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20 STEM Toys for 5-Year-Olds to Inspire a Love of Math and Science

Spark your kid's imagination with these popular robots, building blocks, construction kits and more.

Headshot of Kayla KeeganBy Kayla Keegan
best stem toys for 5 year olds

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There are many educational toys for parents of 5-year-olds to choose from these days, especially those that aim to inspire a love of STEM — or science, technology, engineering and math. But finding STEM toys for young kids that'll keep them entertained for longer than a few minutes is a challenge, so our experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute Parenting Lab were on the case. Together with our toy testers — a.k.a. kids themselves — we've found the best STEM toys for 5-year-olds.

Along with building sets, we also included toys that help teach coding, physics and chemistry and other science-focused sensory toys that keep their hands busy and creativity flowing. To find our favorites, our scientists evaluated hundreds of toys for their quality, safety, ease of use and engagement with kids. Then we asked the little ones themselves if they enjoyed playing with them (because what's the use of buying a toy if your kids don't find it fun?). We also pulled past winners of Good Housekeeping Toy Awards and editor recommendations to round out the list.

1

GeoSafari Jr. Talking Microscope

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GeoSafari Jr. Talking Microscope

Introduce your kids to all kinds of animals and plants with this talking microscope featuring the voice of Bindi Irwin, a wildlife conservationist and the daughter of the late and great Steve Irwin. With every photo observed, they'll learn fascinating facts about nature. Ages 3+

2

GeoSafari Jr. Talking Space Explorer

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GeoSafari Jr. Talking Space Explorer

Just like the GeoSafari Talking Microscope, this toy allows kids to "star gaze" while viewing 120 images — including some from NASA — and 13 videos about the cosmos. While observing, they'll hear all sorts of amazing fun facts about outer space and the universe thanks to the voice of Emily Calandrelli of Netflix's Emily's Wonder Lab. Ages 4+

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3
Good Housekeeping Best Toy Award Winner

GraviTrax Junior Starter Set Marble Track System

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GraviTrax Junior Starter Set Marble Track System

Kids can enjoy the wonder of jungle life while constructing and decorating their very own marble runs. One parent of a GH kid toy tester raved: "My child loves building and following instructions, and he especially liked setting up the track according to the diagram with special help from me. After building it, he ran the marbles down the tracks many times." Ages 3+

RELATED: Best Toy Gifts for 5-Year-Old Boys

4
Good Housekeeping Best Toy Award Winner

Magnetic Foam Bath Building Blocks

Magnetic Foam Bath Building Blocks

These magnetic foam blocks click together and rotate 360 degrees, allowing kids to explore shapes and test their budding engineering skills. Parents will also love to hear that they're dishwasher safe, making cleaning a breeze. A parent of a GH toy tester said: "The mixing the different shapes into robots and bridges for his cars has been so fun." Ages 3-5

RELATED: Best Gifts for 5-Year-Old Girls

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5
Good Housekeeping Toy Award Winner

Magic Potion Science Chemistry Set

Magic Potion Science Chemistry Set

Equipped with a potion-making kit and a magician's handbook, your little one can learn how to grow a magic crystal wand or make a balloon mysteriously inflate all while learning the interesting science behind it all. Ages 4+

6
Good Housekeeping Toy Award Winner

STEAM Sensory Beads

STEAM Sensory Beads

With this STEAM set, which won a Good Housekeeping Toy Award last year, kids can build their own creations or follow patterns noted on the included cards. Ages 3+

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7
Good Housekeeping Toy Award Winner

STEAM Super Topplers

STEAM Super Topplers

The learning opportunities with these little figurines are plentiful as they practice concentration while lining up each toppler one by one and building toppler towers. Ages 4+

8

MathLink Cubes Numberblocks

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MathLink Cubes Numberblocks

Each set includes 100 Numberblock cubes, stickers to attach to the cubes and character cards that test your child to count the blocks and build the characters they see. Ages 3+

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9
Good Housekeeping Toy Award Winner

Tactile Turtles Math Activity Set

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Tactile Turtles Math Activity Set

The versatility of this sorting, counting and stacking set is one of the reasons we gave these colorful turtles a Good Housekeeping Toy Award. "These are great because they make kids think," said one parent of a kid toy tester. Ages 3-12

10

Jr. Glow Rocket Launcher

Jr. Glow Rocket Launcher

Your kid and their friends can take turns loading the rockets on the launch stand and jumping on the launch pad as hard as they can to watch the rockets soar up to 100 feet in the air. Perfect for the playground, at the beach or in your own backyard. Ages 3+

RELATED: Fun Outdoor Toys for All Kids

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11

Coding Critters Ranger & Zip Set

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Coding Critters Ranger & Zip Set

Complete coding challenges (without any screen time) posed by Ranger and Zip using the included coding adventure storybook or use play mode to play fetch or hide and seek. Ages 4+

12

Magna-Tiles 32-Piece Construction Set

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32-Piece Construction Set

This magnetic construction set allows your kid to build and create endlessly while building motor development, spatial recognition and problem-solving skills. The set is also compatible with other Magna-Tiles sets if they want to expand their collection. Ages 3+

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13

Code ‘n Learn Kinderbot Electronic Robot

Code ‘n Learn Kinderbot Electronic Robot

Packed full of free coding lessons, learning challenges and "secret codes," this Fisher-Price Kinderbot is all about teaching early math concepts with the help of colors, shapes and friendly phrases. Ages 3+

14

Robot Factory: Wacky, Misfit, Rogue Robots

Robot Factory: Wacky, Misfit, Rogue Robots

The storybook manual included tells the story of two young engineers and their mission to help fix some wacky robots at the robot factory. Kids will learn how to follow detailed step-by-step directions while gaining a sense of accomplishment once their eight motorized robots from the story come to life. Ages 5+

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15

Botley the Coding Robot 2.0

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Botley the Coding Robot 2.0

No phone or tablet needed to introduce your kid to coding with Botley. Parents are a few AAA batteries and a screwdriver away from having your kid entertained for hours with light shows, memory games and coding building sequences. They'll also love being able to transform Botley into a train, police car or even a ghost. Ages 5+

16

GeoSmart Mars Explorer GeoMagnetic Set

Mars Explorer GeoMagnetic Set

With 51 magnetic pieces, an array of lights and a set of track wheels, kids can construct the toy of their dreams. After creating their very own Mars Explorer model, they can attach a motor and control its movement using a remote control. Ages 5+

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17

PLUS PLUS Axolotl Interlocking Building Blocks for Kids

Axolotl Interlocking Building Blocks for Kids

Kids can build 2D mosaics or the most adorable 3-D axolotls with these colorful interconnecting mini blocks that inspire a love of art and engineering. They even come in a reusable tube for easy storage when they're not creating masterpieces. Ages 5-12

RELATED: Popular Axolotl Toys for the Cutest Gifts

18

Clixo Super Rainbow Magnetic Building Toy

Super Rainbow Magnetic Building Toy

With a whopping 60 pieces, kids can create complex models and unique designs that will lead to lots of imaginative play. When playtime is over, the Clixo pieces can be stacked together neatly for seamless storage. Ages 4+

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19

Flexistix Leonardo’s Elements Construction Toy

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Flexistix Leonardo’s Elements Construction Toy

This 258-piece set is a geometry lesson and an art lesson wrapped up in one. With connectors of varying colors and lengths, kids can construct multi-dimensional structures and artworks that even glow in the dark. Ages 4+

20

Good Housekeeping The Little Lab: Fantastic Science for Kids Book

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Good Housekeeping The Little Lab: Fantastic Science for Kids Book

Curious minds will love learning how exciting science can be while testing out all the experiments in this book written by the scientists at the Good Housekeeping Institute. Whether rubbing balloons together to make static electricity or blowing bubbles to look for rainbows, The Little Lab will touch on many aspects of science with hands-on fun leading the way. Ages 4-7

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