Yahoo Lifestyle Robot Kits Are the Perfect Gifts for Kids Who Aren’t Afraid to Take on Skynet
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Robot Kits Are the Perfect Gifts for Kids Who Aren’t Afraid to Take on Skynet
Any kid who has watched Transformers or Rob the Robot likely has an ingrained interest in robots, and that's why robot kits for kids make such a great gift. Kids are naturally curious creatures, and learning the mechanics of something they appreciate fuels their curiosity and feeds their mind. Yes, it's a STEAM toy, and that's important, too, obviously. But in general, robot kits are plain old fun that can lead to all kinds of pretend play, and even stem off into other interests like coding, engineering, or design.
Why Robot Kits Make Such Great Gifts
There's a lot more than mechanics that go into building robots. Studies show that kids learn computational skills, organization, they gain important technological skills, and robotic learning may even improve literacy. Robot kits for kids are a simple way to embrace kids love of all things AI, in a format designed for their level of learning and capabilities, where everything is included. While some of them are best when a parent helps, the majority of these robot kits are made for kids to do together or all on their own.
How We Chose
I recruited a group of kids ranging in age from 6 to 14. I decided to let them have at it, from opening the box to building the robot. I matched the kids to the ages specified by the manufacturer, to make sure that each was hopefully within their abilities. We tried 22 robot kits in total, and only seven made the cut. And here's why.
They are the kits that kids can do all on their own — or at least 90% on their own. The kits chosen were fun, the instructions clear and concise, with images to assist. The materials in the kit matched the price point of the robot, and the robot wasn’t, as one of the kids so eloquently put it, “super lame, and not cool-looking.” Kids do care about the aesthetics of the robot quite a lot, as they like to show them off after completing their creations. Much how I assume Dr. Miles Bennett Dyson felt about his creations. (I mean, we're almost at singularity, so...)
Kids who love science and robots will treasure this gift, but I think you may be surprised at just how many kids in general like these robot kits for kids. Not every kid in the testing group loved robots or building toys, but they all got a kick out of the kits, and have really embraced the activity with more appreciation than even I anticipated.
Best Products; Cat Bowen, Petoi - 2/8
1) Bittle Robot Dog Robotics Kit
Petoi
amazon.com
$329.00
Age Range: 12 and up
Hands down, this was the favorite robot kit of all of them. Yes, Petoi is pricey, but I can tell you that my 11-year-old daughter, 14-year-old son, and 12-year-old niece put this together, and they play with it over and over again.
They had no problem with the instructions, which were easy to follow, and everything was nicely separated and labeled. And the tricks it does after its put together? So much fun. It walks, it runs, it flips over, and much like the little girl coming down the stairs in The Exorcist, it can walk when it's upside-down.
It's both app- and remote-controlled, which can lead to a sort of head-to-head take control of Petoi situation. But knowing that they are using the app to do things like code skills into Petoi, and program AI tasks, you get over it pretty quickly, and figure out how to keep the kids from screaming at each other. (The trick is bribery.)
Coding skills are required if you want to run it through the app and give it new commands, but if you just want it to do the main tricks, of which there are plenty, the remote can control him with simple buttons. The play time is only about an hour at a time, but kids really do make the most of those 60 minutes.
More: The Best Toys of 2022
Cat Bowen - 3/8
2) Walking Robot
KiwiCo
kiwico.com
$27.95
Age Range: 8 and up
On the complete opposite side of the price spectrum was another huge winner, this cute little guy from KiwiCo. My 11-year-old put this together in about an hour, thanks to the easy directions and well-labeled pieces. It's a basic robot that has mechanisms that allow it to walk in an over-over motion, and it's pretty darn cute.
For under $30, you get the kit, the instructions, and a cool little booklet all about robots and robotics that is more fun than it sounds. It's a learning toy that feels like an adventure.
My daughter, who is not super into toys like this, loved every minute of it, and keeps it on her bookshelf away from the reach of her cat, which is saying something.
Cat Bowen - 4/8
3) Smart Machines - Super Sphere STEM
Thames & Kosmos
amazon.com
$68.90
Age Range: 12 and up
This kit was wonderful, but the age on the box isn't the age that can do it alone. Our 8-year-old tester got frustrated with the complex build and overwhelmed by the number of pieces. However, our 12-year-old tester had no problem taking on the challenge, and once she was done, she had this really cool robot that could morph into multiple bots, providing many hours of added enjoyment.
It's app-controlled, and our tester found that it works better on a phone than a tablet, as it’s more moveable and fun. The handheld aspect of the phone is superior for this task. The app has coding learning and games for your kids to play that make the toy infinitely interactive.amazon.com - 5/8
4) mBot STEM Projects for Kids Ages 8-12
Makeblock
amazon.com
$79.99
Ages: 8 and up
According to our 8- and 10-year-old testers, this robot kit from MakeBlock has “Just the right amount of pieces.” And as you can see in the picture, there are more fiddly bits, but they aren’t tricky, and they never get cumbersome. Yes, some kids do need a bit of help with the smaller screws, but honestly, so do I.
The interactive software that's included really guides your child as they build their bot. It gets to tweens at their level, speaking to them in a medium they understand readily. There is an online community that is totally optional, but there's a lot of great information in there. It also has an included remote-control for play off the app.
amazon.com - 6/8
5) Toysmith, KidzRobotix Tin Can Robot
4M
amazon.com
$11.22
Ages: 6 and up
Pro tip: Give your kid the can they’ll use in this robot, because otherwise, you might end up with a very craft-brewery robot, as our tester’s parent learned. (He did tell them to grab it from the rinsed recycling, in their kid’s defense.)
This is a mostly assembled robot that was successfully put together by our 6-year-old tester. He had a ton of fun making the IPAbot, and put it together in about 20 minutes, but plays with it frequently. It's a good entry point for robotics for kids, and the price point makes it feel far less precious than others on the list.
amazon.com - 7/8
6) Dinosaur Robots for Kids
PAI TECHNOLOGY
amazon.com
$39.99
Ages: 5 and up alone, 3 and up with minimal assistance
A dino robot designed for the youngest kids, it's as much building block set as it is a robot, which makes it wonderful for kids under 8. The soft-edged pieces click together, and are then controlled via a wand that fits easily in young children's hands.
This is a great, affordable robot kit for kids in kindergarten who are going through that dinosaur phase, but also love Bumblebee and company.
amazon.com - 8/8
7) SolarBots: 8-in-1 Robot Kit
Fat Brain Toys
fatbraintoys.com
$26.95
Ages: 9 and up
This is eight robot toys in one, and they’re all powered by solar energy. Do you know what that means? There’s no figuring out how to wrap batteries with the present, and you never need to go grab weird-size batteries at 6 a.m. because your early riser has killed their bot before you’ve even had your coffee.
There's a lot of pieces, but the 44 page, full-color workbook is beautifully crafted in kid-friendly language, with great step-by-step pictures included. All of this for under $40.
Our 10-year-old tester has now built all eight of the iterations included with this kit, and they have built a little Lego pad for the bot to sit on the windowsill for recharging. It is a toy that breeds innovation, and we love that.
fatbraintoys.com
