Manipulatives

5 years & up. Inspired by real-world physics and engineering, this STEM Explorers Machine Makers 9 STEP challenges help kids learn the fundamental mechanical principles. Embark on the latest STEM Explorers learning adventure! With this engaging set, kids will design, build, and test dynamic machines using the included challenge guide. As kids test and tweak their STEP creations, kids will hone the critical thinking and problem solving skills that are essential to STEM success. Includes a 50… More »

2 years & up. Encourage creative play, tactile exploration, and open-ended building using the PolyForm Star Connectors set. Children can easily fit the unique pieces into each other, building horizontally or vertically and creating exciting new shapes. Manipulating uniquely shaped objects requires children to use their fingers and hands in precise ways. The varied shapes also challenge children to adapt their grip and movement, further enhancing their dexterity. The vibrant pieces will help… More »

5 years and up. Revolutionize STEM play with the Plip™ Kit Silicone Connect System. Including arches, sticks, and Xs, the pieces in this kit are flexible and connect to one another via ball-and-socket ends. This means that children can use them to create any design imaginable; whether it's a rocket ship, an octopus, or a necklace. Plip™ Kit pieces can also be used as fidgets and sensory tools! Pull them apart to hear them POP! Set includes 46 pieces.

3 years & up. Roll your way into a good time with this marbulous-marble run! The durable, transparent pieces allow children to visually track the entire course of their marble as it makes its journey through several fun twists and turns. This Transparent Marble Run promotes fine motor skills, spatial relationships, logic, and STEM skills. The colorful pieces can fit together multiple ways, so children can design them differently each time. Have children drop the marbles in at different points… More »

2 years & up. Build with soft colors of nature, creating organic patterns with friction-fit leaf shapes. Explore symmetry, develop fine motor and spatial skills. Construction activities can be enhanced through light table exploration. A beautiful, subdued, natural color palette and recycled material construction further enhance a child's connection to the natural world. Set includes 10 double-sided activity cards and 96 colorful, interlocking pieces.

3 years & up. Bring your architectural and engineering ideas to life! This Snap Together set features 360 cubes in four bright colors and four fun shapes. Connect these unbreakable cubes together in any direction to build unique structures. The possibilities are limitless! These building manipulatives encourage creativity and support the development of fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Each piece measures .75". Included: 360 Plastic Cubes and a Plastic Tub.

3 years & up. Unlock endless creativity with this vibrant 140-piece construction set! Featuring bright fluorescent colors and easy-to-connect pieces, this set sparks imagination and hands-on learning. With five unique shapes in five assorted colors, kids can explore countless building possibilities while developing fine motor skills, spatial awareness, and problem-solving abilities. Perfect for open-ended play, collaborative projects, and STEM learning adventures! Includes a sturdy, stackable… More »

3 years & up. Make patterning even more engaging with these Colorful Multi-Shape Links with Jar for Learning Shapes and Patterns. Children will love building chains using three different shapes and six colors with this giant 500 piece set. These shape links are great for counting and sorting activities too! This set promotes color recognition, shape recognition, dexterity, fine motor skills, and hand-eye coordination. The pieces store in a convenient jar with screw-on lid and handle.

3 years & up. Magic Connectors feature brightly colored pieces that snap together to create fun, free-form designs and letter shapes. These uniquely-shaped connectors enhance gross and fine motor skills through the creative building. Encourage children to build their own unique figures. Use these pieces in a lesson about shapes, and assign children a shape to build afterward. Longest piece measures 3". Included: 75 connectors, 6 wheels, 9 spokes, and plastic box.

3 years & up. Bring the stars down to Earth with these Star Puzzle Connecting Pieces. Like the universe, the possibilities for this set are vast. Children can connect the pieces to form shapes or conceive and execute their own designs. While they turn their imagination into reality, children will develop creative thinking skills, problem solving skills, and fine motor skills.

3 years & up. Gears! Gears! Gears! Beginner's Building Set Get "little engineers" building! Hands-on construction sets with spinning gears build early STEM skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, and perseverance. The perfect beginning set! Includes colorful gears, cranks, connectors, interlocking bases; and an Activity Guide. Challenge patterning and problem solving skills with these exciting sets of gears, cranks, connectors, pillars, and interlocking plates! Includes… More »

3 years & up. Our jumbo-sized beads are perfectly designed for little hands! Crafted from durable, unbreakable plastic, these beads are built to withstand years of hands-on learning in the classroom. This set includes 360 vibrant, chubby beads in six fun shapes and six bold colors, each featuring extra-large holes for frustration-free stringing. Packed in a convenient plastic container, these beads make for easy storage and endless creative fun. The round bead measures 0.75 inches, making it… More »

4 years & up. Build towers of quirky robots, spinning gears, and wobbling cranes with this Robot Factory set by Learning Resources. Stack robots on top of each other and place them on spinning gears or hang them from wobbling cranes and springs. Each unique robot and building piece can be attached to another in several different ways and from several different angles so that the only limit on engineering is your imagination. Promotes STEM learning. Size: Robots measure 2.25"H. Includes:… More »

2 years & up. Add a new dimension to manipulative play with this 96 piece set. Simply clip the edges together to create an unlimited array of constructions. Build people, buildings, animals and more. Explore symmetry versus asymmetry, discover color combinations. Strengthens design, structure and balance skills. Enhance the designs by creating them on top of a light table. Comes with activity card(s).

4 years & up. Set creativity free with the Spaghetteez Flexible Construction & Building Set! Spaghetteez are soft, flexible building sticks that easily click together to make colorful creations. Spaghetteez develop fine motor skills, encourage 3D insight, and stimulate creative thinking. Spaghetteez also make great fidget toys because they bend and twist without making noise. Set contains soft craft sticks in different lengths and colors (the longest stick is 12"), various accessories… More »

5 years & up. The only limit to this building set is your imagination! Build 50 different models including a dragon, swing ride, robot and more. Comes in a blue plastic  tub that holds all K'NEX® parts, or partially and fully built models. Set contains 417 classic K'NEX® pieces to build over 70 unique models and whatever else you can create.

3 years & up. These counters turn sorting and counting activities into exciting adventures. Soft rubber counters in 6 colors packed into a reusable plastic tub. Suggested activities also included. Fish measure approximately 2.5". Set of 60.

3 years & up. This kit is full of fun and STEM learning! Build your own domino stack, chain reaction or run. The dominoes are built to pro-scale so they are balanced for perfect building and toppling. The rapid tracks, spinners and templates help you design anything you can imagine such as stunts, tricks or cool designs. The possibilities are endless! Kit includes 180 kinetic dominoes, 5 rapid tracks, 1 staircase bridge, 1 speed template, 2 straight tracks, 12 domino arcs and 3 spinners. Non-toxic materials.

5 years & up. Create your own unique marble run with zany-patterned, magnetic foam pieces! This Tumble Trax™ Magnetic Marble Run by Learning Resources will help hone your critical thinking skills and stretch your imagination as you figure out how to line up the pieces in a way that keeps your marbles moving smoothly down to the bottom of your run. Can you make the marble speed up, slow down, stop, or change direction by rearranging the pieces? Follow the activity cards to guide you as… More »

4 years & up. Straws and Connectors are ideal in helping children develop Science, Technology, Engineering®, and Math (STEM) skills. It allows children to enhance hand-eye coordination, motor skills, logic, and problem-solving skills all while playing. Build a fort, rocket, boat, tower, tunnel, or bridge! Design your own scientific model, or create something unique. The opportunities are endless! The straws fit snugly on the connectors and are flexible so you can build arches and tubes.… More »

3 years & up. These colorful counters turn sorting and counting activities into exciting adventures. With these textured Backyard Bug Counters, children develop fine motor skills, sensory learning, color recognition, and important early math skills. Use these counters in a lesson about addition and subtraction to give children a visual of the concepts they are learning. The counters are made of soft rubber and come in 6 colors packed into a reusable plastic tub. Suggested activities also included. Set of 72.

3 years & up. Give young children an easy, fun way to develop their fine-motor skills. This set contains nuts and bolts that pair with one another by both color and shape. Encourage children to match the nuts and bolts and then twist the nut onto the corresponding bolt. In addition to building fine-motor skills, this fun activity will strengthen shape and pattern recognition. Bolts measure approximately 2.5". Includes 72 plastic nuts and bolts pieces and plastic box.

3 years & up. This 90-piece set includes a variety of items to create working waterways. Children can experiment with the effects that construction, gravity, and distance have on water pressure and flow as they create endless waterway configurations. Materials are transparent to allow for easy viewing of water flow. The Build a Waterway STEM Kit builds on children's natural curiosity by providing the materials and freedom to explore. The funnels, measuring pitchers, connector tubes, blockers,… More »

3 years & up. This unique building set adds a new dimension to tube construction -- wheels! Children can build endless tube designs and add wheels to make them move. Easy-fit construction, this set includes 26 straight tubes, 26 shaped tubes, 6 tubes, 6 cross tubes, 8 wheels in assorted vibrant colors for a total of 72 pieces. This set also comes in a durable stackable plastic container.