The holiday season has finally arrived! Here are Tutor Doctor’s recommendations for awesome STEM gifts that will surprise your kids and encourage learning.
LEGO models
Building blocks have been popular with children for generations. Over the last few years, LEGO has done a fantastic job of modernizing its classic approach by offering STEM-related sets that appeal to both kids and adults.
The process of building a LEGO kit encourages so many aspects of education, that we don’t even know where to start! Constructing a LEGO model emphasizes multiple executive and academic skills – following directions, organizing pieces, exploring physics, developing structural integrity, and much more. LEGO’s Technic line even teaches kids about real-world mechanical engineering, robotics, programming, and industrial design principles.
LEGO blocks aren’t just for kids anymore! University studies have even shown that students pursuing Master’s degrees were able to utilize the learning power of LEGOs to widen their perspectives and increase their confidence while tackling their MA dissertations.
Here are just a few of our favorite STEM-focused LEGO sets!
Age 2 and older
Age 6 and older
Age 10 and older
Age 16 and older
Mechanical keyboard kits
The best gifts are the ones we will actually use! Students of all ages will eventually have to type an essay at some point, and custom keyboards happen to be very popular right now (especially with gamers).
Mechanical keyboards adopt an old-school technology that utilizes individual mechanical switches for each key – which is how keyboards were commonly made up until the early 1990s. If you remember typing on one of these back in grade school, you’ve used a mechanical keyboard! Fortunately, mechanical keyboards have been heavily modernized and now have sleek, compact designs.
As an added bonus, if your student happens to be a gamer they will most certainly appreciate this gift! PC gamers have multiple types of switches and layouts to choose from when designing their keyboards, with everything being fully customizable (down to the physical keycaps themselves).
- Box Switch Tester with Keycaps
- Mechanical Switch Sample Tester
- Redragon K552 Backlit RGB Mechanical Keyboard
- GMMK Mechanical Keyboard Customizable
Engineering kits
Students who are fascinated with “how things work” are sure to love these gifts! Our favorite engineering kits involve teaching students how everyday objects they rely upon actually function – down to their electrical components. Although some of these projects do require adult supervision, the hands-on science education kids will experience is hard to top!
Looking for more educational holiday gifts that are sure to engage kids? Check out more of Tutor Doctor’s recommendations below!
