How about a one piece rain and mud suit? Rinse them off with a hose and the clothes stay clean. Best part is you get to say "suit up" any time you're about to do something fun.
Ask HN: STEM toy for a 3 years old?
31–40 of 144 posts
Re: Ask HN: STEM toy for a 3 years old?
#32Duplo - larger Lego that they mostly can't put in their mouth. Be prepared for about a decade of being bored with kids toys. Also realize that your child may not be interested in anything you are interested in, its ok. They are their own person.
I have purchased Duplo for three friend’s kid’s first birthday and they have been a hit. Recommended age is 18 months, but 6 months to a year out, they get more use out of my gift than the others. Duplo is also compatible with Lego, which means they can be used as filler, etc. as they get older. Now one couple is having their second kid and I need to find a new present!
Re: Ask HN: STEM toy for a 3 years old?
#33Lincoln Logs and Duplo.
Re: Ask HN: STEM toy for a 3 years old?
#34Read to him. Nothing will help them become successful in STEM or anything else than being able to effortlessly read and comprehend (e.g., tutorials and advanced materials) and effectively communicate their ideas.
Re: Ask HN: STEM toy for a 3 years old?
#35A 3yo doesn't need a "stem" toy. They just need access to safe objects, heavy cardboard or plush books with simple colorful pictures, etc.
In short, they just need access to things they can observe and manipulate.
While a parent can to some varying degree influence the attention and interest of the child, there is plenty of doubt as to whether this will result in a better outcome long term or not.
As other people have said, one of the best things you can give your child is your time (and undivided attention).
Re: Ask HN: STEM toy for a 3 years old?
#36I recommend reading Seymour Papert's Mindstorms: https://www.amazon.com/Mindstorms-Children-Computers-Powerfu...
It gives you a powerful framework to think about learning in children (and adults), how they can learn programming, and how they can learn many other STEM and non-STEM topics using programming.
Re: Ask HN: STEM toy for a 3 years old?
#37As a parent of a soon-to-be three year old, I can relate. I’ve been thinking a lot about this exact issue. I’ve become aware of how horrible I am at staying “present” with him when we’re playing. I’m seriously struggling with the guilt that when I’m playing with him, I’m always thinking about other things (work, personal interests, chores, etc.)
Just a few days ago, I had a bit of a break through though. We went outside and played in the mud, found bugs, climbed a tree, and made a tire swing. If I wasn’t inside, I had a much easier time blocking out all the distractions. It might not be STEM by today’s standards, but I feel like he learned a whole more than a screen could teach him at this age. Honestly, I learned a lot about myself in the 3 hours we spent hanging out and being a kid again.
I don’t want it to seem like this is the first time that I’ve gone out and played with my kids outside or anything. It’s just the first time I’ve gone about it and become aware of all of these feelings.
It’s tough to write or even talk about this because the stigma of today’s society on raising kids in the era of iPads and YouTube. I feel that there’s an expectation that our generation is going to raise our kids with screens glued to their faces. Every piece of me wants to make sure that doesn’t happen to my kids. But I feel awful that I lack the interest when it comes to playing with kids toys.
TLDR: I took him outside and played. Lol.
Re: Ask HN: STEM toy for a 3 years old?
#38Everyone else is suggesting things to purchase, so I'll suggest things you can find or do outside. The last few are from [1], which I came across a while ago.
- Play "identify the waterfowl in the park" followed by "chase!" and (for larger geese and swans) "run away!". [This should satisfy the other comment "play sports instead".]
- Then, collect sticks in the woods and build a shelter. Extra points for using different types of structure, or working out which tree the different sticks come from.
- Collect different leaves and paint them. Or paint rocks.
- (In a year or two, you can get a plant press / heavy books and dry flowers and leaves between old newspaper.)
- Grow seedlings. Grow cress and eat it, or tomatoes, or just flowers.
- Search for fossils, bones, seeds (acorns, conkers, pine cones etc)
- Make a paper or balsawood boat, and float it on a pond
- Look for sea creatures in a rock pool
- Make an insect haven, then look at / identify the insects
When I was 3-4, I had a table placemat called something like "At The Seaside"[2], with typical creatures found on the British coast. My sister had "In the Garden". You might find something like that at a local museum, or some other child-appropriate guide to local flora and fauna. The museum probably has plenty of other STEM toys.
[1] https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/features/50-things-to-do-be...
Re: Ask HN: STEM toy for a 3 years old?
#39Kinetic sand
Re: Ask HN: STEM toy for a 3 years old?
#40Time with parents. As a parent you can turn most any activity into an opportunity to learn math, science reading or whatever. Just asking questions is the core of learning. For example, the start of learning math is gaining a deep understanding of basic numbers. Simple activities go a long way... count things, add them together, split into groups, and so forth.
I have an 18 month old. The delta that's occurred over the last year is immeasurable. I can't imagine how much more is going to happen between now and 4 years old. I optimize my day to ensure that I spend as much time as possible with him. It's definitely paying off for him, but selfishly, it's the most fun I've had in a long time.
> I can't imagine how much more is going to happen between now and 4 years old.
Just wait until they're school age and can make the conscious decision to learn what they're interested in at a much deeper level. You're just helping them lay the physical and mental groundwork for a love of learning when they're toddlers and pre-schoolers. It really is amazing when all that work pays off (as long as you can deal with the fact that your kids may not be grateful for it until much later in life).