Best S.T.E.M. Build Boxes of 2024
STEM Subscription boxes are more educational gift options than the other cool gadgets featured on this website. If you want to see some of these kits in action, check out my video review.
Quick Summary
| Company | Product Name | Age Range | Price | Key Take-Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CrunchLabs | Build Box | 8-12+ | $25 (Per Box) | Most fun |
| Hack Pack | 14+ | $65 (Per Box) | ||
| TinkeringLabs | Electric Motors Catalyst | 8+ | $65-100 | Best for creative problem-solving and hands-on learning |
| KiwiCo Labs | Kiwi Crate | 6-9 | $24 (Per Box) | Most variety and age-specific options |
| Tinker Crate | 9-11 | $24 (Per Box) | ||
| Eureka Crate | 12-16+ | $24 (Per Box) | ||
| Mel STEM | STEM Kit | 5-10+ | $30 (Per Box) | Best when bundled with their science kits for variety |
| Lego Education | BricQ Motion Prime | 11-13 | $150 | Massive Lego kits with many hours of lessons |
| Spike Prime | 11-13 | $400 | ||
| Thames & Kosmos | Depends | 8-11+ | $10-25 | Tons of individual kit options |
| Company | Key Take-Away |
|---|---|
| CrunchLabs | Most fun |
| TinkeringLabs | Best for creative problem-solving and hands-on learning |
| KiwiCo Labs | Most variety and age-specific options |
| Mel STEM | Best when bundled with their science kits for variety. |
| Lego Education | Massive Lego kits with many hours of lessons |
| Thames & Kosmos | Tons of individual kit options |
CrunchLabs is a subscription-based STEM box company created by former NASA engineer and popular YouTuber Mark Rober. These boxes are available exclusively through a subscription, and there are two types to choose from. The first is the Build Box (for ages 8–12+), which costs about $25 per box (one box per month) and requires a minimum 3-month subscription. The second option is the more advanced HackPack (for ages 14+), which costs about $65 per box (one box every other month) and requires a minimum 1-year subscription. Both boxes include simple yet detailed written instructions for assembling the build. Additionally, they come with a roughly 20-minute video from Mark Rober that explains the science and engineering principles behind the builds. While the instructions are straightforward, you are encouraged to use your creativity to enhance the builds by adding accessories. This is especially important for the more advanced HackPack, where you can modify the pre-made code to customize the build and control it in unique ways. Personally, I tried both options and found them to be the most fun of all the build boxes on this list.
Tinkering Labs provides an excellent hands-on kit that teaches creative problem-solving. This Robotics Engineering kit is a one-time purchase (no subscription) and allows you to build multiple gadgets using the same general-purpose pieces included in the kit. Although it does not require a subscription, it is a bit more expensive, ranging from $65 to $100 depending on the size you choose. It includes eight “challenge” cards that guide you in building projects. For example, one challenge is to make a device that scrambles eggs, and it’s up to you to figure out how to use the materials in the kit to complete the device.
The kit contains materials such as motors, a battery holder with wires, laser-cut wooden pieces, elastic bands, brackets, nuts, and bolts. For beginners, the kit includes “warm-up” cards with simple exercises to help you develop foundational skills. For instance, one warm-up exercise involves connecting a motor to batteries to make it spin. If you get stuck on the challenges, detailed solutions are provided for some of them, giving you a fallback option if you struggle to come up with your own ideas.
Overall, this kit is more challenging than others on this list. You may feel frustrated if things don’t work as expected, but I believe this added complexity creates a valuable educational experience as you learn to iterate through different ideas and solutions. Although it is labeled for ages 8 and up, I think the complexity makes it engaging and rewarding for a wide range of ages. Ultimately, I found this kit to be the best for creative problem-solving and hands-on learning, making it the most educational option on this list in my opinion.
KiwiCo is another subscription-based build box company similar to CrunchLabs. KiwiCo offers STEM-specific kits for a wide range of age groups and also has kits focused on art and other topics. Given this variety, they offer boxes for total age range of 6-18+, and are roughly $18-$25 per box, but I summarized the age range and price for each specific offering in the table below. While KiwiCo crates are primarily purchased through a subscription, you do have the option to buy some individually or in multi-packs if you prefer not to subscribe.
Each kit includes written educational material that complements the builds, along with clear, straightforward assembly instructions. While I found the builds from the three kits I tried to be less engaging to play with compared to CrunchLabs, they were still pretty good. Overall, KiwiCo offers a larger variety of builds tailored to specific age groups.
| Crate | Age Range | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Kiwi Crate (STEM) | 6-8 | $24 (Per Box) |
| Tinker Crate (STEM) | 9-11 | $24 (Per Box) |
| Eureka Crate (STEM) | 12-16+ | $24 (Per Box) |
| Atlas Crate (World) | 6-12 | $24 (Per Box) |
| Doodle Crate (Art) | 9-13+ | $18.50 (Per Box) |
| Maker Crate (Art) | 14-18+ | $24 (Per Box) |
Hydraulic Lift Kit
Mel Science also produces a STEM subscription build box in addition to their other science kits that I mentioned in my Best Science Kits guide. You can mix and match these STEM build boxes with their science kits. These STEM build boxes are more on the beginner-side compared to other boxes on this list and are for ages 5-10+. Your subscription will cost about $30 per box (1 box per month). Some of the kits include builds for a hydraulic lift (shown left), a microscope for your phone, a spring-powered car, and a projector. These kits also come with video guides. Unlike the items above, I didn’t have time to specifically test out these STEM kits myself. However, I did try out their Chemistry kits, which I thought were very well put together. Assuming these kits are of similar quality, I think bundling these kits with some of their Physics and Chemistry ones makes for a unique subscription with a variety of activity types.
Lego Education makes two primary kits, the BricQ Motion Prime and the Spike Prime. However, if you are looking for a cheaper Lego option, you can also buy smaller versions of these kits. These kits are designed for ages 11-14+. Of the two complete sets, the BricQ Motion Prime ($150) is focused mainly on forces and motion, and this 564-piece set includes gears, wheels, springs, bricks, and other hardware. This kit also comes with 10+ hours of educational content from within the app. Meanwhile, the more advanced Spike Prime kit ($400) focuses on combining hardware (sensors) and software (coding) to make more advanced builds. This kit comes with 50+ hours of educational content from within the app. Overall, if the price isn’t an issue, these are massive Lego kits with many hours of entertainment and learning opportunities.
Thames & Kosmos provide a lot of individual buildable kits, such as the Catapult Engineering kit shown. Most of these kits are for ages 8+. These kits are relatively standard build kits that can be fun to assemble and use, with prices ranging from $15 to $30. However, unless you browse through the options and find one that aligns well with the interests of the person you are gifting it to, I think the other options on this list provide more value. Overall, If you are looking for a simple one-time gift, then these can be good options.
Looking for at-home Science Kits instead? See my Science Kit Guide.
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