Editor’s pick
Magna-Tiles Classic 100-Piece Set
Translucent magnetic tiles that turn flat shapes into 3D builds
About $120brand list price View on Amazon
Your kid is…
Meet the maker type
The Artist-Engineer
Builds things that are beautiful, too.
Artist-Engineers design first. They want their creations to look amazing as well as work: colorful builds, light-up art, 3D drawings and stop-motion stories. STEAM is their happy place.
- Design sense
- Imagination
- Storytelling through making
Get the Electroys app Keep their gift list, games and the December advent calendar one tap away.
Gifts for the Artist-Engineer
Picked for this kind of mind.
Editor’s pick
hand2mind Numberblocks MathLink Cubes 1-10 Activity Set
Build the Numberblocks characters and see how numbers really work
About $30brand list price View on Amazon
Editor’s pick
SmartGames Camelot Jr.
Wooden block puzzles that build a path for the knight
About $25brand list price View on Amazon
Editor’s pick
LEGO City Lava Land Roller Coaster Park (60501)
A 2026 theme-park build with a launchable coaster and spinning ride
About $100brand list price View on Amazon
Editor’s pick
CrunchLabs by Mark Rober The Crunchinator
A hand-cranked crusher that shows how gears multiply force
About $35brand list price View on Amazon
Editor’s pick
ThinkFun Gravity Maze
Marble-run logic puzzles where every tower placement counts
Typical price $25 – $50 View on Amazon
Editor’s pick
Thames & Kosmos Mega Cyborg Hand
Build a giant wearable robot hand powered by water pressure
About $45brand list price View on Amazon
Editor’s pick
Ravensburger GraviTrax Starter Set
Design marble runs powered by gravity, magnets and momentum
Typical price $50 – $100 View on Amazon
Thames & Kosmos Kids First Coding & Robotics
Build Sammy the robot, then program him with code cards
About $140brand list price View on Amazon
Thames & Kosmos Kids First Robot Engineer
Build 10 candy-factory robots while reading along with a story
About $40brand list price View on Amazon
Thames & Kosmos Kids First Intro to Tools & Building
Real tool skills with a kid-sized hammer, screwdriver and wrench
About $30brand list price View on Amazon
SmartMax Start Magnetic Discovery Set
Chunky magnetic bars and balls that show attract and repel
Typical price $25 – $50 View on Amazon
Learning Resources Gears! Gears! Gears! Deluxe Building Set
Snap gears onto pillars and crank to watch them all turn
About $35brand list price View on Amazon
Educational Insights Design & Drill Activity Center
A real working toy drill for bolt patterns and pictures
About $40brand list price View on Amazon
LEGO Pokémon SMART Play: Training House with Pikachu (72164)
Pokémon's 30th year meets LEGO's new light-and-sound SMART Brick
About $70brand list price View on Amazon
LEGO Star Wars SMART Play: Throne Room Duel & A-Wing (75427)
Two interactive SMART Bricks bring a Star Wars duel to life
About $160brand list price View on Amazon
LEGO Classic Medium Creative Brick Box (10696)
484 open-ended bricks for kids who'd rather invent than follow
About $35brand list price View on Amazon
LEGO Creator 3 in 1 Space Shuttle (31134)
One small box, three space builds to rebuild all winter
About $10brand list price View on Amazon
MAGNA-TILES Undersea Adventure 58-Piece Set
Magnetic ocean habitats with slides, trapdoors and sea creatures
About $90brand list price View on Amazon
Thames & Kosmos V8 Race Car Engineering Set
Build a motorized race car with a V8, gearbox and suspension
About $40brand list price View on Amazon
Thames & Kosmos SolarFlower: Ruby Ripple
A sun-powered kinetic flower that teaches motors and gears
About $25brand list price View on Amazon
VTech KidiZoom PrintCam
A kids' camera that prints photos instantly in black and white
Typical price $50 – $100 View on Amazon
Klutz LEGO Chain Reactions
Build 10 LEGO machines and link them into chain reactions
About $20brand list price View on Amazon
Klutz LEGO Make Your Own Movie
A starter kit for LEGO stop-motion filmmaking
Typical price Under $25 View on Amazon
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