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 »

3 years and up. Create captivating geometric designs with the Translucent Tangram Tiles. These tiles come in a wide variety of shapes and colors that offer children many possibilities. They can either use the included inspiration cards or come up with an idea all their own. Either way, children will develop valuable shape recognition skills and learn the basics of creating geometric patterns.

3 years and up. Discover animal diets while developing fine-motor skills with the Learning Skills Activity Board. Each animal's stomach is hidden behind a fastener that children must undo to find out what the animals have eaten. When children see the stomachs, they will find out which animals eat what and learn a little bit more about the world around them.

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 »

12 months & up. Use your imagination and get creative with Waffle Blocks. This 42 piece set is made of safe, bendable material with a unique waffle shape that fit together easily. Pieces are easy to stack, build, connect, twist and snap together. Comes in its own container for easy clean up and storage. Each piece is brightly colored and measures 3.7".

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.

12 months and up. The Jumbo Hexagon Manipulative Set is the ideal early STEM toy! This set of 48 jumbo hexagon pieces feature knobs that can easily snap into place to form imaginative structures. Little ones will explore color and shape recognition, spatial relations and early engineering concepts. Sized perfectly for little hands, set comes inside of a stackable storage bin with locking lid. Pieces come in 6 bright colors; red, yellow, blue, green, orange, and purple. Hexagon pieces each measure 4" x 4".

2 years & up. Construct colorful creations with this snap-construction set. These soft, playful blocks will promote fine motor development and creativity. The pieces of this snap-construction set are made to resist cracking when snapped together. Help a child build socialization skills through facilitating communication and interaction. The unique snap construction of the pieces also fosters visual sensory development. Includes 50 pieces.

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 »

12 months & up. Colorful fabric owls with ribbon feet and crinkle bodies for toddlers to match and sort. Embroidered features, satin ribbons and crinkles enhance tactile and sensory awareness. Included: 5 sets of 3 owls in orange, red, purple, blue, and green. Machine washable.

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 »

8 years & up. Explore the basics of mechanical physics by building a series of simple machines designed to perform complex tasks that make our everyday lives easier. Build 26 working models focusing on six simple machines: wheels and axles, levers, pulleys, inclined planes, screws, and wedges. Learn the science behind your builds in the full-color, 32-page manual and follow the easy to understand step-by-step instructions to assemble each machine. As your understanding of mechanical physics… 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.