The Toy Association today unveiled its “Back to School STEAM Toy Shopping List,” which includes 25 officially accredited STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) toys that will support learning for kids of all ages during the upcoming academic year. Families can shop the list of toys, which includes top-of-the-line coding and construction kits, as well as activities that engage kids in life sciences, mathematics, music composition and more.
Each toy on the list has passed a rigorous evaluation process to earn an official “STEAM Stamp of Approval,” and meets the strict criteria set in The Toy Association’s STEAM Toy Assessment Framework, developed in partnership with The Good Play Guide. The toys were first tested by children under professional observation, before being evaluated by The Good Play Guide, which uses a scientifically proven toy evaluation method backed by Dr. Amanda Gummer, who has a PhD in neuropsychology and more than 20 years of experience working with kids and families.
“These curated STEAM toys have been proven to provide hours of educational, skill-building, and stimulating play for children,” says Anna Yudina, senior director of marketing initiatives at The Toy Association. “Each toy listed below checks off the characteristics of a quality STEAM toy, from allowing kids to be actively and independently involved in the learning experience, to supporting age-appropriate learning goals, to having clear relevance and application to the real world. We are excited to offer parents so many excellent options as they look to engage their children in play that is both meaningful and fun!”
The “Back to School STEAM Toy Shopping List” is below (listed alphabetically by company name):
- Go Eco Building Blocks Kit (ARCKIT)
- K’NEX Thrill Rides 3-in-1 Classic Amusement Park Building Set (Basic Fun!)
- Connetix 106 Piece Pastel Ball Run Pack (Connetix Tiles)
- Connetix 212 Piece Rainbow Mega Pack (Connetix Tiles)
- Circuit Blox BYO Glowing LED FM Radio (E-Blox)
- Discover Coding (Elenco Snap Circuits)
- Shashibo (Fun In Motion)
- Coding Charms (hand2mind)
- Butterfly Garden – Home School Edition (Insect Lore)
- Life Cycle Figurines, 24 Piece Set (Insect Lore)
- Bio Chem Creatures (Klutz)
- Botley 2.0 the Coding Robot Activity Set (Learning Resources)
- Magna-Tiles® Safari Animals 25 Piece Set (Magna-Tiles)
- Hot Wheels® STEAM Balance Shift™ (Mattel)
- Construction Set in a Box (Melissa & Doug)
- Examine & Treat Pet Vet Play Set (Melissa & Doug)
- Pix Brix 3,000pc Container (Pix Brix)
- Cody Block (QUBS)
- Wall Stories I’m Discovering Numbers! (Quinco & Cie)
- Music Machine (Smartivity by Elenco)
- Ultimate Squishy Human Body (SmartLab Toys)
- Warmup Set (Squaregles)
- PIXIO-800 (TRENDFORMER LIMITED)
- Marble Rush Ultimate Set (VTech Electronics)
- Weplay Sand and Water Clam (Weplay)
The Toy Association’s STEAM toy accreditation program was launched in 2021 in partnership with the Good Play Guide™, following years of research to identify and detail specific characteristics of a good STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) toy for various age groups. To learn more about The Toy Association’s ongoing STEAM initiative, visit toyassociation.org/STEAM or contact steam@toyassociation.org.
