It seems like there is always a good reason to give a gift. In fact, giving and receiving gifts is recognized as a love language, or how some people prefer to receive and show appreciation. So, whether it’s for the holidays, a birthday, or as a reward for making good grades, educational gifts for kids are a wildly popular option for a variety of ages and skill levels. But you may be asking yourself, how do I pick the right educational gift for the special kids in my life?
To make it a little easier for you, we’ve compiled our favorite STEM and educational gifts in this guide to help you make an informed decision so you can give the gift of learning year-round. Let’s jump right in!
13 Educational Gifts for Kids
When it comes to selecting an appropriate and engaging educational gift for a special kid or teen in your life, it’s important to consider a few key pieces of information about the recipient, including age, skill level, and interests.
Educational Gifts For 4-to-7-Year-Olds
When shopping for a educational gift for a 4-to-7-year-old kid, programmable robots and kits that are approachable and easy to get started with are ideal, as many kids in this age range are just starting out in their STEM education journey.
1. Sphero indi Student Kit - $125
Sphero indi is our most approachable, entry-level learning robot designed for kids ages 4+. indi is driven and programmed by color, so a device is not required, offering an engaging and screenless programming experience for kids of all ages and abilities.
With indi, kids can build mazes and create their own puzzles, learning valuable and important problem-solving and computational thinking skills along the way.
As your kids’ experience and skills level up they can reconfigure how indi responds to each color in the free Sphero Edu Jr app for an entirely new learning experience.
2. Sphero Mini - $50
Mini, our teeniest, tiniest, robot is small on the outside but has big tech and capabilities on the inside. Sphero Mini is a great robot for kids or beginners who want to learn how to code through fun activities, like building mazes or obstacle courses.
Educational Gifts For 8-to-13-Year-Olds
As kids grow in their knowledge and experience in STEM and computer science, the types of educational gifts that will work best for them are ones that progress with their learning and skills. These programmable robots and STEM kits are ideal for kids and tweens ages 8-13.
3. Sphero Mini At-Home Learning Kit - $90
Is there an aspiring builder or engineer in your family? The Sphero Mini Activity Kit offers a 15-piece construction kit, pins and cones, and 30 activity cards providing hours of hands-on making, creating, and fun. With included step-by-step instructions, kids can easily get started on their own or with the guidance of a parent or caregiver.
4. littleBits At-Home Learning Starter Kit - $65
Create, build, then bring your inventions to life with littleBits! If you’re shopping for a kid who’s interested in all things electronics, the littleBits At-Home Learning Starter Kit is the perfect educational gift for you. This all-inclusive starter kit provides an easy-to-follow, flexible, and powerful solution for reinforcing STEAM learning at home. Kids can explore building circuits that move and make sound with five included independent or parent-guided STEAM-based inventions.
5. Sphero BOLT - $179
Our most advanced round robot, Sphero BOLT, makes a great educational gift for kids (and kids at heart) who want to learn the foundations of coding and programming and eventually level up to more advanced STEAM activities and computer science projects.
Educational Gifts For Teens
Teenagers can be hard to shop for, we get it. However, tech tools that engage their computational thinking and problem-solving skills while allowing their creativity and imagination to flow are always cool. (Or so we think!)
6. littleBits Electronic Music Inventor Kit - $100
A rockin' option for the future music makers in your life is the littleBits Electronic Music Inventor Kit. With this kit, create your own technology with a music boost as you build your own synth guitar, air drums, or your very own unique musical creation.
7. Sphero BOLT - $179
Sphero BOLT makes our list twice because it’s truly a great option for learners of all ages and skill levels. From ages eight to 88, BOLT is packed with plenty of programmable sensors and a colorful LED light matrix, paving the way for the next generation of coders.
8. Sphero RVR+ - $279
New and improved, RVR+ is Sphero’s revolutionary take on the programmable robot and is optimized for the middle and high school classrooms, makerspaces, and more advanced learners. It’s drivable right out of the box, packed with a diverse suite of sensors, and built for customization. RVR+ is expandable and made for novice to advanced programmers.
9. Sphero Blueprint Build Kit - $200
Designed for middle and high school learners, the Blueprint Build Kit enables students to learn foundational engineering concepts as they design and build working prototypes.
More Educational Gifts for Kids: Stocking Stuffer Bots & Bits
Looking for a perfectly-sized, inexpensive educational gift for a stocking stuffer? Here are more fun options to explore!
10. Sphero Mini Soccer - $50
Shopping for a soccer fanatic? The Sphero Mini Soccer is a great educational gift idea. It packs a ton of fun into a tiny programmable robotic soccer ball the size of a ping pong ball, perfect for stuffing a stocking. Practice drills with the included cones, or code a goal against friends in a head-to-head match!
11. Sphero Mini Golf - $50
FORE! Score a hole-in-one with the Sphero Mini Golf for the putting enthusiast in your life. This tiny programmable golf ball looks strikingly real, so it’s also a perfect bot to pull pranks on your friends on the green.
Educational Gifts for Kids To Take Their Sphero Robots Up A Notch
Need a gift for an already-outfitted Sphero robot enthusiast? Take their learning, coding, and creating further with these Sphero accessories.
12. Sphero Code Mat - $180
This large, interactive, two-sided mat offers a simple, accessible way to learn block-based coding, basic math principles, and collaborative problem-solving with any round Sphero robot. Choose from the City and Golf or the Soccer and Space Code Mat for endless hours of play-based, hands-on learning.
13. littleBits RVR+ Topper Kit - $125
Sphero RVR+ littleBits Topper Kit combines the best of Sphero with the best of littleBits in an easy and approachable kit that allows you to fully utilize RVR+'s onboard capabilities with littleBits adaptability to create your own inventions. This is a great gift for the aspiring hacker or maker in your life that already has a Sphero RVR or the new RVR+ robot.
14. Sphero Terrain Park - $20
Compatible with Sphero BOLT, the Terrain Park accessory set provides five challenging configurations that put your skills to the ultimate test. Ramp, roll and ride the rails.
Shopping For Educational Gifts
It’s a great year to get your shopping for educational gifts done early! Find great gifts and more on sphero.com and give the gift of fun, hands-on learning to a special person in your life this year.
