The Best Science Kits For Kids, From Rockets To Robots (2024)

National Geographic Earth Science Kit

Are you even a scientist if you’ve never made your own volcano? This classic kit from National Geographic receives top marks—for quality, fun and ease of use—from more than 17,000 parents and kids alike. It’s certain to captivate your little rock collector or geologist instantly with over 15+ fascinating experiments that’ll blow them away, like racing dueling water tornadoes, for instance.

Kids grow real crystals, dig for (fool’s) gold, create a glow-in-the-dark vortex, erupt a reusable volcano and so much more. There’s also a detailed guide, so they’re learning as they go. While older kids can usually do the experiments solo, younger ones may need a helping hand from a parent.

Building and launching your own rocket is a thrilling activity—but some rocket kits only give kids one shot on the launch pad, and may also require risky stuff like fire. KiwiCo’s Bottle Rocket kit has neither of these drawbacks, because it uses the interaction between baking soda and citric acid to power a reusable rocket—meaning kids can blast off again and again. The kit gives kids the chance to learn about air pressure and chemical reactions, as well as a taste of flight. The rocket kit comes with supporting materials to deepen their knowledge further, including KiwiCo’s Tinker zine, video and printable activities. According to the manufacturer, this kit is best for kids ages 9 and up.

Overall, we’re big fans of KiwiCo (the brand makes our Best Subscription Boxes For Kids list more than once), so if rockets aren’t your child’s cup of tea the company has many other science-y kits to consider.

National Geographic Gross Science Kit

What kid wouldn’t want to boil boogers, make farting slime or dissect a brain? For the tween who can’t get enough of gross stuff, this super popular science kit from National Geographic is sure to be a hit. It comes with 15 disgusting but delightfully-satisfying experiments to keep them off the iPad and busy creating everything from atomic pee to test tube vomit. The instructions are extra kid-friendly with illustrations for each step, and there’s a booklet inside with 30 bonus experiments kids can do at home—all using common household items—so the fun doesn’t stop once the included experiments are over.

Each experiment clues kids in to the science at work as it’s happening, so they’ll learn about polymers, chemical reactions, fluorescence and more while they play.

Smartlab Toys Outdoor Science Lab

If your kid’s idea of a good time is going on a nature hunt to catch bugs, collect leaves or get their hands dirty (literally), this kit takes their outdoor exploration to the next level. There are more than 21 hands-on-activities to dig into, from measuring the height of trees and testing the pH of soil and rainwater to inspecting bugs under UV light.

There’s also a a 32-page science experimentation book and real science tools to make it official, including a magnifying nature scope, insect collector, pH test strips and nature charts to identify all sorts of bugs, rocks, trees and plants on your morning or nightly family walk. A clip-on macro lens compatible with smartphones and tablets lets budding entomologists get incredibly close-up, zoomed-in views of tiny creatures and objects.

Learning Resources Splashology Water Lab Science Kit

Kids and water go together like peanut butter and jelly. This Water Lab is good for the littlest learners who aren’t old enough to toy around with a sophisticated chemistry kit. Parents don’t have to stress about cleaning up a giant mess either. Just plop them in the bath or set up the water table outside, and complete the seven hands-on experiments with help from the waterproof instruction cards, which suggest guided and open-ended play ideas.

Kids explore important science concepts like flow, volume, buoyancy and more as they splish and splash to their heart’s content. Once the science experiments are over, the included pieces (bubble wands, a splash syringe, floaty boat tray and more) double as water toys to keep the fun going.

Klutz LEGO Gear Bots STEM Activity Kit

Future engineers love the thrill and challenge of building their very own kinetic sculptures, including a DJ octopus spinning records, a yeti with punching arms, a pterodactyl with flapping wings and five more fun automota that actually move. Each model includes a papercraft character kids can fold and link with the correct LEGO elements. There’s also a detailed 64-page book with clear instructions to help kids bring their own kinetic creatures to life—plus so much STEM content to take in about axles, cams, cranks and more engineering fundamentals in everyday machines.

This STEM kit is targeted toward kids 8 to 12, though plenty of parents say their slightly younger children enjoyed doing it with help, too.

If you’re looking for an affordable, top-rated and large science kit that’ll ensure your kids (ages 3-12) never get bored again, look no further. From underwater volcanoes and rainbow rainstorms to wiggly worms and ice cream monsters, this Surprising Science Kit is jam packed with 102 fascinating experiments for kids to geek out on. And many of them, like making your own lava lamp and bouncy balls, means tangible things for kids to play with afterward, too.

There are a ton of pieces and tools (a beaker, measuring cups, droppers, goggles and more), but everything is clearly labeled and the step-by-step instructions are simple to follow, so finding what you need and getting started isn’t a chore.

And for the kid who always wants to know why, there’s a clear explanation for each experiment so they can actually understand the science at work.

Bill Nye is basically a legend in the science world, so you know this space-themed, virtual reality kit is out-of-this-world good. With hundred of positive reviews from real parents and their kiddos, Nye’s VR science and activity set takes tweens into the outer depths of space to explore the science behind our solar system galaxy and universe with a 96-page interactive book.

There are 15 physical crafts, including crystal mountain and elephant toothpaste projects, and activities sprinkled throughout, as well as games, puzzles and more activities. Finally, it has their very own virtual reality goggles to pair with your (or their) smartphone for an augmented reality space experience. Instructions on the page come to life via video, which is helpful for keeping kids engaged and willing to learn.

Fizzy potions. Stretchy slime. Their own perfume. What’s not to love? This bestselling science kit features over 50 cool, kid-friendly experiments perfect for budding scientists to get their hands wet as they get hands-on creating their own water fireworks, walking water rainbows and more. They’ll stretch those mental muscles, tap into their creative side and practice important problem solving and critical-thinking skills, all while having fun.

The instruction manual makes it easy for little ones to follow along and visualize each step, with kid-friendly illustrations to show them what to do next—though parental involvement is likely needed for the youngest ones. The kit contains everything you need, minus some common household products, to conduct each experiment.

Thames & Kosmos Kids First Coding & Robotics Kit

If you’re doing your best to minimize screen time but have a kid who’s curious about coding, this adorable, app-free Thames & Cosmos kit is worth purchasing. Sammy, a super cool (and cute) PB&J sandwich robot teaches kids as young as kindergarten through second grade basic coding principles using physical code cards—no tablet or smartphone required.

To program Sammy, you simply lay down a sequence of code cards and an OID optical scanner on the bottom of the robot reads them and loads the program. Then kids place the robot on a grid of map cards and watch it spring into action. Kids can program Sammy and five more fun robots, like a penguin and fire truck, to move in different directions, play sounds, light up, complete tasks and so much more. There are 30 building and coding lessons in total included, which progress in difficulty to suit kids of different ages and skill levels.

Playz Edible Candy Making Kit

Like a kid in a candy store, aspiring food scientists are so excited to unbox this edible chemistry kit, packed with plenty of yummy experiments to cook up for themselves. Kids learn the basics of food chemistry as they create rock candy, lollipops, gummies, jelly candy, chocolate and more tasty treats they can actually eat, which is just the icing on the cake.

There’s a colorful, kid-friendly lab guide filled with fun facts, pictures and insights into each of the 40 experiments. While you do need some common kitchen supplies and ingredients in addition to what’s in the kit for certain experiments, it come with 21 tools and ingredients to get you started.

This physics kit is anything but textbook, allowing kids to explore Newton’s laws of motion (inertia, friction, circular motion, etc.) firsthand and see how they come into play in daily life. They’ll build six working models, including a crash test rig, a bow and arrow, sharpening wheel, rubber band car and rocket launcher, using detailed instructions online or in the provided booklet.

There’s also fun experimental activities for them to do with thorough explanations of the different scientific principles applied, so you don’t have to Google answers to all their tough questions. This kit is geared to kids ages 9 and up. If they love constructing things and playing with LEGOs, they’ll definitely appreciate this STEM set.