
Ask HN: STEM toy for a 3 years old? - spapas82
Hello! Can the HN community recommend me a STEM toy (or similar that would educate and entertain him) for my 3 yo boy? He&#x27;s highly curious but I can&#x27;t find many things to play with him :( The things that I like bore him and the things that he likes bore me (or are way too messy and dangerous to let him do them)...
======
Symbiote
Everyone else is suggesting things to purchase, so I'll suggest things you can
find or do outside. The last few are from [1], which I came across a while
ago.

\- Play "identify the waterfowl in the park" followed by "chase!" and (for
larger geese and swans) "run away!". [This should satisfy the other comment
"play sports instead".]

\- Then, collect sticks in the woods and build a shelter. Extra points for
using different types of structure, or working out which tree the different
sticks come from.

\- Collect different leaves and paint them. Or paint rocks.

\- (In a year or two, you can get a plant press / heavy books and dry flowers
and leaves between old newspaper.)

\- Grow seedlings. Grow cress and eat it, or tomatoes, or just flowers.

\- Search for fossils, bones, seeds (acorns, conkers, pine cones etc)

\- Make a paper or balsawood boat, and float it on a pond

\- Look for sea creatures in a rock pool

\- Make an insect haven, then look at / identify the insects

When I was 3-4, I had a table placemat called something like "At The
Seaside"[2], with typical creatures found on the British coast. My sister had
"In the Garden". You might find something like that at a local museum, or some
other child-appropriate guide to local flora and fauna. The museum probably
has plenty of other STEM toys.

[1] [https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/features/50-things-to-do-
be...](https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/features/50-things-to-do-before-
youre-11--activity-list)

~~~
paiute
In addition to going outside, my dad giving me all sorts of broken things and
telling me to take them apart taught me so much. Keyboards, old computers,
toys, etc. It may be harder now, but I recall opening up broken toys and you
could visibly see or smell out a blown cap. Opening things shows that things
aren't magic.

~~~
WorldPeas
I second this. Although I think maybe 4 or 5 may be a more apt age, my father
gave me his old curtis screwdriver set, and let me take apart various
electronics they were phasing out at work. Your local recycling center may
also provide some good scrap to work with. I know it's less and less common
nowadays, but you should try to give him older electronics, as they have
larger components, and more obvious traces to follow with a finger. I'd assume
there are still plenty of people throwing out old handsets and dvrs at your
local recycling center.

Also here is possibly the most influential gift my father ever got for me:
[https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002LUAL6?tag=duckduckgo-d-20&lin...](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002LUAL6?tag=duckduckgo-d-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1)

Our hardware store carried them, and it comes with solder and an iron. After
learning how to solder, I taught myself how to scrap old motherboards, and
amassed a sizeable collection of used components which I still reuse now. We
weren't too component about this thing when I was little, but you should
probably also get him some gloves and a hepa filter hood so he dosen't burn
himself or inhale anything bad.

------
blue11
Lots of negativity in this thread and comments from people that either have
not had children or have had them so long ago that they don't remember what is
age-appropriate for a 3-year-old.

I'll just second some of the common recommendation:

\- Magnatiles. There are a lot of manufacturers out there, some brand name,
some not. The good thing is that at this point they have all standardized on
the tile sizes, so they are usually compatible.

\- LEGO Duplo. The standard LEGO sizes are too small for most toddlers. Duplos
are perfect. Kids (and parents) quickly tire of the set themes, but the good
news is that you can mix and match pieces and let the kids build whatever
crooked houses they want to build.

\- Trains and other vehicles that go on rails.

\- Picture books that you can read to them while they can follow by looking at
the pictures. This is tricky, because in my experience most children books are
not great. The biggest problem is usually the lack of a story. Many books are
supposedly educational or teach kids good values, but they are poor at story
telling. If there is no good story, kids are not interested. Many books also
don't have a good balance between text and pictures. Too little text and
there's not much for you to read, they'll flip through the book in seconds. Or
pictures that do not have enough detail to match the text. Anyway, the only
solution is trial and error.

Admittedly, none of these are exactly "STEM", but I think that's OK. What's
more important to stimulate creativity and make learning fun.

~~~
tastyfreeze
Don't cheap out and buy MEGA Bloks. Kids know they are crap. LEGO Duplo are
way better. Duplo also are compatible with standard LEGO blocks as they get
older.

I will add:

\- Tegu blocks

\- sand/dirt toys. Doesn't need to be more than a bucket and a shovel. Little
ones love digging in the dirt.

\- bath toys that demonstrate buoyancy and propulsion. Wind-able toys are
better than battery. Simple is better. There is a lot to learn from just
playing with a bucket in the tub.

As with the parent, focusing on "STEM" toys isn't really a priority at that
age. Stimulating creativity is far more important. If you want to make it
"STEM" create a problem that they have to solve through trial and error. But,
don't go overboard. It is more important that you are playing with your
children than what they are learning.

~~~
karatestomp
I dunno about their take on older kids, but for the young ones I think the
Montessori method has exactly the right idea: focus on leveling them up on
basic stuff like taking things out and putting them away, and on building
intuition for how their bodies and how objects in the world move. Pouring
water, building with blocks, that kind of thing. Cleaning stuff (they're
terrible at, naturally, and can't be trusted with anything serious it so it's
not like it's helpful, but they _love_ wiping things down with soapy water
then drying them off at young ages) and assembling simple food platters,
especially if it's to share and not just for themselves. That sort of thing.
Watering plants. They don't need robots and shit at age 3. Stuff that rolls,
stuff that stacks, stuff that pours, stuff that sticks together.

~~~
Fire-Dragon-DoL
The problem is how fast they learn. We have an 18 months old and she solves
the challenges so fast. I should be happy but we struggle coming up with new
challenges.

Toy for her age are way too basic. Those are very focused on safety, but due
to that there is a giant lack of gameplay value. Duplo so far and a "car
track" kind of toy have been the best, with lot of books.

Problem with books is that she requires us to read them. Lego animals have
been useful,she take them out of a big lego house we built and call them by
names. She learned quite a few words this way!

She likes boxes, plastic bottles, zip bags and such, but she understands the
tricks fast and gets bored. Hard!

Obviously playing with mom and dad it's still the best thing

------
blunte
A 3yo doesn't need a "stem" toy. They just need access to safe objects, heavy
cardboard or plush books with simple colorful pictures, etc.

In short, they just need access to things they can observe and manipulate.

While a parent can to some varying degree influence the attention and interest
of the child, there is plenty of doubt as to whether this will result in a
better outcome long term or not.

As other people have said, one of the best things you can give your child is
your time (and undivided attention).

~~~
guywithabike
> safe objects, heavy cardboard or plush books with simple colorful pictures

I'm not sure if you're joking or just don't have any kids yourself, but those
are more age-appropriate for a 3-month-old than a 3-year-old. 3-year-olds
generally can make art independently, turn paper pages carefully, pretend and
role play, draw by holding pens with their fingers, speak 300-500 words in
sentences of six or more words, tell stories, climb, ride tricycles (maybe a
scooter!), use safety scissors, and so on.

3-year-olds are far beyond the goo goo gaa gaa phase of life. Simple STEM toys
(like what OP is looking for) are totally appropriate for most 3-year-olds.
Sure, you're not going to explain tensor physics to them but you can certainly
build a bridge with Duplo blocks with them and experiment with different ways
of making it strong.

You can read more about basic development milestones here:
[https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/milestones-3y...](https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/milestones-3yr.html)

------
jcrubino
Taking care of plants. The first thing my niece (3) and nephew (5) do when
they get in the house is check what plants need to be watered by sticking
their hands in the potting soil. The plants and taking care of them has
achieved peak interest for a few months. Two caveats, 1) they do not live with
the plants 2) It is a ploy to get the water spraying can out. They also equate
it with working somewhat as a few rules have to be abided by - wear shoes
because the citrus plants have thorns that fall on the floor. The floor has to
be swept... etc. The concept of state phase changes of water was introduced to
the newphew this weekend as there is snow outside where we live. We got to the
idea that if he knows the right numbers he can add together how much heat is
needed to melt the snow. This is all at the 5 year old level but the
conversation got there.

~~~
D13Fd
Taking care of plants sounds good, if only I had that skill myself...

~~~
jcrubino
Get US grown citrus trees (foreign food is irradiated and seeds become non-
viable)... eat them... save the seeds... germinate ... you will have more than
enough plants to get it wrong and right with! All you need is some potting mix
and solo cups with a hole or two for drainage to start.

------
welfare
We got this one for our son when he was 3:

[https://www.robotshop.com/en/code--go-robot-mouse-
activity-s...](https://www.robotshop.com/en/code--go-robot-mouse-activity-
set.html)

It's a great introduction to programming. You have to put in all instructions
on the mouse to solve the maze. There's also cards with instructions that you
can place on the board to make it even easier.

We also bought an IoT kit from from
[https://littlebits.com/](https://littlebits.com/) when he got older that we
started to work on together.

The key here is to do it at a 3-year old level and that you do it together,
it's not about finding the right solution or not. Be open to your kid's
creativity and don't just follow the instructions.

Also, Magna-Tiles! [https://www.lakeshorelearning.com/products/blocks-
manipulati...](https://www.lakeshorelearning.com/products/blocks-
manipulatives/light-tables-accessories/magna-tilessup-sup-starter-
set/p/DG546/)

We bought a starter kit (pretty expensive I know) but my son has been playing
with it for at least 1-2hrs a day for a year. They are part of every game he
plays, whether it's a car race or playing with dolls.

~~~
D13Fd
I think "following the instructions" is a worthwhile skill in itself, and our
4 year old really picked it up.

But you're right, once she learned to follow the instructions exactly, she is
having a tough time being creative. At the moment she's kind of obsessed with
instruction-following. So there are definitely two sides to it.

~~~
welfare
I agree, following the instructions is a critical skill to develop.

What I meant was that you can be creative with these solutions. As for the
programmable mouse, my son drew his own mazes on paper in the end and placed
his toy cars and other things for the mouse to catch.

The basics are still there that he need to program the mouse and understand
the fundamentals, but allowed for enough creative freedom to keep it
interesting.

------
matt_s
Duplo - larger Lego that they mostly can't put in their mouth.

Be prepared for about a decade of being bored with kids toys. Also realize
that your child may not be interested in anything you are interested in, its
ok. They are their own person.

~~~
mcgrath_sh
I have purchased Duplo for three friend’s kid’s first birthday and they have
been a hit. Recommended age is 18 months, but 6 months to a year out, they get
more use out of my gift than the others. Duplo is also compatible with Lego,
which means they can be used as filler, etc. as they get older. Now one couple
is having their second kid and I need to find a new present!

~~~
JPLKit
Search for 'duplo marble run'. I've found knockoff versions on ebay for ~$5.
My 8 & 10 year old still love to play with the set. It's fun to build and fun
to send the marbles down the path.

------
jaxn
Read to him. The number 1 way you can set him up for success is to spend time
reading to him.

The cool thing is that you can read content that you are interested in. Even
hacker news comment threads.

~~~
yboris
As far as I remember, and as my parents tell me, I was able to read at the age
of 3. I'm from Russia, and the language is easier to read one-letter-at-a-time
when compared to English, but I still feel like it's possible (with enough
time investment from parents) for a child to start reading by the age of 4.

I strongly suspect that learning to read at an earlier age is beneficial for a
child. And it's not too early to start at the age of 3.

~~~
c22
I know a 3-year-old that reads English. If your kid shows an interest in
reading all you have to do is provide some resources and they will learn.
Don't try to force it on a kid who's not (yet) interested though. Different
kids will work on things in different orders--I've also known many 3-year-olds
who couldn't read but they all excelled at something else.

------
iamben
Don't have kids, so pinch of salt this - but my dad used to make "golf ball
runs" for us when we were kids. Essentially long, elaborately set up
contraptions that you put a golf ball at the top and it rolls all the way to
the bottom, dropping through pipes and rolling down boards.

I'm 40 this year, I still remember this vividly. I guess marbles would be too
edible (ha), we always did this outside (fresh air), we were building things,
and I just remember it being magical watching the ball _finally_ go down. And
then two balls, and then three...

I'll second Duplo - that was my precursor to Lego, which was my entertainment
for YEARS (before I found computers, anyway).

------
taneq
Wooden train set, blocks, those magnetic shapes that stick together, a
sandpit, k'nex / duplo, an activity board (switches, hinges, moving/sliding
bits etc. fastened to a piece of board), a water table with some buckets and
things, play doh (home made is fine).

Also let him join in with things you do around the house (cooking? cleaning up
the yard?) - just giving them something to carry so they can be part of it
will make them so happy sometimes.

~~~
annoyingnoob
Make the play-dough, make the blocks, make the activity board - with your kid.

------
jesheit
Time with parents.

As a parent you can turn most any activity into an opportunity to learn math,
science reading or whatever. Just asking questions is the core of learning.
For example, the start of learning math is gaining a deep understanding of
basic numbers. Simple activities go a long way... count things, add them
together, split into groups, and so forth.

~~~
altcognito
Also don’t foist your own desires and dreams upon your children. It is good to
expose your kids to quality stuff, but be aware when this is more about your
desire than theirs.

~~~
lern_too_spel
On the other hand, be aware that you can shape the ambitions and the habits of
a young child. Letting them figure out what they want without any guidance is
negligence.

------
cpfohl
How about a one piece rain and mud suit? Rinse them off with a hose and the
clothes stay clean. Best part is you get to say "suit up" any time you're
about to do something fun.

~~~
LeifCarrotson
PPE like Mom and Dad (should!) wear is a great thing to bring a little one
into the activity: it's educational for them to observe, and good habit-
forming to wear the appropriate safety glasses, earmuffs, or bike helmet,
gloves, or whatever is appropriate.

Do let them help you with the hammer, wrench, screwdriver etc. even if the job
takes 10x as long as it could. Be careful they don't get too proficient before
they learn discipline and their limits, or they'll have your washing machine
in parts when you turn your back...

But essentially everything that's not inherently social, literary, or artistic
is a STEM project for a 3 year old.

------
saluki
MAGNA-TILES was the best toy we ever purchased and would be perfect for a
three year old.

[https://www.target.com/p/magna-tiles-clear-colors-37pc-
set/-...](https://www.target.com/p/magna-tiles-clear-colors-37pc-
set/-/A-15536946)

They are a little pricy but one of our child's favorites.

LEGO and LEGO Duplo is a good choice too.

We used to do science nights too, with simple experiments, answering your
child's questions about anything, how does this work, etc.

Once they are a little older Lego Mindstorms (Robotics) are great, check out
Lego First Lego League, we coached a team for a few years, great experience.

~~~
zoomablemind
.. or Picasso Tiles, these are made out of colorful transparent plastic, have
magnets on sides and nicely connect into fences, cubes, domes. There's starter
set with a wheeled platform.

Another nice detail is combining the colors to yield another color from the
set.

------
cambalache
What about just a wooden horse or a ball? I understand every parent wants the
best for their children and every family is different, but I thank my stars my
parents did not push to me any "educational" stuff.

------
AgentOrange1234
Read to him. Nothing will help them become successful in STEM or anything else
than being able to effortlessly read and comprehend (e.g., tutorials and
advanced materials) and effectively communicate their ideas.

------
pftburger
This is actually a question I’m asking myself at the moment as well. I taught
older kids (8-16) robotics for a while, and found the younger they were the
more harmful failure scenarios were. If they failed, they would get frustrated
and gradually disinterested. The more there was a defined success criteria
that could be measurably achieved (or not achieved) the more obvious it was to
them that they had no succeeded. The more it was just about play the better.
Ideally failure states should be learning opportunities and kinda fun.

Littlecodr is awesome for that. It’s just a set of cards with instructions
like move forward, turn left etc. get him to program you. It’s funny when the
instructions lead you into a wall instead of between the door frame. Failure
is fund

Some of the best stuff is also just dumb hands on stuff. Playing with
cardboard glue and string. Making spaghetti towers. Folding paper planes.
Magnets are awesome. Basically they learn from you, so the more time you spend
together the better.

If your looking for low energy investment check out primo (primotoys.com).
It’s little wheeled bot you program with simple physical tokens.

Osmo is also cool but I find the iPad platform derails their attention.

Littlebits is also cool, but the parts are a bit small for unsupervised play
at that age.

Makeymakey is also rad.

Adafruits circuit python is awesome as well, but the play sessions would have
to be quite curated. You could preprepare stuff and just do the wiring
together with crocodile clips etc, but in all honesty maybe just a battery
would be fine ;)

Looking forward to what pops up here :)

------
a-saleh
a) figure out how to make the "messy and dangerous" doable.

b) I had some success by playing boardgames (even Carcasone) at this age, with
some rules-simplifications

c) sometimes we played games on my phone, Monument Valley, I love Hue, Chuchel
...

d) Buying and launching a model rocket was a success, if he'd enjoy watching
from the distance and then trying to find the rocket again :-)

e) in simmilar fashion, building a kite (or buying ... tbh I usually do both,
because building is fun, but the store-bought actually works :P ) ... but you
need good wind-conditions to fly it

f) museums are surprisingly good these days, especially modern technical
museums can often entertain both 3yo and 30+yo

~~~
hcrisp
+1 Monument Valley. Also Love You to Bits, and (now defunct) Tiny Thief. We
are playing Gris now.

For board/traditional games, we like Robot Turtles (easier version of Robo
Rally, which you can upgrade to when they are older), Yahtzee, Backgammon,
Stun. Yeah, for over 3, but the younger ones like to watch.

And no one mentioned Snap Circuits Jr.!

~~~
a-saleh
Snap Circuits Jr. look more 5+? My cousin has that, and likes it, but he is
well into school.

I found backgamon to be fairly complicated and never really got my kid to play
anything abstract, closest I got was with Hive, but that quickly devolved into
stacking cute little bugs on hexagons into stacks (not that I am complaining)

It either needs to be fast, reflex games like Hali Gali, Dobble, e.t.c. work
well, or with interesting enough theme, i.e. she actually likes to attempt to
build a giant sprawl in Carcasone :D

But I will definitely check out robot turtles :)

------
speedplane
I don't yet have kids, but I have this abstract principle of how to raise them
to learn STEM and generally become curious: don't give them anything until
they build something similar.

This principle can start at a very basic level, like don't give them a ball
until they find a small round rock to play with or let them use a chunk of
charcoal to draw with before giving them a pencil.

It goes further:

\- give them a few batteries and LEDs before giving them a flashlight

\- give them some logic gates before giving them a calculator

\- make them come up with a problem that can't be solved on a calculator
before giving them a computer

\- giving them a text-based computer, and make them create something that
generates ascii art before giving them anything with a GUI.

\- force them to create some sort of networked application before giving them
social media.

Etc., etc. I know that in practice, the above sounds ridiculous: kids will
grab that iPad as soon as they can use their fingers. However, the point is
that there must be an incremental way to introduce kids to technology that
forces them to learn, and rewards that learning with more sophisticated
technology and learning.

------
smcg
I think any age-appropriate "building blocks" toy is an excellent STEM toy.

------
robomartin
Three is really young to even think STEM. That does not mean you can’t go
there, but one-on-one involvement on your part is absolutely essential.

When my kids were that age, frankly, it was more about mommy than me.

Still, we built an awesome wooden train table (Thomas trains, tracks, etc.). I
also gave them an old IBM keyboard, the kind with the keys that click. They
loved sitting on the floor next to me while I was on the computer.

I also got them involved with any project I did in the shop (so long as it
wasn’t dangerous). For example, I’d have them help build model airplanes (hand
me tools, parts, hold things, etc.).

I also took them to the flying field and had them fly with me using a “buddy
box” (two transmitters linked for teacher-student control of the same plane).

And fishing, even if it is using a lure without real hooks that looks like a
little fish (after I clipped off the hooks). Definitely fishing, nothing
compares to quality time fishing on a kayak on the lake.

The common thread is 100% personal involvement. That’s the only way it works,
even if all you have are cardboard boxes (which should not be underestimated,
BTW).

------
beatgammit
That really depends on what he and you like. My 3yo likes duplos, blocks,
drawing tablet, trains, play kitchen, alphabet tablet, and matchbox/hotwheels
car sets.

I don't think you need to worry about anything STEM specific, just find ways
for him to practice dexterity and imagination. If you want to push for STEM
stuff, he'll be much more capable around 5-6 years old (my 5yo loves Legos,
puzzles, math, reading).

In fact, your child is probably more likely to be interested in STEM stuff by
watching you than you buying stuff for them. My older son got into Legos
because my wife did, he likes video games because I play them (helped me build
a RetroPie), and he helps me build/fix stuff around the house to spend time
with me. At 3yo, he's probably dextrous enough to want to do cool stuff with
you, but clumsy enough to get frustrated, so I think it's more important to
build confidence and imagination than to push them in any given direction.

------
roel_v
My kids loved this 'learn binary' toy:
[https://www.quercettistore.com/en/toys/educational/1014-rami](https://www.quercettistore.com/en/toys/educational/1014-rami)

Site is in Italian but I ordered it off Amazon, the box is in Italian but that
wasn't a problem.

~~~
hcrisp
Quercetti is great. We got a lot of mileage with Tubation.
[https://www.quercettistore.com/en/toys/buildings/4175-tubati...](https://www.quercettistore.com/en/toys/buildings/4175-tubation)

------
westurner
"12 Awesome (& Educational) STEM Subscription Boxes for Kids"
[https://stemeducationguide.com/subscription-boxes-for-
kids/](https://stemeducationguide.com/subscription-boxes-for-kids/)

Tape measure with big numbers, ruler(s)

Measuring cup, water, ice.

"Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch Dilly Dally Tootle Turtle Target Game (Active Play
& Outdoor, Two Color Self-Sticking Bean Bags, Great Gift for Girls and Boys -
Best for 3, 4, 5, and 6 Year Olds)"

Set of wooden blocks in a wood box; such as "Melissa & Doug Standard Unit
Blocks"

...

[https://sugarlabs.org/](https://sugarlabs.org/) , GCompris mouse and keyboard
games with a trackpad and a mouse, ABCMouse, Khan Academy Kids, Code.org,
ScratchJr (5-7), K12 Computer Science Framework
[https://k12cs.org/](https://k12cs.org/)

------
lanna
I have a 6 yo girl that is very Math oriented, and she always loved playing
with magnet building tiles:

[https://images-na.ssl-images-
amazon.com/images/I/61U4If6YrxL...](https://images-na.ssl-images-
amazon.com/images/I/61U4If6YrxL._SL500_AC_SS350_.jpg)

------
zoomablemind
While toys are always fun, in case of STEM I would focus on developing active
attention. That is not just immerse but also observe the result (success or
failure), think of ways to make it better. Basically developing the cause-
effect pathways, letting kid identify and solve a problem. Tons of chances for
this with everyday objects.

Once kid is able to scribble, make him take "notes" of observations. Say, kid
plays doctor and receives teddy bear as patient, asking what bothers him and
taking notes of that. Measuring temperature with beeping thermometer, then
deciding if there's fever and "prescribing" teddy bear some remedy or regimen.

Look around your house, there lots of safe objects that can be used as
functional "toys". After all kids want to adapt to the "grownup" world.

------
SandB0x
My kid of this age loves the Brio Builder range:
[https://www.brio.net/products/all-
products/builder](https://www.brio.net/products/all-products/builder)

------
xn
Our kids liked the Robot Turtles board game. The kids are the programmers,
playing cards to give instructions. The parent is the computer, executing the
instructions (while making silly sound effects).

~~~
jawilson2
My kids loved that one. I was sad when they outgrew it.

~~~
hcrisp
Have you checked out Robo Rally? Similar but more advanced play, so for older
players.

------
AriaMinaei
I recommend reading Seymour Papert's Mindstorms:
[https://www.amazon.com/Mindstorms-Children-Computers-
Powerfu...](https://www.amazon.com/Mindstorms-Children-Computers-Powerful-
Ideas/dp/0465046746)

It gives you a powerful framework to think about learning in children ( _and_
adults), how they can learn programming, and how they can learn many other
STEM and non-STEM topics _using_ programming.

------
ourmandave
Try the local kid's museum and see what he gravitates to.

------
bdg
Get this book and do some of the activities in it, there's enough that it
should last for the next 5 or so years too.

[https://www.amazon.com/Science-source-fascinating-
projects-a...](https://www.amazon.com/Science-source-fascinating-projects-
activities/dp/0590740709)

I had a copy given to me by a teacher when I was 7, and I think with parental
guidance you could do some of the activities with toddlers.

------
wez470
The fisher-price learn to code caterpillar is pretty good IMO. My friend's 3
year old seemed to really enjoy it, although I think it'll take her another
year or so to understand the programming side of it.
[https://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Think-Learn-
Pillar/dp/B0...](https://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Think-Learn-
Pillar/dp/B01ASVD2L4)

------
tlarkworthy
My wife and I are building videos you can actively watch with young kids,
around crafting things.
[https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCpL1E-yK38HGsNaIfVPdc8w](https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCpL1E-yK38HGsNaIfVPdc8w)

(We only started a couple of weeks ago but the idea is that the format is
attention grabbing and it encourages co-creation and a jump off point from
screen time)

------
ljf
My kids adored this and have had a good few goes out of doing most of the
experiments and making some up too Galt Toys Science Lab Kit
[https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06XDD3K8Z/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_...](https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06XDD3K8Z/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_gtPxEbDN7VDE5)
thojfh my 5yo gets it a lot more than the 3 yo

------
dirktheman
For all our 3 kids (youngest is 4 now), their favorite toys by far were either
duplo (the electric train set is awesome!) or playmobil junior (not sure if
they sell that in the US).

Tangentially, these are also the only toys that survived thirteen years of
abuse. My girl was pretty gentle with them, but our two boys... they just wear
out anything you hand them.

------
seanmcdirmid
Duplo works well. Get an educational pack to maximize the basic bricks you get
with it. Otherwise specialty sets can get old quickly.

------
smoyer
I love the "Turing Tumble" for teaching boolean logic as well as other
electronic/computing/programming lessons. With an expansion kit or two you can
build some pretty sophisticated components! -
[https://www.turingtumble.com/](https://www.turingtumble.com/)

~~~
ChicagoBoy11
One of my issues with tit is that the marbles run slightly too quickly to get
young learners to analyze what's going on.

~~~
smoyer
Hmm ... I guess it could have been designed with a stand that tipped it back
to almost horizontal? Try going flatter than 30 degrees and you'll really slow
it down!

------
annoyingnoob
Outdoor ready vehicles, sticks or other outdoor objects, sand/dirt - have fun!

Focus on playing with your son, don't worry about the education bit so much at
3yrs. Focus on having fun, he will learn and not even realize it. Don't expect
a 3 year old to spend a lot of time on a single activity, mix it up.

------
zapstar
LEGO! Either traditional Lego (they have some Junior sets that are perfect to
have them build along with a parent at that age) or Duplo. It's led to hours
and hours of fun with my 2.5 year old. Even larger Lego sets he enjoys helping
me build. And then he builds his own creations after!

~~~
me_me_me
> It's led to hours and hours of fun with my 2.5 year old.

This is important ingredient, playing with your kid is the most stimulating
environment for them to grow.

------
bigums
As a parent of a soon-to-be three year old, I can relate. I’ve been thinking a
lot about this exact issue. I’ve become aware of how horrible I am at staying
“present” with him when we’re playing. I’m seriously struggling with the guilt
that when I’m playing with him, I’m always thinking about other things (work,
personal interests, chores, etc.)

Just a few days ago, I had a bit of a break through though. We went outside
and played in the mud, found bugs, climbed a tree, and made a tire swing. If I
wasn’t inside, I had a much easier time blocking out all the distractions. It
might not be STEM by today’s standards, but I feel like he learned a whole
more than a screen could teach him at this age. Honestly, I learned a lot
about myself in the 3 hours we spent hanging out and being a kid again.

I don’t want it to seem like this is the first time that I’ve gone out and
played with my kids outside or anything. It’s just the first time I’ve gone
about it and become aware of all of these feelings.

It’s tough to write or even talk about this because the stigma of today’s
society on raising kids in the era of iPads and YouTube. I feel that there’s
an expectation that our generation is going to raise our kids with screens
glued to their faces. Every piece of me wants to make sure that doesn’t happen
to my kids. But I feel awful that I lack the interest when it comes to playing
with kids toys.

TLDR: I took him outside and played. Lol.

------
francoisdevlin
Classic write up on this:

[https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wired.com/2011/01/the-5-bes...](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wired.com/2011/01/the-5-best-
toys-of-all-time/amp)

------
shakna
The three my daughter likes the most are:

\+ Trains. Especially bridges and self-moving trains.

\+ Cups. Water, sand, playdough, etc.

\+ A robot that takes a series of instructions, and then you hit go. This is
the most advanced, but she's worked out how to make it spin on the spot, and
that is apparently hilarious.

------
xkcd-sucks
A magnifying glass, a prism, etc -- things that look cool and inspire
questions about the world

------
v8engine
[https://csferrie.com/books/](https://csferrie.com/books/)

The Baby University series is pretty interesting.

The titles go like Bayesian Probability for Babies, Neural Networks for Babies
and Rocket Science for Babies.

------
na85
I'm astonished to see nobody has mentioned Duplo (aka junior Lego) yet. My 3yo
loves hers and 3 is about the right age because at 2 they're not quite
dextrous enough to handle the blocks and build anything more than square
blocks.

------
cjg
A balancing cactus - e.g. [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Plan-
Toys-0410101-Balancing-Cactus/...](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Plan-
Toys-0410101-Balancing-Cactus/dp/B0009B0M4E)

------
turtlebits
I don't believe 3yo need specifically STEM toys, but to add on the other good
suggestions -

Keva planks or just plain wooden blocks in all sorts of sizes.

Marble run (if your kid won't eat the marbles)

Spirograph (there is a crayola version thats easier for smaller kids)

------
carapace
Cuisenaire rods

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuisenaire_rods](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuisenaire_rods)

I credit these with helping me develop mathematical intuition from a young
age.

~~~
Symbiote
My school had these, but only 1cm and 10cm lengths. They're were also 10×10cm
squares, and a 10×10×10cm (1L) box.

We called that version "hundreds, tens and units".

[https://www.amazon.co.uk/Base-Ten-Dienes-Blocks-
Group/dp/B00...](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Base-Ten-Dienes-Blocks-
Group/dp/B002W6TFO2)

------
thebruce87m
My 3 year old loves snakes and ladders. It reinforces numbers, how to follow
the rules of the game and how to move about. We also have a floor sized
version with two dice that allows him to practice adding.

------
100-xyz
There is a set of 4 toys that can be assembled and dissassembled using a
supplied plastic screw driver. 3 are dinosaurs and one is a horse. I forget
the name though.

~~~
c22
It's not a dinosaur, but I always liked the Take-Apart Plane [0]. It comes
with a directional "power drill" with multiple sockets.

[0]: [https://www.amazon.com/Battat-Take-Apart-functional-
battery-...](https://www.amazon.com/Battat-Take-Apart-functional-battery-
powered-developmental/dp/B01N374DI5)

------
dcchambers
LEGO DUPLO.

I also second the suggestion of reading to your kid. There are plenty of
child-friendly stories that are still engaging and fun to read for an adult.
e.g. The Hobbit.

------
abfan1127
as a father of a 12yo boy, 8yo girl, and 3yo boy, I have some experience here.
Anything where he can take apart and reassemble which requires trial and
error, and creative new ways of doing things is great. I love Thomas train
tracks, legos (yes not duplo, actual legos because my kids never put things in
their mouth), Lincoln logs, puzzles. All of that play leads to things like
Snap Circuits, etc.

------
kick
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Nim](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Nim)

------
jhoechtl
Play domino. Gently introduce him to maths. But in general - let the child
play and engage it develop an explorers attitude.

------
pmarreck
Duplo.

When he’s a little older, I highly recommend Fisher-Technik kits, they were by
far my favorite toy growing up (but aren’t cheap!)

------
strange_aeons
There are some LEGO Education products that may be relevant.

Maybe something like the STEAM Park set. It uses DUPLO bricks.

Disclaimer, I work there.

------
rsync
Don't overthink this. Hand the child a basket full of blocks (Duplo would be
my choice) and walk away.

------
blatchcorn
Shrug my head. Be a responsible parent and let your kid enjoy their childhood.
Play sports with him instead

~~~
kick
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronic_traumatic_encephalopat...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronic_traumatic_encephalopathy)

 _Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease caused
by repeated head injuries.[1] Symptoms may include behavioral problems, mood
problems, and problems with thinking.[1] Symptoms typically do not begin until
years after the injuries.[2] CTE often gets worse over time and can result in
dementia.[2] It is unclear if the risk of suicide is altered.[1]_

 _Most documented cases have occurred in athletes involved in contact sports
such as boxing, American football, professional wrestling, ice hockey, rugby,
and soccer.[1][4] Other risk factors include being in the military, prior
domestic violence, and repeated banging of the head.[1] The exact amount of
trauma required for the condition to occur is unknown.[1] Definitive diagnosis
can only occur at autopsy.[1] Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is a form of
tauopathy.[1]_

 _There is no specific treatment.[3] Rates of disease have been found to be
about 30% among those with a history of multiple head injuries.[1] Population
rates, however, are unclear.[2] Research in brain damage as a result of
repeated head injuries began in the 1920s, at which time the condition was
known as dementia pugilistica or "punch drunk syndrome".[1][3] Changing the
rules in some sports has been discussed as a means of prevention.[1]_

------
mrlala
Spend as much time with your kid as you can. The rest are details.

------
itronitron
Wooden train tracks, such as Thomas the Tank Engine, are usually popular. They
also make a smaller set if you don't want the railroad to take up a whole
room.

~~~
52-6F-62
The popular brand is Brio. I enjoyed that as a kid.
[https://www.brio.us/](https://www.brio.us/)

------
tyingq
Three seems a little young for STEM. Maybe something like Playskool Explore 'N
Grow Busy Gears? Or the larger size legos (Duplo)?

~~~
D13Fd
I have 1, 3 and 4 year olds, and I have to disagree. We actually have the Busy
Gears you mentioned and they are excellent for the 1 year old. But the 3 year
old can handle complex tasks if they are interested (that's a huge "if") and
can really understand and talk about things. The 4 year old can follow
picture-based directions, etc.

~~~
tyingq
Sure. YMMV. I have several kids and had a different experience.

------
playing_colours
Pens, paper, boxes, wooden bricks, some backyard junk. Simple things that will
spark his imagination and make him design and invent.

~~~
mrob
This. Three years old is a good time to build an intuitive understanding of
the simple machines (lever, wheel and axle, pulley, inclined plane, wedge,
screw). Hands-on play with this kind of thing will set up a solid foundation
for more complicated STEM when they're older, and the kid won't even know
they're being educated.

------
jshaqaw
Magnetiles

------
padraic7a
A stick and a puddle.

------
grandridge
Let your kid play and be patient

------
GistNoesis
Kinetic sand

------
hanniabu
Large legos

------
AnnoyingSwede
My boy turned 3 in Feb this year, and he spends weekends with me since me and
the mother have broken up. Disclaimer: I havn't read all the literature out
there on how to best parent but took a few pages out of my own upbringing
(both good and bad). As a kid my parents were far from rich, so i didn't have
a lot of toys and the one i had were often handed down to me.

On my Do-list:

\- overwhelm my kids with all toys appropriate for the age (+1 year) but
supervise him when playing with them. I keep giving him things until we don't
have any more room for toys and then force him to pick out stuff he no longer
want, which we give to less fortunate kids. Teaching him empathy at a early
stage seems appropriate to me.

\- Teach him that everything can be modified. I bought him a ride-on car that
we progressively have modified with proper tires, disc-brakes, carbon fiber
spoilers and details, wrapping. He loves his car, and have developed a love
for vehicles. He can now name most common and some exclusive cars as we walk
down the streets. He can also spot the difference between steel, aluminum,
brass and his interest in powertools have caused me to buy kid versions of
many of the tools we commonly use when we rebuild his car.

\- I got him Duplo that he loves (trains, cars and generic blocks). People
will downvote me for this but I reached out on facebook for Lego a month ago
and we received a lot. I've explained that if i ever see a piece in or near
his mouth i suspend his right to play with it for the duration of the weekend,
and since he is with me only on the weekend i keep an eye on him every second.
So far, so good. At this point he is building and adding to stuff we build
together and i see clear improvements in his ability to place even the smaller
parts every week. Initially he kept asking me to put pieces together as soon
as it didn't work the first time but now he tries 6-7 times before i have to
pry it out of his hands to do it for him :)

\- i tried to explain our solarsystem and he is showing extreme interest in
videos about space, rockets, moon/space walks so it's become a small tradition
that i replay SpaceX latest achievements and failures when there is any news.

\- I have avoided only selecting toys/areas of interest/gender-based toys and
try to give him everything from musical instruments, balls, frisbees, toy-
kitchen, dolls. Whatever he chooses to play with and show interest in, he gets
to do.

\- music-wise i expose him to everything from classical music, rock, hiphop,
children music to break-core and classic EBM/EDM. Lucky for me he sidetracked
into EDM, so to sponsor this interest in dance music i got some vintage
synths, sequencers and drum-machines he loves to play with next to his
acoustic instruments.

My Don't-list is short and basically just contains stuff i don't want him to
see when he has screen-time:

\- i try to avoid the most brain-dead stuff, like repetitive viewing of the
same videos. Videos about counting and colors are all good stuff but at the
point when he knows it, it makes little sense to show it to him again, and i
try to find interesting videos that drives a conversation about what we are
watching, as we are watching. I avoid endless playlists and allow him to tell
me what he wants to see, as i help him search for appropriate videos.

------
typescriptfan1
Rokenbok

------
D13Fd
I have 1, 3, and 4 year olds. The best directly STEM-related activity we've
done so far is a soap making "science experiment" kit. The 3 and 4 year olds
absolutely loved it.

It was super simple. The kit comes with soap cubes, dyes, fragrances, and
glitter. You follow the instructions to melt the cubes, add the dyes and
fragrances, pour them into a mold, then let it set. Then you've got a bar of
soap.

I was surprised at just how many useful things they got out of it:

\- Basic lab safety: Wearing gloves, goggles (if you have a set that fit),
wafting to smell the fragrances, staying away from a heat source (the stove),
etc.

\- Basic mechanical skills and techniques: using a scale to measure the
ingredients, using using a butter knife to cut the soap, double boiling, using
graduated pipettes to measure the colors and fragrances

\- Understanding of colors: The kit comes with a chart about how to mix the
dyes to get different colors. The kids got excited to try out different
combinations. If you have a mixing palette they can try out different things.

\- Phase transitions and heat: You can explain how heat and phase transitions
work when the soap melts. Plus they love to watch it melt (safely, using
goggles and staying away from the heat). I encouraged them try different
things to make the soap bars solidify faster - a small electric fan, putting
it in the freezer (very carefully), etc.

All told it was super rewarding for me and they really enjoyed and got excited
by it. They are still using the soap bars and asking to do it again weeks
later. I'm sure my little discussions about things like heat and phase
transitions won't stick, but I'm hoping if we do it a few times having the
terms and techniques bouncing around in their heads may help them a bit in the
future.

The 4 year old got the most out of it, but the 3 year old was right there with
her in the mix. The 3 year old couldn't handle things like reading the scale
and pipettes, but I felt like she still got a lot out of it.

Other recommendations:

\- Marble games and legos. Get sets with directions and encourage them to
follow the directions. My 4 year old can now build pretty complex marble games
and lego sets by carefully following the directions. She started when she was
about 3.5 yrs old. Personally I think they get more out of the small legos
(not duplos) once they hit about 3 and aren't going to just eat them.

\- I agree with the magnet tiles, those are nice.

\- They never seem to get much out of puzzles. They require too much self-
direction, it's too easy to fail, and they just don't hold their interest.
Maybe when they are older.

\- Hydroponics kits like AeroGarden. Make them do all the work (plug it in,
add water, add plant food, add seed pods). Explain what's going on. My 3-4 yr
olds got very excited to watch the plants grow day-by-day and enjoyed adding
water/plant food when needed. I would use an aerogarden type thing because at
this age failure = no interest, and you basically can't screw up an aerogarden
absent adding too much plant food.

------
gameswithgo
lego

------
tomerbd
Cat.

------
abraCadabstrax
Lego.

------
ryanmercer
Lincoln Logs and Duplo.

------
cvaidya1986
Macbook and XCode.

------
deepakhj
Nintendo switch

------
textread
Clay modeling

