Looking for educational gifts for your child this Christmas? We have chosen 5 STEAM gift ideas that your children ages 8+ will love.

Christmas is actually 6 days earlier this year…OK…not really, but the time between Thanksgiving Day and Christmas has 6 fewer days than last year since Thanksgiving is happening the last week of November this year.

This is the reason why you saw Christmas decorating and products in stores BEFORE or at the same time as Halloween themed items. 

Brands want to get you in the Christmas spirit as soon as possible.  We have some ideas for you.

Parents love toys that teach kids skills and are fun at the same time. 

STEAM gift ideas are perfect because they teach science, technology, engineering, art, and/or mathematics while kids follow directions (or not) to build, create, or code a toy.

Our Christmas STEAM Gift Ideas were so popular last year, we chose and evaluated 5 more for this year, STEAM toys your kids’ ages 8+ will absolutely love.

5 STEAM Gift Ideas for Kids 8+

Robotic Sphero Mini Soccer Ball

Looking for a little sport?  How about a mini soccer ball?  The new Sphero Robotic Mini Soccer kit features a Sphero Mini ball dressed in a soccer ball shell.

Kids can use the Sphero app to control it to roll wherever they direct it too. 

They can also learn how to code to do special tricks, incorporating its included mini pylon cones.

The Sphero Mini Soccer ball features a gyroscope, accelerometer, LED lights, and a rechargeable battery. 

The rechargeable battery can last up to 45 minutes.

Using the free Sphero Education app, kids can draw paths, learn basic scratch blocks, and eventually write their own JavaScript programs to control the soccer ball.

 The Sphero mini balls and the programmable BOLT are the most popular items in the Makerspace I work in at my son’s school.  Kids love them.

The Sphero Mini Soccer ball provides hours of fun, whether coding or using the inherent controls and games of the Sphero app. 

One of the most perfect STEAM gift ideas.

Purchase the Sphero Mini Soccer robotic ball on Amazon for $49.99 with free shipping.

Discovery Education Model Engine Kit 

Have a mechanically minded child who is interested in how things work? 

The Discovery Education Model Engine Kit gives kids the opportunity to build their own engine.

With over 100 custom parts, kids will build a 4-cylinder gas engine replica with a rotating fan mechanism, piston turning crankshaft, rotating fan and belt, valves that open and close, spark plugs that light up, and more.

With 100 pieces, it looks a little daunting at first.  But using the easy to follow directions help kids learn the aspects of the engine while gaining confidence and problem-solving skills.

Perfect for teaching internal combustion, used in gasoline car engines. 

Plugging the cables into the battery pack distributor makes the engine fans turn. 

This Model Engine kit teaches the mechanics behind engines and encourages kids to expand their creativity while logically building the engine per its included instructions.

Two kids in the Makerspace I work in have put this kit together.  Both are third graders and they have had a lot of fun building it.

The Discovery Education Model Engine Kit is available half price through Kohl’s for $24.99 with free shipping with purchases over $50.

Let’s Start Coding Ultimate Kit ages 10-15+

If your child has already worked a little on coding or shows some interest, the Let’s Start Coding Ultimate Kit 2 is a great STEAM gift that will provide hours of learning and discovery.

With access to nearly 9 hours of video instruction and 110 projects with directions, kids will learn to control electronics, based on popular C++ code.

The Ultimate Kit comes with 17 components, including an LED light strip, speaker, temperature sensor, sound sensors, buttons, and a small LCD screen.

Compatible with Windows, Mac, and Chromebooks, no other tools or equipment are needed.  

Projects include creating a multicolor thermometer, Morse code with sound and light, LCD alarm clock, and more. 

The Let’s Start Coding Ultimate Kit is the winner of a number of family awards and seals of approval.

We love the Let’s Start Coding products because, like the Ultimate Kit 2, they have a way of making something that can seem complex understandable and easy. 

By plugging into a Chromebook or PC, kids can program things to happen to the lights and sensors they learned to set up.

The Let’s Start Coding Ultimate Kit is available through their website for a limited time for $124.99 (save $20) with free shipping.

Logitech Crayon, ages 5+

If you have a newer iPad in the house (2018+), the Logitech Crayon is a fun accessory for kids, but really the whole family. 

The Logitech Crayon uses nearly the same technology as the Apple Pencil to draw in finite detail, color, doodle, take notes, mark up PDF’s and more.

In fact, the Crayon was made as a durable, kid-focused accessory for the Educational market. 

It is flat instead of round, so it does not roll.  It also features an orange battery cap and power button to make it easier to find.

Best yet, the Logitech Crayon sells at a lower price point, making it more affordable for families.

The Logitech Crayon works beautifully and makes coloring and educational games more fun.

The Logitech Crayon is available through Walmart for $42.99 plus free shipping.  This is the best price we have found by far.  It normally sells for $69.99.

Google Nest Mini

The Google Nest Mini is available in Charcoal, Chalk, Sky, and Coral from Google for $49.99 with free shipping.

See last year’s Top 10 Christmas STEAM Gift Ideas for Kids that incorporate fun while teaching important STEAM concepts. 

There are so many STEAM products for kids these days and kids love them!

*We were given these items for purposes of evaluation for possible inclusion in our Christmas STEAM Gift Ideas article.  All opinions are our own.