Our engineer-approved 2023 gift guide offers tons of options sure to bring happiness to STEM and STEAM lovers of all ages.
We all know that finding the perfect gift can be a major headache and usually takes more thought than can be done during the caffeine-driven madness of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Luckily, just because the most famous shopping days are over doesn’t mean there aren’t tons of fantastic gifts and deals out there for the STEM and STEAM lovers in your life, no matter their age or your budget.
Our engineer-approved 2023 Gift Guide features dozens of incredible gift ideas — ranging from toys and gadgets to gag gifts, learning opportunities, and even vacations — that everyone from the young to the young at heart will enjoy or fondly remember for years to come.
Most of the STEM professionals we know appreciate both form and function, and gifts don’t come much more functional than this Pocket Engineer Wallet Ruler from Genius Lab Gear ($14 on Amazon or $13 on their website). It’s a ruler, protractor, and conversion reference guide featuring 26 conversions, seven equations, and 10 physical constants common in civil, electrical, industrial, nuclear, and materials engineering.
Is the STEM-lover in your life intellectually brilliant but a bit lacking when it comes to grace? If so, they might get some use out of gadgets like this LED magnetic pickup tool ($16 on Amazon), which is designed to pick up bolts, screws, or any other metal parts that they drop into the void on the job. And for a little extra organization after picking up the parts, a magnetic wristband might do the trick ($10 on Amazon).
Speaking of organization, given that we live in an increasingly digital world, it’s never a bad idea to have a backup. External hard drives, like the Toshiba Canvio Basics 2TB Portable External Hard Drive ($60 on Amazon), and flash drives, like elegant Samsung Bar Plus (available in 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB and ranging from $11 to $20 on Amazon), will do wonders for a STEM student or professional’s peace of mind if something mission-critical is corrupted or erased. And if their work environment is particularly harrowing, or the gift recipient has a knack for tripping over things or getting caught in thunderstorms, they might appreciate the features of the LaCie Rugged Mini 2TB Hard Drive ($94 on Amazon), which is resistant against dust, water, and drops from up to four feet.
But who says every gift has to be useful? For those STEM lovers who have an appreciation for all things weird, witty, and downright silly, we’ve got you covered. Consider the “Am I Overthinking This?” book, which will only set you back $13, a 2024 Things That Can Kill You Calendar (for the record, nuclear engineering didn’t make the cut) for $15, or a “Passwords, Logins, and Other Stuff I Keep Forgetting” notebook for passwords, logins, and other stuff they keep forgetting (available as a compact softcover for $18, a compact hardcover for $23, and a large softcover for $24 in 17 different colors). Or you could just opt for a pair of World’s Greatest Engineer socks for $10 on Redbubble. If it says so on their socks, it must be true, right!?
Toys
For any science-minded child (or adult!) a LEGO Kit will almost always be a hit. Take a look at this incredible replica of the Apollo 11 lunar lander for $100 or, for those who want a super deep dive into STEM, this mind-blowing 847-piece LEGO Boost Creative Toolbox ($319 on Amazon). As a cherry on top, you could even include a personalized mini LEGO-like figurine ($36 on Etsy) so your gift recipient can put themselves right in the middle of the action.
If the STEM kids in your life are more of the mix-and-see-if-it-explodes type, they’ll love this Dr. STEM Chemistry Set ($19 on Amazon), which allows them to conduct 10 different experiments to create slime, crystals, and even a mini volcano. Or, to resurrect an old classic, you could opt for an Easy Bake Ultimate Oven ($145 on Amazon), which comes with three different delicious mixes. Cooking is chemistry too, and the fact that kids can eat their experiments is a bonus — and a real rarity in lab environments!
Looking for something for the aspiring electrical engineer in your life? Children 8–12 years old will love the Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100 Electronics Exploration Kit ($27 on Amazon), which features 101 different projects ranging from building an electric light to a siren and even an electronic organ!
It’s also never too early to get children into coding, and luckily there are all kinds of fun and amazing gifts out there designed to do exactly that. The Kids First Coding & Robotics kit ($98 on Amazon and a recipient of a Parent’s Gold Choice Award) introduces kids in grades K–2 to coding concepts like sequences, loops, functions, and algorithms. To get the whole family involved in the fun, consider the CoderMindz: Coding Game for AI Learners board game ($35 on Amazon), which introduces children to some of the most abstract concepts in coding and artificial intelligence and is currently used in over 600 schools worldwide.
If the children in your life are more into STEAM than STEM, check out the Artie 3000 Coding Robot ($42 on Amazon), which combines coding and art by allowing kids to program an adorable robot that draws as it moves. More fashion-conscious STEAM lovers might also love the KLUTZ Grow Your Own Crystal Jewelry Science Kit ($27 on Amazon), which lets kids grow unique crystals and shape them into one-of-a-kind necklaces, rings, and earrings.
Books
Almost anyone in STEM can get some enjoyment out of an academic text, but if you want to think a little outside the box, there are more options out than you might know about. For example, if your significant other happens to enjoy both romance novels and STEM, consider “The Love Hypothesis,” “Loathe to Love You,” and “Love Theoretically” by the New York Times bestselling author Ali Hazelwood, who is known for blending genuine academics and escapist literature into an immensely entertaining package perfect for beach reading. All of these books can be purchased on Amazon in print or audiobook form for around $10.
There are several novels for kids and young adults that cleverly blend STEM and storytelling too. “See You in the Cosmos” by Jack Cheng, for example, is an award-winning story about a boy named Alex and his dog Carl Sagan attempting to shoot his golden iPod into space. The memoir “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind,” by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer, tells the hearwarming story about how a young William Kamkwamba saved his Malawian village by building his own windmill to harness electricity. Finally, for young coders, consider the page-turner “Warcross” by Marie Lu, which follows a brilliant teenage hacker as she discovers a dangerous secret at the heart of one of the world’s most popular video games.
Gifts That Keep on Giving
For many kids, the idea of getting a class as a gift will probably be as popular as a pink bunny outfit from their kooky aunt. But after they start it and realize how fascinating the world of STEM and STEAM can be, it might end up being their favorite gift of all. And luckily for you, there are more options than ever to choose from based on their unique interests.
For young coders, CodeWizardsHQ sets the standard for online learning with class options for ages 8–10, 11–13, and 14–18. All classes are 12 weeks long and require a weekly time commitment of 2–3 hours, including 55 minutes of class time and 1–2 hours of practice time. Current pricing is $447 per course, which can be made in three payments of $149, and includes interactive live classes, video recordings, daily homework, and even paths to real-world coding internships upon course completion.
Some kids want to explore the digital world, but for others, nothing but the stars will do. For these young minds, they can get a jump start in their training to be an astronaut at Space Camp, which is located at NASA’s U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Backed by a 32-year history of inspiring future explorers, Space camp offers week-long cutting-edge classes in space, aviation, and robotics for kids aged 8–18. Camps range in cost from $1,699 to $2,500.
Finally, for young STEAM-focused minds that prefer their science with a little artistic flair, a course through one of the innovative learning programs from Snapology could be a perfect fit. Designed for children ages 4–14, Snapology offers a variety of after-school programs, summer camps, workshops, field trips, and even birthday parties that encourage exploration of robotics, coding, animation, and design through LEGOs, K’Nex. Minecraft, and more. Working with others, they’ll also develop soft skills in teamwork, negotiating and compromising, and public speaking. To see if there’s a Snapology class near you, just check their website. Prices vary by region and topic but typically range between $90 and $150 per class.
We know that the searching for gifts can be a little stressful. So, we hope that our 2023 engineer-approved STEM and STEAM gift guide makes at least the shopping part of it a little easier and that you can relax and focus on the things that matter most, like family and friends and making memories that last a lifetime.
