I want my daughter to have a good education in the sciences. But for now, she’s only a toddler.
So I found some awesome educational STEM toys for her to play with to get general scientific concepts before she actually starts academically learning about science and technology.
Toys are a hands-on way for toddlers to learn. And they learn best while doing rather than watching.
So here are our top 10 favorite educational STEM toys for toddlers.

{ Sponsored by Shape Mags. Post contains affiliate links. }
What is STEM?
STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.
There has been a big push for kids to start learning about STEM early to better prepare them for jobs in the future.
More and more jobs are opening up that are related to STEM, and we are going to need people with a good education in STEM concepts to fill them.
Girls are especially encouraged to learn more about STEM because there is a huge gender gap in these fields. We need more women in STEM!
I’m hoping to get my daughter into science because I loved astronomy, physics, and geology as a kid.
Of course, I ended up working in HR and writing a blog so you can see how well that worked out. But if she’s interested in science, I’d love for her to follow her passion.

1. Shape Mags
I am in love with these shape toys.
Toot will sit and play shapes with me all day. It’s one of the few building sets she doesn’t get overly frustrated with.
The edges are all magnetic, and they are easy to stack and create buildings. We like to build towers, houses, castles, and even cars!
The set we have came with a car base and two little people that can ride in it.
My husband also built a circus tent for her. (She loved knocking it down)
These shapes not only help your toddler learn about magnets and engineering and how structures work. They also deal with geometry.
The set we have has three different kinds of triangles, and Toot is learning how they can fit together. I found myself being reminded of the different types of triangles and the Pythagorean Theorem.
My geometry teacher would be proud. lol
2. Code-a-pillar by Fisher Price
My BFF’s son has a code-a-pillar. Your toddler can rearrange the pieces of the body to make the toy follow a path.
It comes with 3 straight, 2 right turns, 2 left turns, and a sound. Each one lights up as the toy performs the action.
Other parts can be purchased separately if you want to add on to it.
Coding is already in huge demand in the job market. It will probably be even bigger when your toddler is ready for a job.
This is a simple way for your child to learn the basic concepts of coding. Let’s face it, it’s a simple way for parents to be introduced to the concepts of coding too.
3. Bugnoculars
These are awesome for little entomologists.
It can hold bugs and let your toddler get a better look at them. It’s more of a microscope than binoculars.
I always had fun catching bugs when I was a kid. Not just ladybugs but lightning bugs (fireflies) and butterflies too.
I never thought to use a tool to see them better though. I’m planning to get these bugnoulars for Toot this summer.
She’s usually scared of bugs so this is a good way to bring them close without it being too scary. They can’t get you if they’re in a container!
And studying the bugs closely will teach her that she doesn’t need to be afraid of them.
4. Rainbow counting bears and sorting cups
We’ve had these counting and sorting bears so long that I keep finding them all over my house. She loves playing with them.
They have 10 of each color and a cup to match. You can count the bears and sort them into the cups.
We also like to just play pretend with them.
Counting is a great way to build the basics of math skills for toddlers.
It’s easy to teach a toddler to repeat the words “one, two, three,” but they need to associate those words with amounts of things.
When she was a year old she could count to 10 but only understood the concept of one and two. Now that we’ve been playing with the counting bears she gets the concept of up to 7 or 8 I think. It’s still a work in progress!
(Please note: these bears are pretty small so make sure your toddler is out of the putting-stuff-in-their-mouth phase. I had to yell at Toot a couple of times to spit out a bear.)
5. Color Bath Dropz
Chemistry for toddlers!
We’ve learned science terms like “dissolve” and “absorb” with our bath color tablets.
They come with the primary colors: red, blue, and yellow. And she likes to mix the colors to make secondary colors like orange, purple, and green.
You can teach your toddler about how primary colors make secondary colors. Art is also a part of STEM. They just call that STEAM.
They’re safe on your baby’s skin and don’t stain your bathtub. (Unless you leave the water in it for a long time. I did that once.)
They fizz and dissolve completely so they’re essentially unscented bath bombs for toddlers.
Don’t use more than two or three per bath though. We usually just do two.
6. Gardening Tool Kit
Let your toddler play in the dirt and learn about plant biology!
You can just let them dig in the dirt or you can get some flower seeds or even grow veggies.
I plan to get my garden together this spring and let Toot help. I’ve never gardened before so this will be an adventure together.
I’m getting her this set of gardening tools because it comes with a smock so she doesn’t get her clothes dirty. And it has pockets for her tools!
Explain to your toddler how plants start as seeds, need water and sunlight to grow, and can some can come back every year.
7. Periodic Table Blocks
These blocks are so cool. Obviously, your toddler isn’t going to instantly learn chemistry like a high school student would. But they’re a nice introduction to the elements and the periodic table.
It comes with 20 blocks that are about an inch and a half big.
You can discuss simple elements with them like oxygen, gold, aluminum, you know? Things that are around the house.
I mean you might have some xenon or magnesium in your house but you don’t want your toddler to play with it. lol
(Fun fact: the bulbs in movie theater projectors are filled with xenon. If a bulb explodes and you end up breathing it in, you have to bend over the back of a chair to push all of it out of your lungs. #TheaterLife was the BEST.)
8. Geometric sorting toy
This is a fun math toy for toddlers. Your little one can sort the shapes onto the pegs.
Each shape has a peg for the number of sides it has.
It’s a great way to teach simple geometry and shape recognition.
Plus it builds fine motor skills since their little hands have to manipulate the shapes onto the pegs.
Check out these shape activities for toddlers too.
9. Rainbow stacking toy
Your toddler can learn about geometry and rainbow science with this stacking toy. It’s also a Montessori toy.
The rainbow pieces nest inside each other or you can create bridges or tunnels and even spirals with them.
They’re wooden and easy for little hands to play with so they’re perfect for younger toddlers.
Teach your toddler about the colors of ROY G. BIV.
You can even try to explain how rainbows work. They might actually understand it or at least get the gist of it.
Plus they can learn new words like “refract!”
10. Plastic Dinosaurs or Animals
Teach your toddler about paleontology or zoology with little dinos or animals.
Ok, they are also good for pretend play too.
But they can learn the names of each animal or dinosaur and where they live and what kind of food they eat.
They have a huge pack of plastic animals on Amazon but they look cheaply made and not realistic. A lot of the reviews say they’re just okay.
These are bigger and better quality but they don’t give you as many for the price. So it’s up to you if you’d rather have quality or quantity.
I’m going to get these dinos for Toot’s birthday. She hardly has any dinosaurs. I know, I’m a terrible parent. lol
What are your favorite STEM toys for toddlers?
Let me know in the comments below!
It’s important to start a love of science, technology, engineering, and math from an early age. They’re more likely to enjoy it once they start studying it in school.
And toddlers learn best by playing. So I hope your toddler enjoys these fun STEM toys!
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Lindsey says
Great list! My two year olds birthday is coming up and I’m definitely going to use some of your recommendations.
ARHuelsenbek says
Great selection of toys! I especially like toys you can play with more than one way, like the sorting bears.
Kira | A Better Life Lived says
We have the sorting bears too and my son loves them! He lines them up and is starting to learn pattern recognition with them. We are minus one purple cup these days due to a dog eating it, but i digress.
The bugnoculars look so cool! I might have to look into those.
We really love good old legos in our house. We just recently started letting him play with regular legos instead of duplos, who h he loved, and he loves them even more. He caps them his tiny legos. He is an active boy that almost never sits still but for tiny legos, he’ll sit and play for as long as we let him! I just wish they weren’t so dang expensive!
Kira | A Better Life Lived says
Sorry for all the typos! My phone has horrible autocorrect. I swear it corrects after I change it sometimes!
Amanda says
I saw all kinds of things I’D like to play with! That Code-A-Pillar is too cool! My toddler would love any of these toys. As a former teacher, I’m always looking for good STEM activities for my toddler.
Niki @ Toot's Mom is Tired says
Yeah I’ve played with the Code-a-pillar and it is so much fun!
Kate Andrews says
You are doing such a great thing for your little girl! I wish that I had had more toys like this when I was a little one. I am so bad at maths and sciences!
Niki @ Toot's Mom is Tired says
Thanks! Yeah I wish I had STEM toys like this when I was a kid too. I’m so bad at math. lol
hanna j smith says
This post came into my life at JUST the right time! My son just started pre k (odd time to start I know! but we recently moved from an area where it was unaffordable to even THINK about him going so now that we live in a place where they offer it for free, we had to enroll him!) anyways, and now I’m looking for some great activities to do with my two year old while my older is at school during the day!
Niki @ Toot's Mom is Tired says
Awesome!
Clair says
What a great list! I have been wanting to try out the Shape Mags!
Niki @ Toot's Mom is Tired says
They’re a daily toy in our house.
Amy Bell says
I am interested in your items posted. Where can I find them?
Niki at Toot's Mom is Tired says
You can click on the photos above and it will take you to Amazon so you can buy them! 🙂
Courtney says
This is such a great list! Thank you for giving us tired moms some fresh ideas! 🙂
Jason says
You inspire me
Jayme Silvestri says
A lot of thanks for every one of your labor on this site. Take pleasure in the rest of the year. Your doing a great job