“When children play in science, they’re creating all sorts of powerful cognitive anchors,” Chris Emdin, PhD, the Robert A. Naslund Endowed Chair in Curriculum and Teaching and professor of education at the University of Southern California, tells Verywell Family. “[Through play] they’re able to witness the phenomenon in real-time, manipulate variables and see their effects. … When you play with something, that becomes a part of who you are. When you play basketball, you’re like, ‘Wait. I can do this.’ And that’s the biggest thing: the ‘I can do this; it’s not just for those other smart kids, maybe I am one of those smart kids now.’” According to Emdin, author of “STEM, STEAM, Make, Dream,” science kits are best when they encourage kids to explore scientific concepts long after they’ve conducted the prescribed experiment. As parents, we also know that these toys are only good if they’re easy enough for our kids to understand, don’t require a lot of extra parts or ingredients, and remain engaging without getting bogged down in textbook-like instruction. We kept all those criteria in mind when researching the many kits on the market. Based on Emdin’s advice, our own kids’ feedback, and our research, here are the best science kits for kids of all ages. “I’ve seen them, I love them, and they work really well,” Emdin tells us. “Anything that incorporates the actual doing with the digital. What it means is that the [makers] are thoughtful about where young folks are interested.” After receiving free samples of MEL STEM (for ages 5-9), MEL Physics (ages 8-14+), and MEL Chemistry (ages 10-16), we have to agree. Even kids who may be too young to study physics in school get a kick out of building a hydraulic lift and a solar-powered buzzer, and they’re not likely to forget what it’s like to put on a VR headset and zoom through atomic structures or play around with electrons. Older kids will get a kick out of mixing real chemicals and even lighting them on fire. Our one complaint about the kits is that some of the projects are over too quickly, and there’s not much you can do with them other than clean up and wait for the next one. But when the next month comes around, it’s exciting all over again to open that box and learn something new. Price at time of publication: $60 Price at time of publication: $53 Price at time of publication: $25 The included instructions are very easy for kids to follow on their own, but adults can then help them read the accompanying booklets that explain the bigger concepts behind the arcade claw, rocket, or garden they’ve just made. Unlike many other science kits, KiwiCo’s projects are toys they can play with after the lesson is over. This allows them to absorb what they’ve learned and continue to mull over those scientific concepts. When they outgrow the Kiwi Crate, they can move up to the subscriptions designed for older kids. Price at time of publication: Starts at $18.50 per month If Kibo’s price tag seems a little too much, we also recommend Botley, the coding robot from Learning Resources. Price at time of publication: $299 Price at time of publication: $86 Price at time of publication: $30 But for the full experience, adults can download the app and point their phones at the instructions to see Nye himself pop up to talk about what’s going on. Then, place the phone in the VR headset, so the kids can continue the lesson on the larger concepts involved. After receiving one of these kits free to test out, we learned that this combination of VR and real life helped keep an 8-year-old’s attention for much longer than just one or the other would, and a year later, he still remembers much of what he learned. Price at time of publication: $60 Each microscope kit includes several special experiments, which make use of the included petri dish, forceps, dropper, test tube, slides, and more extras. The microscope requires three AA batteries (included), and it is safe to use for outdoor experiments as well. Price at time of publication: $130
We also consulted with dad and science education expert Chris Emdin, PhD, Robert A. Naslund Endowed Chair in Curriculum Theory, and professor of education at the University of Southern California, who is also the New York Times best-selling author of “For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood and the Rest of Y’all Too” and “STEM, STEAM, Make, Dream.”

What to Look for in Science Kits

Toymakers have recently realized that there is a good market for science-related toys for kids, so you now have a wealth of products to choose from, in a variety of subjects and age levels. Here are some criteria to help you narrow down your choices.

Age Level

Most science kits for kids will give you guidelines about appropriate ages. Smaller kids won’t need very complex experiments to engage them, but you’ll want something they can play with safely. Older kids can handle written instructions and accompanying lessons on scientific concepts, though you also don’t want to bore them. Emdin says it’s OK to consider giving a child a science kit that’s meant for kids that are older than they are, as long as there’s an adult there to supervise them. “I give my kids the ones that are a couple of age ranges ahead,” he tells Verywell Family. “It’s not because I think they’re particularly advanced, but I’m curious as to what they’ll do with them and what kind of questions they’re going to pose.”

Subject Matter

“I think it should be less about where the young folks are developmentally, but also about what their general interests are,” Emdin says. If you don’t know what interests a child most, there are plenty of kits that demonstrate a broad range of scientific subjects. Others will be more focused on something like electricity, chemistry, biology, or robotics. Ideally, they’ll eventually get to play with all kinds of different scientific disciplines over the course of their childhood, so you can switch it up from year to year.

Ease of Use

Clear instructions are essential to making a science kit fun and educational for children. If they can’t read yet, look for a kit that offers visual instructions. Some kits have accompanying websites or apps that give directions and related science lessons, which is especially helpful when the grown-up involved doesn’t have a background in the subject.  “The best science kits are accessible,” Emdin tells us. “You don’t have to have any advanced, complex scientific or mathematical knowledge to get started.” 

Engagement Over Time

Some experiments in science kits are easy and fun, but they’re over in just a few minutes, and there’s little guidance on how to continue exploring the subject. Emdin recommends science kits that lead kids to continue playing and learning beyond that experiment. “I want something that my child’s gonna sit with and be there for a few hours, and the more time they spend, the more discoveries are happening,” Emdin says. “You want to build science as a lifestyle, not just as a set of events. You want to activate the imagination, where the young person is thinking and dreaming and figuring and imagining beyond what’s in front of them.”

Why Trust Verywell Family

Sabrina Rojas Weiss is a parenting editor at Verywell Family and the mother of a 9-year-old boy. Not so coincidentally, she’s been writing about parenting for nine years, following a career in entertainment journalism. It wasn’t until adulthood that she realized she loved science, so she’s doing her best to make sure that doesn’t happen with her son. His favorite kits of the moment have been the MEL STEM and Physics kits, mostly because he loves the VR elements. “A science kit is simply anything young folks can play with that won’t harm them,” says Chris Emdin, PhD, Robert A. Naslund Endowed Chair in Curriculum Theory and professor of education at the University of Southern California. “Your refrigerator is the ultimate science kit. Eggs and milks and bread, and the twisty ties for bread and dishwashing detergent. … It’s just creating space to let your children play and pose questions. And hopefully you know the answers to those questions, and if you don’t you go on an online deep dive together to figure out how these things work.” You can buy a few tools to help with that exploration, such as a reliable kids’ microscope, but there are plenty of experiments you can complete with only household materials. Visit websites for organizations like the Boston Children’s Museum or PBS’ DIY Science Time for some ideas.