We are having to do it virtually this year and I was hoping we could use some of your content? The finished product? We cut pieces of tape so that we had plenty waiting once we got going. The small pieces can be difficult for young kids to handle. Create awesome 3D configurations with the K’Nex Imagine motorized building set. Your child can spend hours of meaningful, open-ended play. A sleek miniature replica of Ferrari’s best car. Gears! Indulge them to an hour of building with the Meccano Erector Model Building Kit. Take A Sneak Peak At The Movies Coming Out This Week (8/12) Brock O’Hurn: way more than just eye candy and totally worth seeing in ‘The Resort’ We have a bunch of easy STEM challenges to get the juices flowing, keep the kids thinking, and best of all learning. The Sluban brand is an excellent pick if you’re looking for a more budget-friendly alternative that is also compatible with Lego. I highly encourage you to get in on the fun if you can but hold back on providing the answers when things don’t go as expected. Alternatively, you can make a balloon car! The motorized building set features 529 pieces, including wheels, rods, and connectors. For an affordable price, you’ll get a huge pack of Lego-compatible pieces. If your kids love connecting pieces together, they will love Zoob. Gears! Let’s explore the way to make kaleidoscope in this section. The good news is there are multiple budget Lego alternatives that can educate and entertain just as good as Legos can. Set comes with a simple, easy-to-follow guide that will help your kids build in minutes! As long as your kiddo can use scissors safely, this is a great challenge to try! With Waffle Blocks, kids can create 3D creations. Here are the best LEGO alternatives that are more affordable and offer more options for building for you LEGO lovers! This product from Hasbro includes customized designs from popular franchises such as Star Trek, and the Transformers. Go for Lego clones if you want to build your Lego collection in an affordable way. We would give full credit of course! Light and Shadow Explorations. … If you have pretty imaginative kids, they can even make unique creations! It is made to match most Lego pieces. Some of our greatest inventors like Darwin, Newton, Einstein, and Edison failed and failed time again only to make history later on. There is no denying that building with Legos is both entertaining and educational. With just a set of IQ Builder, your kids will get a total of 164 connectible pieces to join, link, and fasten together to their delight. What materials do I actually need to do fun STEM activities? Another reason why you should go for non-Lego blocks is because some of the best alternatives for Legos feature designs that Lego doesn’t have. 50 Pcs Reusable Drink Pouches. Fits into Legos, but don’t cost as much – they’re the Lego clones. Each set includes wheels, balls, ball connectors, and wheel connectors, which kids can use to create different structures, vehicles, and animal shapes. I am a Youth Services librarian in Mississippi and we are working on our summer reading program. All you need is a box of toothpicks and a bag of mini marshmallows, gumdrops, or styrofoam peanuts. We also LOVE science and all things STEM. You get an awesome STEM picture book called The Three Little Pigs: An Architectural Tale written by Steve Guarnaccia. The set features big, colorful blocks that can easily fit together and come apart – perfect for the small, delicate hands of your toddler. The Waffle Blocks works for all ages! Want to know how to get started? Unlike Lego clones, click and snap toys do not look and fit like Legos but they do the same purpose – keep little hands busy with building. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. You can provide encouragement when things aren’t working well and offer congratulations for a successful challenge completed. It pays to check reviews before going for a set. Create striking images and illusions using nothing more than a camera, a light source, and a little practice. Marble Placemats- Set of 6. It’s always good to talk about the importance of failing with our kids. Furniture & Decor. POOL NOODLE MARBLE RUN. If I don’t know a whole lot about STEM, can we still do these activities? Or you can challenge the kids to build a tower 12″ tall (or any other height). Now it’s time to make your cardboard tube marble run! STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math, and activities involving these fields have a huge impact on kids. Each set is themed – kids who love space, cute houses, and helicopters will find these sets in Banbao! The set includes 6 solid bases that will help ensure your kids’ creations will have sturdy support. Unlike Lego creations, a completed Nanoblock set won’t take as much space in your home. There’s a good reason why Legos are among the most beloved toys of educators, parents, and kids. Hi! Help develop your child’s gifts without breaking the bag with these highly-recommended, affordable Lego-alternatives for kids. Light Painting. When you avail of the Marble Genius Marble Run starter set, you’ll get 80 see-through marble run pieces. They will love Mega Bloks First Builders! Here’s our Christmas theme balloon rocket… MAKE A BALLOON ROCKET. Challenge your kids to only use what they can find and not buy. Make a marble run on a smaller scale – Shoebox Marble Run. Encourage STEM learning in your kids with the Gears! CHECK OUT: LEGO MARBLE RUN. Look around the house for items that could work. The Kre-o brand is another Lego-compatible alternative for kids. The recommended sets encourage open-ended play that will help boost your kids’ imagination, creativity, and problem-solving skills. Go for a set that has the adequate amount of blocks to keep your child engaged. Kre-o is the creator of Cityville – a set that allows young builders to recreate their little town of blocks. The Gears! Legos can be frustrating, especially to young builders. IQ Builder is ideal for ages 5 years old and older. The pieces easily attach and come apart – works for little kids who are just learning how to build. Cobi is also Lego-compatible. Clones are affordable Lego alternatives that are also Lego-compatible. Includes a step-by-step instruction sheet that will guide kids into making their first wooden cabin. The brand features real-life and fictional sets. Take time to notice the shadows in your life and experiment with new ways to play with light. But blocks shouldn’t always mean Lego. Click and snap toys could either be built by connecting magnetic strips, or interlocking bristles! Grab a bag of 100 cups at the grocery store and challenge the kids to build a tower with all 100! Paper Chain Challenge. Your email address will not be published. Shipping is included. With Sluban, kids can create tanks, planes, and different kinds of trucks. Super Set. Hi! We have a PASSION for SLIME, and are dedicated to helping you make the best slime ever. This is great fun and less messy than the egg version! Details Amazon has this Marble placemats- set of 6 on sale for $8.44 after promo code. Even the simplest STEM activities like the catapult I talk about below provide numerous opportunities for kids to learn and explore STEM. The Zoob set is composed of colorful hollow poles with socket-ended rods kids can easily connect together. The set includes 6 solid bases that will help ensure your kids’ creations will have sturdy support. My son loves building his own marble run design and put all the marbles in at once to see how they can get through the bottom. Click on any of the images or menu options! Kids as young as 7 can help assemble this super cool rocket ship equipped with lights and sounds. A set that does not have enough pieces of blocks might bore your child. How to Choose The Best Budget Lego Alternatives for Kids, 11 Best LEGO Marvel Sets for Superhero Fans. Choose a set that fits your child’s learning level and interests. Bristle Blocks is an excellent option for kids who are still learning how to build and stack blocks together. Sluban is Lego with a more affordable price tag. The blocks also lock in different angles so kids can stack blocks in multiple directions. Required fields are marked *. Kids who love all things construction will love Banbao’s construction building kits. Your email address will not be published. We have ours stored in a plastic shoebox. Questions? Younger kids may need more assistance while older kids might choose to work independently. Includes square pillars, axles, interlocking bases, connectors, and crank handles. Simple machines make our lives so much easier. Create a landing pad for a water balloon so it doesn’t break. So let’s get started with some of the best, simplest, and most fun STEM activities that will have your kids chanting your name and eagerly waiting for the next awesome idea. Each set mentioned above also allows kids to make whatever they want to make. These LEGO-like toys make great presents for Christmas, birthdays, or other special ocassions. Before buying a Lego alternative, make sure it matches your child’s interest at the moment. Read more on how STEM provides real-world skills! If you’re looking for an affordable way to build your child’s Lego collection, Banbao is the answer. Combine LEGO with everyday materials through delightful and varied activities. Unlike regular construction blocks, Bristle Blocks feature soft, interlocking bristles that connect together at whatever angle – no more frustrated play! 8. LEGO Tinkering Explorations. You can build it on the wall with cardboard tubes and tape, with LEGO bricks on a baseplate, or in a box top with tape, craft sticks, or straws. The Lincoln Logs set consists of 327 pieces of maple blocks kids can use to make their own little wooden community. Kids love Magformers – they are colorful, easy to use, and the sky’s the limit when it comes to all the creations you can make with them. Well, easy STEM activities can look exactly like grabbing items from the pantry, recycling bin, junk drawer, and maybe a trip to the dollar store too. This post may contain affiliate links. Among the other Lego-compatible brands, Kre-o’s quality is almost identical to that of Lego’s. Mega Construx carries a 790-piece tub – each piece compatible with regular Legos! After Coupon Code: K89RANZI Verified. Oh, the fun you can have with Sir Isaac Newton, a balloon, a straw, and some string. You’ll be spending more if you buy a brand that does not capture your child’s interest and creativity. I always like to make sure I have a few basic supplies on hand as you will find in our engineering kit for kids. For just below $20, you get 80 award-winning blocks you and your child can use to build and create trees, animals, vehicles, and robots. It might look like your kids are just playing, but they are doing oh so much more. Each of these easy STEM activities will provide you with a materials list or you can read about it under the descriptions below. Kids can enjoy hours of creative play with the set’s 66 pieces of gears. Join us on our journey to discover just how cool science can be. Frustration and failure go hand in hand with success and perseverance. Light Play. Because they didn’t give up. And why is that? My son loves building his own marble run design and put all the marbles in at once to see how they can get through the bottom. Grab a free printable too. Take the time to assess your child’s learning level, then review if the set of blocks is too easy, or too difficult for your child. Building toys encourage kids’ creativity in a simpler way. Give a child a bucket of Legos, and they’ll spend hours tinkering with and building the colorful blocks. Learn more about me here. Each architecture set is scaled to give an accurate representation of the comparative size of each structure, with true-to-life color depiction. If you can stand to give your kids a carton of raw eggs, this type of STEM challenge will be a blast. Attach the battery-powered motor to your 3D creations to make them come to life! Erector comes wither other car models and construction sets as well, including motorcycle, off road vehicle, and construction crane. Discover more fun and easy science & STEM activities right here. Build a Marble Run. $9.99 $19.99 (50% off) Free Shipping. Water Balloon Landing Pad. There are some great vacation or distance learning STEM activities here that will really keep everyone busy. This classic building block set from Fisher-price is more of a Duplo alternative. Kids who love all things rockets and space will love this mission rocket! If you’re just after building the number of Lego pieces for your kids, consider buying a cheaper set of blocks. Explore light, … Building a marble run is full of design possibilities and really encourages those engineering skills. Banbao is a budget-friendly Lego alternative that is also Lego-compatible. Building a marble run is full of design possibilities and really encourages those engineering skills. BUILDING A MARBLE RUN. The STEM supplies are pretty simple and you probably have most of it floating around the house. Gears! I’m Betty. As always we have plenty of science experiments and STEM activities to get through a whole year. The kit comes with high-quality nuts, bolts, and wheels to help kids feel like they’re actually assembling a car. Turn it into a challenge to build a certain style of a bridge, a famous monument, or simply an abstract creation. Marble Maze STEM Challenge. Wanting to build your Lego collection but the price is holding you back? Most of the recommended alternatives on the list above come with instructions on how to build them. What happens when you take a classic fairy tale like The Three Little Pigs and you join it with architectural inspiration from Frank Lloyd Wright? Looking for easy to print activities, and inexpensive problem-based challenges?Â, Click below to get your quick and easy STEM challenges.Â. If you’re choosing a set of blocks for your child, consider the number of pieces. Stave off the dreaded “I’m bored” syndrome that hits partway into any vacation or downtime with a few of the BEST simple STEM activities that cost almost next to nothing. My son also decided to make a second DIY marble that dropped into the first one. She strives to teach her kids through fun, interactive activities, and hope to help others do the same. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Is your young toddler showing interest in building and stacking blocks? This affordable block set is like Lego, but smaller – it is an ideal choice for tweens, teens, and even adults. Shoe boxes, craft stick, and hot glue – that’s it! With its aesthetics and sounds, the PLAYMOBIL mission rocket looks like the real thing. Of course, we had to come up with an easy STEM project to go along with it and a free printable pack too! It comes with an easy-to-follow instruction guide that will help kids make amazing configurations with the clickable pieces. Young builders will get to experience how it is like to check and maintain the ship. The cardboard tubes were easy to stick to the wall, and we had fun designing our cardboard tube marble run. CARDBOARD TUBE MARBLE RUN. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math, Learning at Home Resources • Always Moving Mommy. Cobi features designs that give a nod to historical icons like the Titanic, war tanks, fighter planes, and battleships. Perhaps you might be wondering, “If Lego has the best quality in the market, why do I need to bother for Lego alternatives for kids?” Two answers: affordability and options. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Although a lot of Lego knockoffs are good quality, some can be disappointing. Zoob is for all ages – older kids can make intricate models, while little ones can create simpler figures. These materials make an awesome building kit! Perfect for different ages, groups, and team building! Again, you’ll be amazed what you can create. With Bristle Blocks, there’s no limit to creativity. Playing with log sets can teach kids hand-eye coordination, spatial recognition, and problem-solving skills!