STEM activities for kids are some of our favorite things. That’s why we love engineering kits! As part of our STEM gifts series, we checked out these hands on engineering kits for kids to find the very best kids engineering kits!
We decided to do this because we are never far from thinking about STEM activities and how to bring more engineering into our lives.
Read on to learn about these fun hands on engineering kits that kids will love!
The Best Engineering Kits for Kids
We love to add more engineering to our day, which is why we chose to try out these fun kids engineering kits! You’ll find a selection of our favorite kits below.
Amazingly Fun and Educational Engineering Kits
Here are some of our favorite engineering kits that kids can use to learn about engineering!
IDo3D Engineering Kit
The IDO3D kits are a set of 3D gel pens that cure through UV light exposure that you can use to create elaborate designs and experiments for kids. Each kit contains an idea booklet for various 3D projects.
IDO3D assembly is completed by creating 2D structural supports and then “gluing” them together with additional gel paint to create 3D structures. Monkey selected a design for a 3D skatepark.
Inside each IDO3D box you will find:
- Gel pens (ours had five pens with three colors)
- Instructional booklet
- Shape forms (to make spherical designs)
- UV flashlight (Requires 3 AAA batteries, not included)
- Plastic tracing sheet
Because we wanted to add this to our engineering projects for kids, Monkey selected a template for a 3D skateboard half-pipe.
The creation process is simple.
- Place the plastic sheet over the desired outline and use the gel pens to trace the design.
- Cure each piece with the UV flashlight (we found that 10 seconds a side was the perfect curing time)
- Use small dabs of gel to glue the pieces together and complete the 3D engineering project.
- The project is fully cured when it is no longer flexible.
Monkey had a blast creating her 3D engineering project and was extremely impressed when the 3D skateboard park came together.
If you wanted to make the project even more challenging, make your kids come up with their own design rather than allowing your kids to use the pre-made templates.
This will help your children learn how structural integrity works and the importance of symmetry for 3D designs.
Project notes:
- If the outlines are sticky when you touch them, they need additional curing time.
- Building the project outside in direct sunlight speeds curing time.
- Some of the ink cured faster than others. Our green ink seemed to cure the fastest, while red took the longest. We used green for all of our project “gluing” because it seemed to dry faster.
- Bo, at almost 3, is too young for this project. However, she still enjoyed holding the flashlight to cure the gel.
Tinkering Labs Electric Motors Catalyst STEM Kit
I like this engineering STEM kit because it includes simple parts made of things like wood, but it also has motors and circuits and kids can build a variety of simple machines.
Simple Machines Mechanical Engineering Kit
For even more machine building fun, this mechanical engineering kit helps kids learn about the physics behind why certain machines are built the way they are in real life.
Get the directions to make circus slime here!
Fort Building STEM Toys Kit
Engineering doesn’t have to be complicated. This simple fort building kit can help kids explore the most basic rules of building and engineering.
Solar Robot Kit
Build a robot and learn about electrical engineering, circuits, and solar power!
Circuit Board Engineering Kit
Kids interested in electrical engineering can try out this fun circuit board engineering kit for a safe exploration of electricity and circuits!
