As the school year ramps up, you may find your kids struggling to keep up a bigger nightly homework load than last year. Since the new school year brings harder academic standards, fall is a good time to reevaluate priorities. Shift the focus away from extracurricular activities to encourage your child’s love of learning with fun activities at home. Whether your children enjoy science, engineering, or art, you can find activity kits that fit every interest and academic goal. 

5 Smart Toys Your Child Will Love 

If you’re looking for activity kits that will encourage your child’s development of different academic skills, you should check out the toy company MindWare. From chemistry to engineering (and even pottery), you can select items that will wow your child, and keep you happy too.

Science Academy Soap Lab

For neat, at home science projects, you can check out Science Academy Clean Chemistry Kits. Since these kids come in a set of three, you can try out three entirely different projects. Each lab offers a great experience individually. 

With the Soap Lab, kids can see how soap is really made. From turning solid material into a liquid (and back into a solid), playing with color, and more, this lab encourages creativity and makes learning fun.

5 Smart Toys Your Child Will Love - Featuring @mindwaretoys - Found on www.theresasreviews.com

Handmade soap also makes a nice holiday gift for relatives. Last year, Samantha made soaps and wrapped them in ribbons or put them in small, nice, paper bags to give away to her extended relatives. Everyone loved the soaps.

Science Academy Perfume Lab

For a multi-sensory approach to learning, check out the Perfume Lab. Children can experiment with scents and invent their own delicious smelling formula. Since my daughters are enamored with my designer perfumes, this is a fun, safe way for them to play with the idea of using perfume, while also learning key concepts.

5 Smart Toys Your Child Will Love - Featuring @mindwaretoys - Found on www.theresasreviews.com

With this activity kit, not only do you learn about the biology and chemistry involved in making perfume, but you also gain experience using bottles and beakers. Trying out this experiment at home can help children gain confidence in science class.

Science Academy Lip Balm Lab

Children love using lip balm, and now they get to experiment with how it’s made. With the Lip Balm lab, you can follow simple, step by step instructions to create your own style of lip balm. Test the lip balm out with your neighbors and friends to see which style is the most popular.

5 Smart Toys Your Child Will Love - Featuring @mindwaretoys - Found on www.theresasreviews.com

For a fun, interactive experience, this trio of lab kits gets children learning science, while also having a good time. These kids show children that science isn’t as complicated as it seems. Science is all around us, and it’s everywhere. When you can see how science is behind some of your favorite products, it seems less complex and less intimidating to learn.

Pottery Wheel For Beginners

With the Pottery Wheel for Beginners set, you can design your own pottery. From sculpting to painting, you get hands on experience working with clay. If your child is interested in learning pottery but you don’t want to pay for lessons yet, this is a good way to get started. 

5 Smart Toys Your Child Will Love - Featuring @mindwaretoys - Found on www.theresasreviews.com

Samantha loves when she gets to work with clay in art class. This kid-friendly, easy-to-use set is perfect for helping her work on skills in an area she enjoys. 

Q-BA-MAZE 2.0: Rails Builder Set

If your child aspires to be an engineer, the Q-BA-MAZE 2.0: Rails Builder Set is ideal. Combining building skills and speed testing, the set will bring a smile to your child’s face. Eagerly waiting to see the marble speed down, your child can consider how to improve the maze. To try out different paths, you can connect the rails in different ways.

5 Smart Toys Your Child Will Love - Featuring @mindwaretoys - Found on www.theresasreviews.com

Whether your child is interested in science, engineering, or art, Mindware has an excellent selection. Giving your child educational extension activities at home doesn’t have to be difficult. Simplify at home learning with fun activities your child actually wants to do. 

5 Smart Toys Your Child Will Love - Featuring @mindwaretoys - Found on www.theresasreviews.com

Have you seen your children make huge progress in an academic area (science, engineering, art, or otherwise), with at home learning activities? Share your experience below in the comments!

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Disclosure

I received a free item, but it in no way influenced my opinion!

About The Author

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Theresa has been writing since 2010 in magazines and online. Her lifestyle and parenting expertise has been featured in publications, including ShopSmart and Scholastic. She earned an M.Ed in Elementary Education from Vanderbilt as well as a BA in History from Flagler College, and she is a certified teacher.

30 Responses

  1. candy

    I always use to love receiving toys like this as a kid and think these make wonderful gifts. Lets parent and child work together.

    Reply
  2. Carrie

    These are such great gift ideas! Love the science kits because kids love creating things and it lets parents get involved too. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  3. Mrs. AOK

    These are awesome! You’re right, my kids would love these. I’m considering getting my youngest daughter a pottery wheel (for kids). Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  4. Shann Eva

    These look like some awesome learning toys. I would love to get my son the pottery wheel. He loves to do art, and I think he would love to try this.

    Reply
  5. Brittany Ferrell

    I love that these “toys” incorporate science, learning, and investigation. I could even see how I could make them work in the classroom! I have not seen many like this!

    Reply
  6. Debra

    These look so much fun! Even my nephews would love a couple of these. I really like the soup one.

    Reply
  7. Melanie

    These look like great toys for kids. I’ll have to keep these in mind when I go Christmas shopping this year for my bffs kids 😉

    Reply
  8. Angela @marathonsandmotivation.com

    Wow! These are all great gift ideas & you are right, my kids will love them. I may get my daughter the soap & lip balm kits 🙂

    Reply
  9. celeste

    These look so cool. My nieces would love these kits for Christmas. thanks for the idea!

    xoxo
    Celeste
    ohhelloceleste.com

    Reply
  10. karen

    Um, I think I would want to “play” with that Lip Balm Lab! How fun and scientific! And that perfume lab is another one that would be super cool to try out!

    Reply
  11. Ellie Augustin

    O H MY! I added this to the maybe lists for gifts for Christmas for my kids my middle two are so curious and I know they would have so much fun w/these. Thanks so much for sharing.

    Reply
  12. Melissa

    Love gifts that make kids think. Science gifts are my favorite. Love the soap lab. So cool. Will bookmark for Christmas

    Reply
  13. Becky @ Splash Owl Media

    These are amazing! My son will love the Q-BA-MAZE 2.0: Rails Builder Set. I’m preparing my Christmas list and this is definitely on it for him. Thanks for sharing! 🙂 Great post!

    Reply
  14. Kim

    These look so great for kids. I’m book marking this page for the holiday season. My niece would love these.

    Reply
  15. Reesa Lewandowski

    These sound like great ideas for holiday gifts! My kids love hands on toys!

    Reply
  16. Dana Vento

    These are really fun and I’m sure my nephew and nieces would love this kit.

    Reply
  17. Taylor Mobley

    I had a lip balm lab and a perfume lab as a child! I LOVED THEM. Of course, now I am majoring in biochemistry so I am sure that had something to do with it. 🙂

    Reply
  18. Megan mccoig

    What fun toys. All of these would make great Christmas gifts. I would’ve loved to have a perfume making Set when I was little!

    Reply
  19. Brittany

    The q ball maze looks so fun! My kids just saw something similar at the store the other day and were begging me for it! Maybe I’ll have to add it to their Christmas lists!

    Reply
  20. Whitney S

    These toys look cool! I love how hands-on they are. I used to have similar toys like this when I was little. I definitely would’ve loved having the lip balm and perfume making kits.

    Reply

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