dinosaur Toys – Best For Dinosaur Lovers
- Several plastic wrenches and screwdrivers are included
- The bright colors are nice
- There is a selection of dinosaurs to choose from
- The screws are interchangeable between parts
- The dinosaurs themselves aren’t super interchangeable
This set features a fiery red Tyrannosaurus Rex, a sturdy green Triceratops, and a speedy blue Velociraptor. Your little ones can use the included screwdriver and electric drill to take apart the dinosaurs and create their own unique prehistoric creatures.
Your 3-year-old will have a blast experimenting with different combinations of components to make their own amazing dinosaur creations. These dinos are also made from premium, recyclable, and non-toxic ABS plastic, ensuring both safety and sustainability.
Hape Math Monster Scale Toy – Best Scale Toy
- Great educational toy
- Encourage skills in math and engineering
- Fun to play
- It comes with a little drawstring bag to store all the numbers
- Pretty light
Featuring 11 soft, smaller monster weights and 9 larger monster weights, this set provides hours of fun as your child learns to balance them and determine how many smaller weights are needed to balance a larger one. And with each weight featuring a number on the side, you can use them to teach basic math skills and engage in fun math activities with your child.
Made from high-quality, safe materials, this soft-weight set features water-based paint and non-toxic finishes. And when playtime is over, the included Hape cotton bag makes it easy for your child to learn how to clean up and put away their toys.
TACTBIT 6-Set Electronic Cubes – Best Magnetic Stacking Toy
- Lightweight
- Magnets stick together really well
- Lights are bright
- Also plays music
- A bit pricey
These magnetic cubes are packed with exciting features that will spark your child’s imagination. They can easily attach to each other, light up, record sounds, play music, roll on wheels, and even fly through the air! Each cube is equipped with two LED lights, which illuminate the cubes and create a magical effect when combined with other cubes.
The Tactbit Cubes are transparent, which adds an extra layer of fascination as your child can watch the inner workings of each cube. Turning the Power Cube changes the color of the artwork, which is a fun feature that kids will love. The cubes are perfect for 3-year-olds who enjoy stacking toys and constructing new creations.
Fisher-Price Think & Learn Code-a-pillar Twist – Best For Early Coders
- Helps with fine motor coordination
- Teaches kids how to code
- Encourages critical thinking
- The fun part of this is that by turning a few dials, children can maneuver the caterpillar
- Expensive
With more than 1,000 different code combinations, your 3-year-old can send their caterpillar friend on exciting journeys in every direction imaginable! By twisting the knobs on the segments of the Code-a-pillar Twist, preschoolers can program their friend to go forward, turn left, or turn right in any order they desire, all while enjoying cool light and sound effects.
As your child plays, they’ll practice important skills like problem-solving, organization, and sequencing. And as they experiment with different combinations to guide Code-a-pillar Twist along various paths, they’ll be developing critical thinking abilities that will serve them well throughout their lives.
MEGA BLOKS 80-piece Building Blocks – Best Building Blocks Toy
- Comes with a storage bag (sturdy, despite not being a plastic container and just a bag)
- They are easily stacked
- They are big blocks
- Vibrant colors
- It hurts when you step on them barefoot
Check out these massive building blocks from Mega Bloks that are fantastic for sparking creativity and construction skills in young children! With 80 pieces in primary colors and a larger size that’s perfect for small hands, your child can enjoy hours of imaginative playtime.
Plus, connecting the Lego-style blocks helps develop their motor skills, while knocking down their creations releases any excess energy they may have. Cleanup is also a breeze with the included reusable storage bag.
Dynamo Wooden Domino Set by Hape – Best Dominoes Toy
- The tiles are the perfect size for little hands to use
- The colors are vibrant
- The quality is great
- Teaches patience to toddlers
- Pieces are not heavy
With over 100 multicolored wooden building blocks, this set provides endless possibilities for building exciting racing courses. And with special add-on elements like bridges, bells, rails, and tricks, the fun never stops!
But the Dynamo Domino Set isn’t just about fun and games. It’s also designed to encourage young minds to explore the principles of science, technology, engineering, and math. As your 3-year-old builds and stacks their domino course, they’ll develop essential engineering skills and learn about concepts like balance and cause-and-effect.
PicassoTiles 70 Piece Marble Run – Best Marble Run
- The tubes add extra support to your magnetic tiles by snapping them into place
- It comes with plenty of balls to run
- Really good quality
- All pieces included in the set are valuable to construct the marble run
- The marble runs are a little tedious to build for little hands but with assistance from an adult this can be a fun activity for you and your kids
With quick-connect, magnetized pieces, your child can effortlessly construct their very own gravity-defying masterpiece while utilizing the laws of physics and their imagination.
This multi-layer 3D maze will challenge your child to focus and pay attention while they explore the power of magnets and create their own unique designs. The set includes 10 distinct parts in multiple quantities, such as columns, slopes, centrifugal funnels, and u-turns, providing your child with everything they need to build an exciting and challenging race-track structure.
With this marble run set, your child will develop important logical thinking and problem-solving skills as they experiment with different combinations to guide the marbles through the track.
SKYFIELD Wooden Animal Toddler Puzzles – Best Puzzle Toy
- Not too many pieces for toddlers
- Cute
- Perfect for small hands
- Made well
- They are small
This four-piece puzzle set includes a variety of bright shapes that your child can use to create their own unique elephant, fish, hippo, or frog. Not only are these puzzles a fun way to keep your child entertained, but they also help with their cognitive development, hand-eye coordination, and sensory stimulation.
Made from high-quality wood with smooth, polished surfaces and rounded edges, these puzzles are safe for even the tiniest hands to handle. Each piece is ergonomically designed to fit comfortably in little hands, and they are thick enough to be easily picked up and positioned.
Educational Insights GeoSafari Jr. Kidnoculars – Best Binoculars
- They actually work
- Fits face properly
- Vibrant colors
- It’s very light, ergo, safe, and fun
- It has a 2x magnification
GeoSafari Jr. Kidnoculars are the perfect binoculars for 3-year-olds who are always eager to learn and discover. With an extra-large eyepiece, these binoculars offer toddlers a magnified view of their surroundings, without the need for a clunky focus knob or closing one eye.
Designed specifically for young children, these sturdy and engaging binoculars will encourage your child’s interest in science and the world around them. With comfortable, oversized eyepieces that are more than three times the size of typical binoculars, the Kidnoculars provide an immersive viewing experience that will captivate your child’s imagination.
How To Choose A STEM Toy For 3-Year-Olds?
- Age-Appropriate: Parents frequently purchase toys made for older children for their young children because they believe it will save them money because the toys will be used for longer. Unfortunately, this is inapplicable to STEM toys because the age guidelines on the item will tell you whether it is safe for your 3-year-old to play with and whether it is suitable for their developmental stage.
- Type: Some children are visual learners and will benefit from toys that allow them to build and create. Others are more hands-on and will appreciate toys that they can touch and manipulate. There is no right or wrong answer here, simply choose toys that you know your child will enjoy using.
- Interest: A STEM toy must pique your child’s attention in order to be effective; otherwise, it kind of defeats the purpose. Allow your child to make the decision when it comes to selecting a STEM toy for better learning. You’ll be able to tell if your youngster has the capacity to go toward a specific type of toy.
- Open-Ended Play: Pick toys that inspire creativity and imagination. Look for toys that can be used in different ways and that encourage open-ended play. These types of toys allow toddlers to use their imaginations to create their own fun (1).
- Science Kits: These STEM toys are ideal for developing children’s critical thinking skills and fostering their natural curiosity. They can use these kits as the starting point for important observational inquiries. Even while not all kids become scientists, it encourages them to trust their gut feelings and feeds their innate curiosity.
What Are Appropriate Toys For A 3-Year-Old?
There is a wide range of appropriate toys for a 3-year-old. Some good options include educational toys that help with counting, alphabet recognition, and basic problem-solving skills. Things for pretend play and building, such as construction sets, building blocks, and transportation toys are also good ones (2). It is important to choose toys that are safe and appropriate for your child’s age and development level (3). STEM toys for 2-year-olds may also be appropriate for 3-year-olds.
What Makes A Toy A STEM Toy?
A STEM toy is a toy that focuses on one or more of the fields of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics. STEM toys can be simple or complex, and they can be educational or just for fun. Some examples of STEM toys include building kits, puzzles, and logic games. The goal of a STEM toy is to provide children with an engaging and educational experience that will help them develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Which Type Of Play Is Most Common For 3-Year-Olds?
Most 3-year-olds engage in what is known as “symbolic play.” This type of play involves using objects to represent other objects, people, or ideas. For example, a child might use a block to represent a car, or a doll to represent a mother. symbolic play helps children explore their imaginations and begin to understand the world around them.
How Do I Introduce My Child To STEM?
There are many ways you can introduce your child to STEM. One way is to have them participate in STEM activities. This can include anything from simple experiments to more complex projects. You can also introduce your child to STEM concepts through books, toys, and other materials. Another way to introduce your child to STEM is to bring them to places where they can see STEM in action, such as science museums or planetariums. You can also find STEM programs offered by community organizations or schools.
Why Are STEM Toys For Toddlers Important?
These toys help develop a child’s cognitive skills. STEM toys often encourage critical thinking and problem-solving, and these are skills that toddlers can benefit from. Additionally, these toys can help to spark a child’s interest in science, technology, engineering, and math.
Studies have shown that children who are exposed to these subjects at an early age are more likely to pursue them later in life (4). Therefore, by providing toddlers with STEM toys, we could be helping to create the next generation of scientists and engineers.
