Best Science Kits for Kids

Kids can learn anything they put their minds to. Science kits are a great way not only to entertain the young ones while also exposing their minds to something educational. As a child I remember my first science kit, it was a simple microscope and old fossils. Getting that gift for my 10^th birthday may have been the spark to ignite my career in medicine as a Family Medicine Physician. I cannot promise the same thing however a science kit can open an entirely new world for your child and is worth consideration as a gift for birthdays or Christmas.

The list I made is some of the most popular and fun science kits I know your children will enjoy.

What Things Should You Look in Best Science Kits for Kids?

Here are 4 things you need to consider before purchasing your child’s first science kit

• Age Group: Is this kit for young kids or is it for teenagers?
• Preparation time: Are the activities very hands-off or does it require a lot of assembly?
• STEM focus- Is this kit more for entertainment or are you trying to get something more educational?
• Price: Are you trying to spend frugally or does not price not matter?

The 15 Best Science Kits for Kids 

• The Magic School Bus Chemistry Lab

Pros: Great price, a very nostalgic chemistry kit for those who watch the show, very simple experiments to do

Cons: Small parts that are a choking hazard for young children, made of cheaper plastic, could have more experiments

What Customers Say: “This was such a great choice! My son (8) is getting more and more interested in science, and this seemed like the best bang for the buck. It arrived in excellent time.”

Average review: 4.5 stars

• Learn & Climb Kids Science Kit
  

Pros: Over 65 experiments, made of durable plastic equipment, includes experiments for biology, chemistry, physics and earth science, very simple and quick experiments

Cons: Expensive, so many pieces can make parts easy to lose

Average review: Reviews not available

• Scientific Explorer Magic Science Kit for Wizard
  

Pros: Very professional looking kit, made of good materials, easy to follow instructions

Cons: Have to buy some of the basic ingredients, experiments can be repetitive

What Customers Say: “The kit comes with everything you need, and all of it comes in cute little pouches or bottles. You also get four big test tubes with a stand, two mini scoopers, and a plastic wand..”

Average review: 4.5 stars

• Ultimate DIY Glow in the Dark Slime Kit 

Pros: Over 10 recipes to make slime, very fun for kids of any age, simple to follow instructions

Cons: May not have enough supplies for all 10 experiments, will have to buy another kit as one box will only be enough for one child

What Customers Say: “Bought this kit for my 9-year old son's birthday, and he loved it. Everything you need was right in the kit, and portioned out so that he didn't have large containers of "ingredients" to deal with. He was able to make it by himself, without a lot of mess.”

Average review: 4 stars

• Playz STEM A+ Kids Chemistry Junior Experiments 

Pros: Over 32 experiments, for kids who truly are interested in STEM fields as it talks about pH, bonds, and states of matter, comes with lab coats and goggles to make it look very professional

Cons: It is an expensive kit, not as fun for younger kids  

What Customers Say: “We purchased this for our 9-year-old grandson. He did several experiments with Grandad and they both enjoyed themselves so much. The goggles, lab coat, and gloves were a hit with our grandson - definitely made him take his science experiment more seriously and added to the fun. Great purchase!”

Average review: 4 stars

• SmartLab Toys Ultimate Secret Formula Lab 

Pros: People love the volcano reaction, a wide variety of experiments

Cons: Due to its price a lot of the parts are reported to break including the plungers and seals

What Customers Say: “My son loves it. There are a few small things I'd change about it, but for a 9-year-old, it's fantastic. He has a lot of fun with this. There are all kinds of things for him to learn about.”.

Average review: 3.5 stars

• Fun with Fragrance Perfume Science Kit         

Pros: A perfect kit to get girls into STEM, over 13 experiments, not only perfumes can create bath salts and fragrances

Cons: A lot of assembly time will take the fun out, not a wide variety of fragrances as you would think

What Customers Say: “Bought this for my daughter. She is 11yrs old & loves making slime so this is along the same lines of mixing chemicals. It is very easy for her to mix her own fragrances and she is happy with the results.”

Average review: 4.5 stars

• National Geographic Crystal Growing Lab (Comes in Blue, Red, Green as well)

Pros: High-quality material guaranteed by National Geographic’s 100% satisfaction guarantee, very good price  

Cons: Harder to do with younger children, does take one week for the crystal to grow, the crystals do not glow in the dark that well

What Customers Say: “This is perfect. I love that I can put the day in my purse or pocket and I am set for the day. As a side note when you pull out your new pill pod you know what day it is.”

Average review: 4 stars

• BOOM! Kids Chemistry Science Kit

Pros: Over 25 different experiments, can make rockets for boys or sparkling effects for girls, has a link to Stem.Org for further explanations into the science of the kit

Cons: The experiments are not that exciting, for the price the parts are cheaply made

What Customers Say: “. It comes with salt, baking soda, iron, and citric acid for your “chemicals” as well as a ton of pieces of “lab equipment” there is a book as well that has a lot of experiments listed which also explains why the chemical reaction is happening.”

Average review: 4 stars

• Swpeet 240 Piece Molecular Model Kit for Chemistry 

Pros: An advanced kit for the serious young chemist, as fun as Legos but more educational

Cons: The containers are too small, the pieces are choking hazards for younger children

What Customers Say: “A very nice kit for molecular demonstrations/visualizations. If you have many molecules to construct as I did for a chemistry lab, you should order more than one kit.”

Average review: 4.5 stars

• Yellow Scope Foundation Chemistry STEM Kit for Girls 

Pros: Award-winning kit as Best Educational Toy, over 19 experiments with fun facts and quizzes, the perfect kit to expose young girls to STEM

Cons: Not as challenging for older kids over 8, it is one of the most expensive kits out there

What Customers Say: “My niece wanted a niece kit for her birthday. I wasn't sure she would even give it the time of day. The next morning she was doing experiments with her Mom and Dad.”

Average review: 4.5 stars

• Crayola Color Chemistry Set for Kids

Pros: Over 50 total activities to do, great interesting and educational kit for kids 7-10, made by Crayola scientists to make it as fun and educational as possible

Cons: Not all of the experiments are successful especially the ones with the silicone compounds, some parts of the kit get used up quicker than others

What Customers Say: “The main reason is that the kids are still just in love playing “science”. The directions have been thrown out and they just go to town and are completely entertained. Both the 4 and 8-year-old are in love. Complete imagination takes over and it’s lovely.”

Average review: 5 stars

• Scientific Explorer My First Mind Blowing 
  

Pros: STEM science kit that is cheaply priced, very easy to do experiments that are colorful and exciting

Cons: Experiments are not very creative, not all parts included with the kit

What Customers Say: “This science kit is perfect for my son. I got it for his 6th birthday and we've been having so much fun doing the experiments. It came with nearly all of the supplies except for simple things you have in your home like baking flour and water.”

Average review: 4.5 stars

• Be Amazing Toys Big Bag of Science

Pros: Over 70 total activities, a wide variety of activities including instant snow to gravity goo to fizzing solutions, very affordable price

Cons: Not made for children older than 7, the instructions are very long at times  

What Customers Say: “I would highly recommend this kit. I don't understand how people are labeling it overpriced. Getting the test tubes alone is almost half of the cost. By the time you find all the chemicals and magnet and iron filings that come with it - you are probably looking at $50 or more.”

Average review: 4.5 stars

• FIZZ! Chemistry Science Kit

Pros: Very interactive and entertaining experiments, over 30 activities

Cons: The kit does not last for long, small on print on the instructions can make it hard to follow the experiments

What Customers Say: “Adorable travel pill case - easy to remember your vitamins all week. It is small and convenient and I have gotten a lot of compliments on it. Highly recommend!”

Average review: 4 stars