Robot Building Kit for Kids – Know, Learn & Build

Wondering how to strike a balance between your child’s playing and learning activities? Why not choose activities that satisfy both their needs. There is nothing better than teaching your kids in ways that they find fascinating. A robot kit allows children to get creative and flourishes their intuitive minds. In today’s fast-paced environment, technology is ruling the world. It is important to stimulate kids’ minds in the right direction to help them stay a step ahead.

STEAM education offers a perfect combination of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math and expands the limits of STEM education applications. It is gaining momentum and is important now more than ever. Learning is now integrated with playing and experimenting with STEAM toys. A robot building kit for kids is an amalgam of playing, experimenting, and learning. Read on to discover more about robot kits for kids, what they offer, and how they can benefit your child. 

Here is what we will cover:

• What are robot kits?
• Tips to Choose the Right Robot Kit for Your Child
• Best 7 Robot Kits for Kids

What are robot kits?

A robot kit is a special kit containing several items for constructing robots. Several companies manufacture robot kits for adults and kids. These fascinating robot kits keep your kids engaged and serve as a valuable educational tool. They teach them valuable skills related to programming, physics, and design. Different kits are designed for children from 4 to 12 years and more. 

Each robot kit features either unassembled or pre-assembled PC boards, hardware, and mechanical drive systems. They can be handled by almost anyone who is eight and above. Using a construction kit and building a robot from scratch is a perfect way to begin learning about robotic technology. Check out the high-end programmable robot kits list below and get the best one that aligns with your goals. 

Tips to Choose the Right Robot Kit for Your Child

Selecting a good robot kit for kids is crucial to ensure a proper learning foundation of robotic concepts. You must choose a robot kit that involves your kid in learning new concepts. A robot kit is more educational than a toy. Therefore, you need to be careful about choosing the right robot kit for your child. Consider the following tips while making a choice. 

• Course Material: You must select a robot kit with course/ training material. It is futile to buy any robot kit that does not have course materials as the child will find it difficult to make the robot work. Your goal is to develop your child’s interest via a robot kit rather than leave them frustrated and confused.
• Videos: Another helpful feature is video-based robotics training material. Video-based course material is better than booklets. When keeping the child engaged and interested is your priority, providing them with materials that give a break from the traditional books is essential. Several brands offer the quality video content in the form of illustrations, animations, and teacher’s guidelines. 
• Quizzes: You need to ensure that your kid is learning in the process and not just fixing components together. A good approach to evaluate your kid’s learning journey is to opt for robot building kits that offer some quizzes.
• Certifications: There are many options available in the market. You can choose to buy robot kits for kids that offer certification. When a child puts hard work into building the robot, it is a great way to reward their efforts with a certificate.
• Assistance: You must also ensure that the brand provides proper support during the robot building and the robot kit. This assistance is valuable when your kid gets stuck with some concept and cannot solve it. Often children tend to give up if they come across challenges. Good assistance will serve as support in such situations.
• Reviews: Lastly, you must check for reviews on various platforms to confirm what each brand claims. Go through their success stories to discover all they offer and how satisfactory things can get.

Best 7 Robot Kits for Kids

Direct your child towards a bright future by choosing the right robot kit from various available kits depending on skills, age, complexity, budget, and interests. The following list contains the best seven robot kits for kids: 

Lego Boost Creative Toolbox

On reviewing the best robot kits, Lego Boost tops the list. It is the best robot kit for beginners. It is ideal for children aged 7 to 12 years as it is fun to put together and the easiest to program. It offers limitless possibilities for the creative expansion of young minds. 

Best suited for 7 to 12 years

Key Features:

• It has a simple programming interface, easy to get started with.
• It comes with visual instructions that allow non-readers to use and enjoy it.
• The robot kit is an 847-piece set. It includes a robot, five programmable designs, a guitar, a rover, an auto-builder, and a cat. 
• The kit is easily compatible with its mobile app, Lego Boost. It is available on Android, iOS, Kindle, and Windows 10 devices.

Ubtech Jimu Robot AstroBot Series: Cosmos Kit

This robot kit offers better coding and implements the Scratch programming language. The robot is compatible with other Jimu kits only. 

Best suited for 8 to 12 years

Key Features:

• The Ubtech Jimu Robot AstroBot Series: Cosmos Kit is compatible with smartphone and tablet apps. The application leads you through simplified building and programming. 
• It has clear instructions that introduce your child to the popular Scratch programming language. 
• Several blocklike Jimu building pieces come together to construct a capable robot.

Thames & Cosmos Kids First Coding & Robotics

Parents who want to reduce their child’s screen time can opt for this option. The Thames & Cosmos Kids First Coding & Robotics requires no software, apps, or smart devices. It has a colored experiment manual guide for kids to understand coding lessons and model-building exercises.

Best suited for 4 to 8 years

Key Features:

• This robot kit is an app-free option. 
• It relies on color-coded cardboard tiles that help program Sammy, the robot. 
• It has lots of expansion potential.
• It comes with a durable frame. 
• There are six different storylines, each with a series of coding lessons and model-building. For instance, a mouse moves through a maze to find cheese. These develop children’s interests and keep them engaged.

Wonder Workshop Dash Coding Robot

It is one of the most popular robot kits for kids. It is parents’ choice to teach coding to their children as it is best suited for beginners. 

Best suited for 6 to 11 years

Key Features:

• It is compatible with smartphones (iPhone and Android apps) and tablets. 
• It is rechargeable and comes charged for about five hours of play. 
• Children can program the robots to sing, dance, and draw, among other things. 
• Wonder Workshop provides additional attachments to update your robot if you get bored. 

Makeblock mBot Neo

This robot kit is the upgraded version of the classic mBot. It is more powerful, faster, and accurate. The mBot neo robot kit provides DIY construction materials for limitless fun and creativity. The programmable robot teaches programming step-by-step via interactive drag-and-drop software. It employs Scratch or Python language.

Best suited for 8 to 12-year-olds

Key Features: 

• It promotes AI, Data Science, and IoT learning. 
• It is very easy to build. 
• It comes with rich tutorials and project cases.
• Cyberpi powers it. mBlock’s cognitive services combine with Cyberpi and simplify text reading and speech recognition.  
• It provides a high-quality speaker and an onboard microphone. 

4M-tin-can-robot

It is one of the most cost-effective and creative robot kits. You just require two AAA batteries and a soda to get creative and can, and you’re good to go. It teaches children to use used materials for making functional bots. Thus, it is a great toy to boost your child’s confidence and provides a strong foundation before moving on to other high-tech robot building kits. 

Best suited for 8-year-olds and above

Key Features:

• The robot kit includes parts and easy-to-read instructions.
• It requires two AAA batteries and a can to get started.
• It is very simple and easy to use.
• It promotes Green Science.

Anki Cozmo Robot Toy

This robot kit is ideal for children who have moved past the beginner level. It offers kids a serious challenge and allows them to build and program their robots. The Anki Cozmo Robot Toy kit involves advanced AI and this is why children aged 10 and above find it interesting. 

Best suited for 8 to 15 years

Key Features: 

• It is equipped with AI. 
• It can express emotions, remember names, and recognize people. 
• It has a 30-frames-per-second camera and facial-recognition software.
• It comes with iOS- and Android app compatibility. 
• Kids can program the Cozmo robot to do everything from sneezing to dancing. 

You can purchase the robot kits for kids mentioned above from the official websites or Amazon. Check out the pricing and other details and choose the one that interests your child. Career opportunities in the field of robotics are advancing exponentially. Childhood is the right time to develop interests and let your child make their career choices.