TOP PICKS | 34 TOOLS
Best Picks for Early Childhood STEM Learning
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Coding and Programming
Blue-Bot
Simple robot ideal for introducing programming to young learners
Bottom line: Students will develop logical and sequential thinking with Blue-Bot, creating a foundation for future coding activities.
Grades: Pre-K–2
Price: Free, Paid The app is free; the physical Blue-Bot programmable robot costs $119.95.
ScratchJr
Drag-and-drop programming is an effective intro for budding coders
Bottom line: With a little adult help, this is a rich platform for getting kids into programming and digital creation.
Grades: K–2
Price: Free
Codeable Crafts
Animate stories with accessible drawing tools and coding blocks
Bottom line: Kids get a simple peek at computer programming principles by animating stories using code blocks.
Grades: K–3
Price: Free
Blockly for Dash & Dot Robots
Adorable robots teach hands-on coding skills
Bottom line: You can program robots with code blocks, with plenty of creative options and lots of fun.
Grades: K–5
Price: Free, Paid The app is free but requires $149.99 Dash or $49.99 Dot robot from Wonder Workshop.
Cork the Volcano - Puzzlets
Fun elementary coding through hands-on puzzle tiles
Bottom line: Programming that combines engaging physical puzzle tiles with digital gameplay.
Grades: K–5
Price: Free, Paid App is free, but the Puzzlets Starter Pack costs $89.99. This bundle includes the Play Tray and an educator guide. Other bundles are available on the site.
Kodable - Coding for Kids
Fun procedural reasoning for kids; great curriculum for teachers
Bottom line: Kodable is a fun way for elementary school students to understand coding and contains impressive supports for teachers.
Grades: K–5
Price: Free, Paid In the free version, eight weeks of scripted lessons and activities are available. The entire curriculum is included in the School Plan and District Plan (which includes professional development). Contact the developer for a pricing quote.
Code.org
Popular games, big names get kids and teachers pumped to program
Bottom line: A well-planned, -produced, and -curated set of free resources bound to get kids hooked on learning to code.
Grades: K–12
Price: Free
Nancy Drew: Codes & Clues - Mystery Coding Game
Simple coding mystery fueled by fashion, friendship, and STEM
Bottom line: This girl-targeted STEM game is ambitious but shallow.
Grades: 1–3
Price: $3.99
Creation and Engineering
Faces iMake - Right Brain Creativity
Open-ended collage maker teaches symbolism and revs up creativity
Bottom line: Faces iMake - Right Brain Creativity is a don't-miss art app that encourages creativity at the same time as modeling it.
Grades: Pre-K–6
Price: Paid $2.99
Easy Studio Stop-Motion Studio
Ideal, easy-to-use way to help kids learn basic animation
Bottom line: This introduction to digital animation offers lots of opportunities for creativity for young students.
Grades: K–2
Price: $3.99
Toca Builders
Students not quite ready for Minecraft get a creative, fun alternative
Bottom line: Fun, engaging, open-ended play can work in a variety of content areas.
Grades: K–4
Price: $.99-$2.99
Minecraft: Education Edition
Stellar collaboration tools, controls make Minecraft classroom-ready
Bottom line: An excellent tool to engage students in learning, collaboration, and critical thinking is now more accessible than ever to teachers.
Grades: K–12
Price: Paid $5 per user per year; schools may qualify for volume licensing.
PBS KIDS Kart Kingdom
Lively, colorful exploration app teaches strategy, tool-making
Bottom line: Exploration, resource gathering, and crafting will teach students how systems work while they have fun navigating the world.
Grades: 1–4
Price: Free
Busy Water
Solve, create, and share puzzles that gush with STEM learning
Bottom line: This challenging yet kid-friendly set of logic puzzles wonderfully allows kids to solve problems and experiment with light science concepts.
Grades: 1–5
Price: $3.99
Workbench
Find and assign STEAM tasks with dynamic project-based learning hub
Bottom line: Dynamic resource for finding, creating, and rating lessons that support STEAM and PBL.
Grades: 1–12
Price: Free
The Infinite Arcade by Tinybop
Simple game-design app has endless creative potential
Bottom line: Letting students design, play, improve, and share their own games opens up opportunities for learning potential in many subject areas.
Grades: 2–6
Price: Paid $2.99
littleBits Invent
Top-notch tool empowers kids to invent, build, and control wirelessly
Bottom line: Easy-to-use, versatile electronic invention set that works wirelessly with your hand-held device.
Grades: 2–8
Price: Free, Paid The app is free; the standard Gizmos & Gadgets Kit costs $199.95. Various other classroom kits are available.
3D Slash
Minecraft-like 3D modeling (and printing) made super easy for all ages
Bottom line: This may be the fastest, cheapest route from idea to 3D printing out there, if you don't mind low-res, pixelated designs.
Grades: 2–12
Price: Free, Paid Premium accounts for schools add teacher-dashboard and class-management functionality for a fee.
SAM Edu
Wireless blocks promote design, engineering, and programming skills
Bottom line: With some perseverance, SAM is a great fit for PBL and STEAM, helping students learn programming skills through invention.
Grades: 2–12
Price: Free, Paid The app is free, but the SAM Labs kits, blocks, and accessories must be purchased. Kits cost $139-$599, blocks cost $31-$45, and accessories cost $17-$71.
Fundamentals and Problem Solving
Bugs and Bubbles
Fascinating graphics engage as kids practice pre-reading, STEM skills
Bottom line: Great bang for the buck with all the content and stages included.
Grades: Pre-K–K
Price: $2.99
Peg + Cat: The Tree Problem
Fun games require spatial reasoning to help Cat jump out of a tree
Bottom line: Get kids problem-solving and thinking about basic spatial reasoning in a fun, welcoming setting.
Grades: Pre-K–K
Price: $2.99
Picture Dots
Kids connect the dots with multisensory, interactive media creator
Bottom line: Kids will love playing with this one, but it needs more developed features and additional support to be effective for classroom use.
Grades: Pre-K–2
Price: Free
Thinkrolls
Fun physics platformer teaches, engages young elementary students
Bottom line: Highly engaging game packs in physics learning and puzzling fun.
Grades: Pre-K–2
Price: $2.99
Curiosityville
Highly engaging, age-appropriate site with delightful games
Bottom line: Curiosityville is a great online learning tool for kids that addresses a range of topics.
Grades: Pre-K–3
Price: Free to try, Paid
PBS LearningMedia
Treasure trove of lesson resources will benefit from adaptation
Bottom line: For teachers with time to sift through and adapt materials, PBS LearningMedia has a lot to offer with some highly useful support materials.
Grades: Pre-K–12
Price: Free, Paid The free Basic service allows users to search, browse, and save content. Contact PBS LearningMedia for a quote on Custom service, which adds standards alignment, a custom dashboard, and premium content.
Crazy Gears
Highly applicable STEM-themed free play; easy appeal for wide audience
Bottom line: A clear, simple, and fun introduction to science and engineering topics that may otherwise feel unapproachable for some kids.
Grades: K–3
Price: $2.99
Simple Machines by Tinybop
Excellent elementary NGSS engineering practices embedded in fun games
Bottom line: Fun gameplay lets kids explore important physics concepts in a solid standards-aligned context.
Grades: K–5
Price: 2.99
Science and Math
Pattern Shapes, by the Math Learning Center
Virtual pattern blocks with some extra useful teaching tools
Bottom line: If you don't already have a bucket of pattern blocks, or you want a more portable option, this free version may be a great fit for your classroom.
Grades: Pre-K–4
Price: Free
The Earth by Tinybop
Explore challenging concepts with beautiful, interactive free play
Bottom line: When used in conjunction with the handbook, this interactive model is a good way to help teach kids about Earth.
Grades: K–2
Price: $2.99
Photo Stuff with Ruff
Materials science photo app gets kids examining their surroundings
Bottom line: Perfect for physical science lessons in classrooms with handheld devices, but the app needs an update to prevent crashing.
Grades: K–3
Price: Free
Osmo Tangram
Fun hybrid puzzles with excellent classroom supports
Bottom line: Classic puzzler combines toys with digital play to engage and teach all ages.
Grades: K–3
Price: Free Requires Osmo game system, which retails for $79.99.
Lawrence Hall of Science: 24/7 Science
Outdated site still useful for science games and investigations
Bottom line: Many of these interesting and highly educational activities, though a bit disorganized, still challenge and engage kids in important ways.
Grades: K–5
Price: Free
Mystery Science
Big questions, kids' curiosity drive impressive science curriculum
Bottom line: These powerful science units capitalize on elementary school students' natural curiosity.
Grades: K–5
Price: Paid First-time users may be eligible for a free membership. Classroom memberships are $99 per year; school and district memberships are $499 for the first year and then $999 for subsequent years (if purchased before a certain date). Otherwise, regular school and district memberships are $1,499 per year.
CK-12
Super STEM resource with highly accessible content
Bottom line: Making STEM content accessible to kids with different learning styles, CK-12 could be the key to mastery for some students.
Grades: K–12
Price: Free
