What Is STEM & Great STEM Educational Toy Recommendations for Kids in 2022

You may have heard the term STEM used before, though likely in the context of college or university, but it actually applies perfectly to a select set of children's hands-on projects and toys too. This article will talk about what STEM means, how important it is to a child's education, and how it applies to DIY toys.

What does STEM stand for?

At college, you may have heard of a push towards focusing on STEM fields as they have the best job prospects. STEM is an acronym, not any one subject. It stands for "Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths". Key components of what you might call technical skills that are integral to the upper echelons of higher education. STEM when referring to kids' toys is the same concept. STEM toys give a good foundation for learning in those four key areas which some people argue are of the utmost importance.

What are STEM education and STEM toys?

STEM education at younger ages and STEM toys go hand in hand. Children have a wonderful capacity for learning and are capable of internalizing and developing complex skills at a very young age. They are constantly doing this anyway, young children developing fine motor skills and learning to communicate are performing incredible feats of learning which are hard for us to relate to. Consider for a moment how hard it would be for you to learn a new language while at the same time learning how you fit into the world? Children are incredibly malleable so encouraging them to use toys that develop their stem skills is a tremendous idea. Kids need time to play, so why not encourage them to play with toys that develop their early skills too?

What skills can be derived from STEM toys?

There are a plethora of skills that can be derived from regularly playing with STEM toys. The skills your child is likely to learn are comparable to the skills one might need to perform in any one of the STEM fields. For example, critical thinking and problem-solving skills. These are skills that we would all benefit from refining. The ability to face problems and deal with them will set young children up to flourish when they first enter the school system. Not all STEM skills are critical thinking based. They also foster creativity and willingness to think outside the toy box. Creativity is hard to teach but easy to nurture. Children are all creative by nature, creating games and interpreting the world using their imagination. STEM toys help them focus their creative tendencies.

Some great STEM educational toys for kids in 2022

There are a huge amount of great STEM toys that would make wonderful gifts for kids in 2022. Here are just a few of the many options available from Robotime.

ROKR Treasure Box

This wonderful Treasure Box is an engrossing 3D wooden puzzle that will require critical thinking and problem solving to assemble. This is wonderful for a child because of the working mechanisms which are excellent practice for using their hands for practical skills. It also has a combination lock meaning your child truly can use it as a treasure box to keep their valuables. Whatever it is they find valuable as a child may differ from you and I but that's for them to decide.

ROKR Mechanical Gear Wooden Owl Clock 

This delightful Owl Clock mechanical gears 3D wooden puzzle serves two purposes. First, it's great for improving technical skills as well as problem-solving skills. Additionally, it encourages your child to understand how a clock works mechanically and how to tell the time. Timekeeping is a basic skill yet even some adults struggle to read an analog clock. You can clearly see how maths and technology go hand in hand with this sweet owl toy.

ROKR Steam Locomotive Model

Lastly, we have the Mechanical Locomotive wooden 3D puzzle. It's very common for young boys (and sometimes girls) to have a borderline obsessive fondness for trains. This locomotive will have wonderful benefits for a child's young engineering mind. It has real working gears and springs, it can be wound up and then will pull away. This is an opportunity to teach about forces and mechanics in a way that is not only engaging for a child its also super fun.

Conclusion

Hopefully, this has given you a better understanding of what STEM is and how important it is to a young child's development. STEM fields are the most in-demand and require a huge amount of hard work. Why not set your child off on the right foot? Fun and games are vital for learning, so why not encourage toys and games that offer slightly more than just your average jig-saw puzzle?