Playtime turns into learning time, with STEM toys! For those of you without school aged kids, STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. These learning toys are developed with an educational angle for use in learning purposes. We at Santa.com love STEM toys! They help kids develop useful problem solving skills such as creativity, collaborative work and logic. So this Christmas, a great idea is to include a few of these educational toys for any children on your gift giving lists. Santa.com has rounded up five of our favorites below.

Osmo-Genius Starter Kit  

Children interact with actual hand held pieces and a Fire Tablet which brings a child's game pieces to life (No WiFi necessary for game play). Collaborative learning, visual problem-solving skills, puzzles, math (addition, subtraction, multiplication and counting), spelling, word comprehension and social-emotional skills are just some of the valuable learning lessons kids will pick up from this kit. Osmo detects and corresponds to real life body movement.

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Lego Duplo My First Number Train

This fun and colorful train is the perfect way to introduce toddlers to numbers! With My First Number Train, toddlers can improve their fine motor skills, as they drive the train, then load, unload, stack and sort the bricks, each of which features a primary number. As children explore play possibilities, they also discover colors and numbers. With its adorable characters and colorful, easy-to-handle bricks, the Number Train is perfect for toddlers aged 18 months and up. 

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Pixicade Mobile Game Maker

Get ready for imagination overload with Pixicade, where kids and teens use colored markers and paper to turn hand drawings into instant video games! Pixicade is an activity that provides kids with positive screen time, where the only limitation is one’s vivid imagination. Children simply draw their dream game on paper, snap a pic of it, and then play an animated version on their phone or tablet. They can create their own characters, build obstacles for them to overcome and also design the objectives for how to win the game. This is a game you will feel good having your kids play, for hours at a time.

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Billy Nye's VR Science Kit

Winner of the "STEAM TOY OF THE YEAR AWARD" - Join Bill Nye in his virtual reality lab in an ultimate immersive learning experience. Your children will be big science fans once they explore all that this educational toy can deliver. From chemistry to physics, they will develop the skills and confidence to perform their own science experiments, at home. The kit includes hands free goggles to create an immersive learning experience as everything your children will need to launch their experiments, right out of the box!

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Magna-Tiles

Perfect for the little builder in your life! Hugely popular with kids since the late 90s, these award-winning building tiles engage young minds by fusing math, science, and creativity together. Kids can make anything from boats, to rockets, balls and castles, by connecting the colorful magnetic tiles together. Magna-Tiles will help your child develop important math, science, spatial and tactile skills and is recommended for ages 3 and older.

Buy Magna-Tiles on Amazon