The 28 Best STEM Toy Gifts for Boys Who Love to Build, Tinker, and Create

This interactive Lego set has a cool twist. Kids help Luigi solve a mystery through a garden that they build themselves. The set comes with four interactive figures that have a slew of reactions—it’s like an IRL video game.Kids solve puzzle cards and design a 3D roller coaster around the solution. There are 60 different challenges and they can team up to play or stay entertained by themselves.Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowSpace enthusiasts will love this Artemis build that mimics a rocket launch. The 632-piece set isn’t for the faint of heart but yields an amazing build that displays three separates stages of a real takeoff.The Snap Circuit set introduces kids to the wonderful world of electrical currents that keeps us running everyday. They can power a helicopter or fan, and even make a doorbell ring. There’s over 100 projects to choose from where they can create and learn along the way.Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowThis tiny robot has a big personality to teach kids the basics of programming, algorithms, geometry, and more.It responds to voice cues and commands using the integrated app. Its versatility means kid will never get bored: Configure mechanical builds with the included set or program new behaviors and skills into the robot through coding.This fun intro to logic and and brain teaser puzzles is like a 3D version of Sudoku. Kids can play one of the 100 puzzle cards with each other or by themselves.Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowThis kit gives anyone the satisfaction of assembling a wearable mechanical hand. Once built, it can pick up objects using levers and the power of hydraulics, teaching kids about green energy in the process.Sticky boogers, squishy eyeballs, and a handful of stringy guts to hold? Yes, please! This chemistry set lets kids create more than 40 truly disgusting experiments using included supplies and common household items. When it comes to slime, you can't lose.Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowKids can tinker with this robot kit endlessly, turning it into one of twelve different configurations, each of which offers unique play. It runs on solar power or replaceable batteries, and includes 190 pieces and thorough instructions for building different animals and motions. Customers especially like Sillbird’s exceptional service when it comes to replacing faulty or missing parts.This 116-piece gear set from Learning Resources introduces young engineers to basic building skills. They can follow instructions to create pre-designed configurations, or have the freedom to make up their own. Most importantly, they’ll learn how gears and simple machines work—not bad for a toy designed for five-year-olds.Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowKids learn basic automotive principals while building this iconic British race car, which features working wheels and doors, and moving pistons inside the V12 engine. It contains more than 700 pieces and there's the option of using printed instructions or Lego's building app for assembly. Kids can create tons of fun electronic gadgets using this kit and have fun learning along the way. There are more than 300 projects to explore using the base grid and snap-together pieces, plus a helpful color manual for projects and instructions. Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowGet ready to launch objects up to 15 feet with a catapult, crossbow, and canon based on Leonardo Da Vinci's original designs. It comes with laser-cut pieces for three models that each take from 1 to 3 hours to build. We like that this one is a logic puzzle and a fun marble run, all in one. Assemble the cubes so that when a marble is dropped from the top it makes it all the way to the bottom. Kids can create the pre-designed builds, or make their own mazes once they understand the concept.Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowKids can choose to arrange this domino maze however they like in hundreds of different chain reactions or complete the increasingly difficult challenges laid out in the included cards. The goal is to build a chain from one point to another and hit the designated target. This gift features challenges that get harder as obstacles like stairs, walls, and blockers come into play.This cardboard model kit adds some hands-on fun for fans of the Nintendo Switch. Kids build the customizable steering wheel, submarine, and airplane by following instructions on the Switch, then use their creations to play games with the console. Each model has built-in games and everything they need is included to build the sets, even things like tape.Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowKids who love to tinker are sure to go bananas while unwrapping this gift. The 95-piece set comes with a wrench, screwdrivers, a hammer, and other tools, plus safety goggles and gloves. There’s also a tool belt and bag. The manufacturer recommends adult supervision for use. A physics lesson, science experiment, and toy combined, the Water Rocket Kit can fly 90 feet into the air harnessing water and air pressure alone. Everything needed to construct it is included, except for a pump.Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowForget about a boring day off from school. This book, compiled by Popular Mechanics editors, packs over 300 fun activities, interesting facts, and experiments in one place to always keep your kids entertained. It’s best for ages 8 to 12 and is a great book to keep on hand during long road trips and summer breaks.Adults are sure to have a hard time keeping their hands off this awesome metal model airplane set. It comes with 258 pieces plus the tools they'll need to assemble it, and spans nearly 16 inches wide and 14 inches long when constructed. It’s recommended for kids ages 8 to 12.Rachel is the Deputy Editor of Reviews for Hearst's Enthusiast and Wellness Group where she supports Popular Mechanics, Runner's World, and Best Products. Her background is in service journalism and earlier in her career she worked as a daily newspaper reporter and book editor. She spent more than a decade as a staff editor and writer at TripAdvisor and Penguin Random House and her byline has appeared in Time Out New York, the New York Daily News, and New York Magazine. Outside of work, Rachel can be found planning her next trip, visiting museums and galleries, and walking her wirehaired dachshund in Central Park.Danny Perez is a Reviews Editor for Popular Mechanics with a focus on men's style, gear, and home goods. Recently, he was coordinator of partnership content at another product journalism outlet. Prior to that, he was a buyer for an independent men's shop in Houston, Texas, where he learned all about what makes great products great. He enjoys thrifting for 90s Broadway tees and vintage pajama sets. His spare time is occupied by watching movies and running to impress strangers on Strava.