STEM toys have been picking up traction as a great way for kids to learn, and a great way for kids to have fun while learning.
Parents have been doing this for ages, and it’s one of the most critical, yet underrated aspects of raising children during their formative years – balancing play and learning. Ideally, you’d want for both to have a complimentary relationship, where your child gets enough activity that they feel inclined to attentively engage with their study material, and they also have study material that is both engaging and informative enough to pique their curiosity and encourage them to learn independently, thus making learning part of the fun.
But what if we’re wrong to separate work and play that way? What if your child had toys that imparted concepts to them as they played with them, allowing them to learn without having to go through a chore like reading through a lesson, or practicing their tables? What we’re talking about are STEM toys, and they’re a great way to undermine the whole ‘Fun vs. Functional’ discourse that follows conventional means of enjoyment.
STEM toys simplify complex concepts and present them to children as DIY puzzles. Often, they’ll involve building a basic model of a more complex real world object (like a computer or a car), and then interacting with that object as something the child has built themselves. This helps foster an appetite for independent inquiry, and reinforces the mechanisms by which children learn in a much more holistic sense than just reading or writing.
STEM toys also serve to supplement children’s actual schoolwork, and you can find toys that teach your children basic math as well as toys that’ll teach them the basics of language through a memory game. There’s loads of lessons to teach, and since they give your child an experience of learning independently, they help impart the sort of DIY initiative that is crucial to being a functional adult. If you feel like STEM toys would make a great addition to your child’s toy chest, take a look at Little Newton’s. We’re one of the most reputable online toy stores in Australia, and our catalogue more than speaks for itself. Browse now!