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 10th 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 best science kits for kids to enjoy.
What Things Should You Look in the 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.”
Last update on 2021-02-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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
- JUMBO SCIENCE KIT FOR KIDS – The kit allows your young scientist to explore, learn and have great fun with their very own...
- 65 MIND-BLOWING EXPERIMENTS – This amazing, 55 piece children’s science kit includes everything you need besides common...
- WONDERFUL ACTIVITIES THAT KIDS WILL ENJOY – The science kit has a number of exciting and interesting activities including,...
- MANUAL MAKE THESE EXPERIMENTS SO EASY – The DVD and color manual will teach your children to complete the science...
Last update on 2021-02-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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..”
- For Wizards only
- Unique educational kit will teach you the science behind the magic
- Chemicals include citric acid, baking soda, vegetable oil, cross linked polyacrylate copolymer, red cabbage powder, color...
- Supplies include 4 test tubes with stand, 1 clear tube wand with 2 caps, 2 measuring scoops, Purple paper, star stickers and...
Last update on 2021-02-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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
- EXCITING WAY TO LEARN: Introduce young minds to the exciting world of scientific discovery through this fun and engaging toy...
- LOADED WITH VALUE: Over 32 experiments include mixing up chemicals that change color and fizz, using chemistry to do magic...
- EASY TO USE: The 36-page fact-filled colorful lab guide is full of pictures and information giving kids hours of fun in their...
- ENGAGES THE MIND: This STEM set challenges the child's mind as they work through the detailed easy-to-follow instruction...
Last update on 2021-02-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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
- Explore the secrets of science with the unique experimentation station!
- Endless fun! Conduct 40 epic experiments using the chemicals provided and your own common kitchen ingredients
- Includes base station, plunger, cylinder, valves, test tube holder, test tubes, reservoirs, rubber grommets, snap clips,...
- Stem focus: chemistry
Last update on 2021-02-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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
- EXCITING EDUCATION - Let your brain follow your nose on a fragrant journey through the science, history and art of making...
- PROMOTES A+ GRADES - Includes an 36 page easy to follow instruction guide and 27+ tools & materials to explore over 13...
- CREATIVE LEARNING - Explore how to create your own perfumes, make your own bath salts, how to produce rose tonics, make...
- TRUST OUR PLAYZ PROMISE - Do your research! You know the quality you will get when purchasing a Playz product. If you are...
Last update on 2021-02-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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
- FAST GROWING CRYSTALS IN 8 COLORS - Blue, pink, red, purple, green, orange, yellow, and teal; crystal chemistry has never...
- GROWING IS EASY – Easy-to-follow instructions and the 2 included silicone growing chambers make growing your crystals...
- NIGHT LIGHT DISPLAY – Show off 5 of your favorite home-grown crystals in the included light-up display! This fun kids STEM...
- INCLUDES REAL CRYSTAL SPECIMENS – Start or expand your rock collection! Comes with 5 real gemstone specimens: quartz, rose...
Last update on 2021-02-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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
- EDUCATIONAL TOYS: Welcome to the exciting world of all things that go boom! Using the combustion lab kit, children can create...
- EASY TO USE: The 25 kids STEM experiments and 24 lab tools allow your kids to explore the science behind combustion. The kids...
- LEARN & PLAY: STEM at play kits bring science concepts to life through hands-on activities designed to spark interest,...
- HANDS-ON LEARNING: The 36-page fact-filled colorful lab guide is jam-packed scientific principles, pictures, and information...
Last update on 2021-02-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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
- ★ BETTER TO UNDERSTAND ---This molecular model is very useful for both the teacher and the student. This molecular model...
- ★ POWERFUL FUNCTIONS --- This model contains C, H, O, N, P, S, F, CL, BR, I and other metals and a variety of single and...
- ★ WHAT YOU GET --- Swpeet brings you this terrific 240-piece molecular model set! Each molecular model kit comes with 86...
- ★ NON-HAZARDOUS MATERIAL --- All models of the factory are made of food grade green plastic, new plastic, atomic ball (PP...
Last update on 2021-02-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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
- LEARN THE BASICS - The 28-page lab notebook teaches 8-12 year olds about key scientific concepts: chemical reactions,...
- AWARD-WINNING - This kit has won a Parents' Choice Gold Award, a Dr. Toy Best Educational Toys Award, and was 2016 Finalist...
- 19+ EXPERIMENTS - The detailed lab notebook outlines 19+ colorful and surprising experiments on chemical reactions, molecular...
- FUN & EDUCATIONAL - The kit contains real lab equipment, including 3 beakers, a high temperature thermometer, a digital...
Last update on 2021-02-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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
- Includes 1 Crayola Color Chemistry Set for Kids with instructions for 50 science projects for kids and accessories for 16...
- Packed with steam and stem educational toys and activities that bring colorful fun to learning
- With 16 out-of-the-box experiments and instructions for 34 more, the possibilities are endless
- Ideal stem toys for boys and girls ages 7 and up, adult supervision recommended
Last update on 2021-02-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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
- 20 piece kit allows your young scientist to explore and learn the basics of science from chemical reactions to the use of...
- Represents STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) principles – open ended toys to construct, engineer, explorer and...
- Chemicals Included: Red cabbage powder, citric acid, baking soda, 3 color tablets, crosslinked polyacrylate copolymer,...
- Supplies Included: 2 cotton swabs, 3 test tubes with stand, 3 plastic cups, pipette, 2 sticks, 2 measuring scoops and...
Last update on 2021-02-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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
- TRIGGER YOUR KID'S INTEREST IN SCIENCE with a mind-blowing science kit for children, which will introduce your toddler to the...
- BOOST YOUR CHILD'S STEM SKILLS: With over 65 fascinating experiments, our science kits offer your kids hands-on experience on...
- KIDS MEASURE, OBSERVE & CLASSIFY: Real scientific tools, Test Tubes, Petri Dishes and Pipettes allow young kids to easily...
- KEEP CHILDREN CREATIVELY BUSY EVERYWHERE: Store your kids' lab in the carrying bag and take it to your weekend trip or...
Last update on 2021-02-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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
- LEARNING BY DOING WORKS: Play and learn with the exciting world of crystals, foam, and Prussian blue. become an expert in all...
- DISCOVER SCIENCE: Kids learn important chemical principles and test materials that snap, crack, and spark with 32 experiments...
- STEM KIT AT HOME: Fizz! Chemistry lab kit is authenticated as an educational product by STEM. Org. The fact-filled colorful...
- ADD HOUSEHOLD ITEMS: Additional common household materials are required for these experiments.
Last update on 2021-02-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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
Author BIO
Dr. CHRISTIAN-JEVON BRAMWELL MD
Christian Bramwell, MD uses his own weight loss story as teaching for people struggling with their own weight through blogging, teaching, and writing. His mission in life is to promote health and education, that is why he has chosen to be a family physician and found his own nonprofit Project RAK based on education and empowerment.
NPI (Doctor proof number) – 1336632918 NPI Number: