Editor’s pick
Learning Resources Code & Go Robot Mouse Activity Set
Build a maze, plan the route, and code a mouse to the cheese
About $70brand list price View on Amazon
Your kid is…
Meet the maker type
The Inventor
Always asking “what if I made…?”
Inventors want to make things that didn’t exist before: a gadget, a game, a robot that does their bidding. Circuits and code are their superpowers, because they turn ideas into things that actually work.
- Creative problem solving
- Logical thinking
- Turning ideas into projects
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Gifts for the Inventor
Picked for this kind of mind.
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
Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100
Real electronic parts that snap together, no soldering
Typical price $25 – $50 View on Amazon
Editor’s pick
Sphero indi At-Home Learning Kit
A little robot car kids program with colored cards
Typical price $100+ View on Amazon
Editor’s pick
Makeblock mBot2 Coding Robot
Build a sensor robot, then code it from Scratch to Python
About $150brand list price View on Amazon
Editor’s pick
Snap Circuits Classic SC-300 Electronics Kit
Build working circuits without a single wire or solder joint
Typical price $50 – $100 View on Amazon
Editor’s pick
Arduino Starter Kit (K000007)
The official way to learn Arduino, one breadboard project at a time
About $75brand list price View on Amazon
Editor’s pick
CanaKit Raspberry Pi 5 Starter Kit PRO (8GB, 128GB)
A full Raspberry Pi 5 computer, ready to boot out of the box
Typical price $100+ View on Amazon
Editor’s pick
Elenco Practical Soldering Project Kit
Learn to solder by building a working two-tone siren
About $15brand list price View on Amazon
Editor’s pick
Electronics for Kids, 2nd Edition
21 hands-on projects, from basic circuits to digital logic
About $25brand list price View on Amazon
Learning Resources Switcheroo Coding Crew
One robot, three rescue vehicles, lots of code-to-the-rescue missions
Typical price $50 – $100 View on Amazon
Learning Resources Botley 2.0 Coding Robot Activity Set
A screen-free coding robot with room to grow into longer programs
About $100brand list price View on Amazon
Learning Resources Coding Critters Ranger & Zip
A robot puppy that teaches coding through storybook adventures
About $55brand list price 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
Snap Circuits Beginner SCB-20
First circuits with big snap-together parts and picture instructions
About $35brand list price View on Amazon
ThinkFun Robot Turtles
A board game where kids write code with cards to reach the jewel
Typical price Under $25 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
VTech KidiZoom PrintCam
A kids' camera that prints photos instantly in black and white
Typical price $50 – $100 View on Amazon
ThinkFun Circuit Maze
A logic puzzle where the reward is lighting up a real circuit
Typical price $25 – $50 View on Amazon
Wonder Workshop Dash Robot
A responsive robot that grows from drag-and-drop to real coding
About $190brand list price View on Amazon
Thames & Kosmos Remote Control Machines
Build motorized vehicles and drive them with an infrared remote
Typical price $50 – $100 View on Amazon
4M KidzRobotix Tin Can Robot
Turn an empty soda can into a walking robot
Typical price Under $25 View on Amazon
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