I am totally that person who has their Christmas shopping done before Halloween (lies).  I also love, love, love shopping for toys (more lies), and get so much pleasure out of meticulously wrapping and decorating each package with a color coded theme that changes each year (okay, that part is true). 
 
I’m not writing this piece to give you holiday anxiety, but my kids’ birthdays are both coming up, so gift buying is on my mind.  I have one born in October, one in November and then Christmas in December, so we refer to this as the three months of endless celebration and card swiping.  I will brag on myself a bit though, I’m really good at finding interesting presents that are both educational and fun.  We really don’t have anything in our house that doesn’t get played with and most of what we have incorporates some aspect of the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) approach to learning and playing.  The idea is to find toys that allow kids to have a new experience every time they pick them up.  So, whether you’re getting a head start on Christmas shopping or you need an idea for that next birthday party you’ve been invited to, here are a few of my favorite toys that will get those kids thinking at every age.  I will provide a link to the particular ones we have (or will be purchasing), but a simple Amazon search will bring up other options that may be a better fit depending on your child’s age.

Magnetic Gears:  From the time my kids could sit up, they loved playing with magnets at the fridge while I cooked or worked in the kitchen.  We had letters, animals, and these awesome gears. 
1+ years 
ENGINEERING

Nuts and Bolts Play Set: These come with design ideas for the kiddos or they can innovate and make their own creations.  Following directions – good.  Following  your imagination – even better.
3+ years
ENGINEERING

Balance Scale: My kids have spent hours weighing everything they can get their hands on.  I actually bought this after my son’s teacher said he had stayed in the Math area all morning doing exactly that.  I never would have thought to pick one up, but I’m glad I did!
1+ years
MATH

Fort Construction Kit: These are basically giant Tinker Toys (also a great STEAM toy). You will seriously have as much fun with these as the kids do.  There is no limit to the possible combinations, and after putting the pieces together you can drape a sheet over it for a private, multi-room fort.
1+ years
ENGINEERING

Snap Circuits:  Okay, this is some serious brain fun, and it sparks really interesting discussions about electricity, cause and effect, sound and movement.  My son enjoyed following the directions with me and then innovating to create his own circuits.
4+ years
MATH and TECHNOLOGY

Letter Construction or Alpha Build:  These are kits that allow kids to experiment with letters in a tactile way.  Letter Construction is a snap together set, while Alpha Build is a magnetic kit.  Both have pieces to build capital or lower case letters (or other fun shapes and designs).  It’s a great way to work on letters before kiddos have the fine motor skills required to write them.
1+ years
LITERACY and ENGINEERING

Geode Kits:  My kids are obsessed with rocks.  We have collected them from all over the world and have built up quite an interesting collection.  Geode kits are a great introduction into the world of rocks.  With this kit, you can break open the rocks to reveal fun surprises like fossils, crystals or small toys.
3+ years
SCIENCE

Spirograph:  I had one of these kits when I was young and remember having hours of fun with it.  It does require well developed fine motor skills, so it’s better for older kids.  While kids create interesting designs, they are also learning about the impact that small changes can have in shape.
5+ years
MATH and ART

Animation Studios:  These are so much fun for young and older kids.  You create scenes with 3D inanimate objects such as Legos or clay or 2D drawings, then using an included camera or smartphone app, make the scene come to life.  Kids can make movies by adding music and voice overs.  Wouldn’t this make for a fun date night at home too!
3+
TECHNOLOGY and ART

​Space Explorer Kit:  This box has 6 space exploration activities inside.  Kids can create a constellation mobile, a star kaleidoscope, and more.
3+
SCIENCE and ART
 
I hope these give you some fun ideas for your next gift.  It is by no means a complete list, so hop on Pinterest or Amazon to do a search for STEAM or STEM toys to find the perfect brain building activities for your kiddos.  I like to do a themed gift set by adding a corresponding book.
 
If you have a great STEAM toy that I have not included but that you just love, please tell us about it!
 

Once again, Spectrum Station was honored to host prominent public Missourians to tour our Early Childhood Learning centers.  On Thursday, Governor Mike Parson, Mayor Sly James (KC), and Mayor Lyda Krewson (St.L) toured our Barry Road facility as part of their effort to move toward providing high-quality early childhood education to all of Missouri’s children.  Parson, James and Krewson toured classrooms for infants through pre-school and interacted with the teachers and children along the way.  They were able to see our Hooked on Phonics program in action and witness the implementation of our curriculum for all ages.  Director, Cheryl Pinkman, was able to explain how our teachers use the STEAM approach to education, even for children in infant classroom.

Public officials around the country are recognizing how important early education is for the success of our youth.  Research has long shown that the human brain grows the fastest in the first five years of life and the most between birth and age three, making these incredibly formative years for developing pre-academic skills.  Furthermore, the quality of the program is highly important in cultivating these skills.  We are very proud to be the model program for these policy makers as they endeavor to provide education in the likeness of Spectrum Station to all children.

​You can view a video of the visit here, and if you’d like to read more about high-quality education and our STEAM program, you can visit our archived Blog posts