Large legos
Ask HN: STEM toy for a 3 years old?
71–80 of 144 posts
Re: Ask HN: STEM toy for a 3 years old?
#72Classic write up on this:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wired.com/2011/01/the-5-bes...
Re: Ask HN: STEM toy for a 3 years old?
#73MAGNA-TILES was the best toy we ever purchased and would be perfect for a three year old. https://www.target.com/p/magna-tiles-clear-colors-37pc-set/-... They are a little pricy but one of our child's favorites. LEGO and LEGO Duplo is a good choice too. We used to do science nights too, with simple experiments, answering your child's questions about anything, how does this work, etc. Once they are a little older Lego…
I came here to recommend magna-tiles. My son is 9 now, and he still plays with them on a regular basis, and his friends do as well when they come over. He knows what a cube looks like spread out in two dimensions, and a number of other shapes as well. They're just plain fun to play with they, make a really satisfying sound as they snap together, and it's not a big deal when your creation collapses every once in a while.
A simple microscope is amazing to a young kid as well.
Re: Ask HN: STEM toy for a 3 years old?
#74Get this book and do some of the activities in it, there's enough that it should last for the next 5 or so years too.
https://www.amazon.com/Science-source-fascinating-projects-a...
I had a copy given to me by a teacher when I was 7, and I think with parental guidance you could do some of the activities with toddlers.
Re: Ask HN: STEM toy for a 3 years old?
#75MAGNA-TILES was the best toy we ever purchased and would be perfect for a three year old. https://www.target.com/p/magna-tiles-clear-colors-37pc-set/-... They are a little pricy but one of our child's favorites. LEGO and LEGO Duplo is a good choice too. We used to do science nights too, with simple experiments, answering your child's questions about anything, how does this work, etc. Once they are a little older Lego…
.. or Picasso Tiles, these are made out of colorful transparent plastic,
have magnets on sides and nicely connect into fences, cubes, domes. There's starter set with a wheeled platform.
Another nice detail is combining the colors to yield another color from the set.
Re: Ask HN: STEM toy for a 3 years old?
#76I think any age-appropriate "building blocks" toy is an excellent STEM toy.
Re: Ask HN: STEM toy for a 3 years old?
#77Earlier quoted context omitted.
I didn't mention it, but a search for "waterfowl guide children" brought up 90% American sites about killing ducks . So chasing them seems like a minor issue. (Adding "site:uk" to the search gives 90% results about feeding ducks.) I can't find any official advice on whether chasing birds is considered healthy or harmful to either the child or the birds.
>I can't find any official advice on whether chasing birds is considered healthy or harmful to either the child or the birds. I mean, wild animals generally don't like being disturbed. At best it stresses them. While the domain immediately screams bias, they cite sources: https://www.animal-ethics.org/wild-animal-suffering-section/... The relevant bit there would be the 'frightening sounds'. A shouting/screaming chil…
When you go to the grocery store, allow a few extra minutes, take them out of the cart and have them help you.
I need three apples. Thanks, that's one. How many more do we need? Now we have three. One Two Three.
It gets you talking with your child more. It gives them confidence that they are contributing to a real task. Kids love to be useful. It's up to you to pick and choose those tasks in the supermarket, and everywhere else where they will be successful. Be patient, step back, and let them do as much as they can.
Re: Ask HN: STEM toy for a 3 years old?
#78Our kids liked the Robot Turtles board game. The kids are the programmers, playing cards to give instructions. The parent is the computer, executing the instructions (while making silly sound effects).
Re: Ask HN: STEM toy for a 3 years old?
#79Don't overthink this. Hand the child a basket full of blocks (Duplo would be my choice) and walk away.
Re: Ask HN: STEM toy for a 3 years old?
#80Read to him. The number 1 way you can set him up for success is to spend time reading to him. The cool thing is that you can read content that you are interested in. Even hacker news comment threads.
As far as I remember, and as my parents tell me, I was able to read at the age of 3. I'm from Russia, and the language is easier to read one-letter-at-a-time when compared to English, but I still feel like it's possible (with enough time investment from parents) for a child to start reading by the age of 4.
I strongly suspect that learning to read at an earlier age is beneficial for a child. And it's not too early to start at the age of 3.