What STEM Learning Looks Like in Babies & Toddlers: The Beginners Guide for STEM Toys
- thrivebaby9
- Nov 24
- 8 min read
When I was a new parent, I honestly had no idea what STEM activities for infants really meant or why STEM toys for babies and toddlers were suddenly becoming so popular for toddlers and preschoolers. Because I’ve always believed in giving my little ones the best opportunities to learn right from age 0, I decided to dig in to see what the craze was about.
Initially, it was a bit confusing — I kept coming across newer terms like STEAM and STREAM — but eventually I was able to figure it all out. I realized that STEM learning isn’t just for school-aged kids. It’s actually something that fits beautifully into early childhood because babies, just like toddlers, are sponges. They absorb everything we show them, say to them, or involve them in. And when you learn that most brain development and brain connections occur from ages 0–5, it becomes clear why these early experiences matter so much.
So I created this guide for first-time moms — to help them understand what STEM truly means, why it’s important for your child’s future, and which age-appropriate toys can support STEM milestones from the very beginning.
Table of Contents
What is STEM?
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) is a term used by the U.S. National Science Foundation to describe a group of subjects that drive innovation and future technological growth of a nation.
It’s an approach to learning that builds:
Curiosity
Critical thinking
Creativity
Perseverance
Problem-solving
Other variations you may see:
STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics)
STREAM (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics)
What does STEM mean in early childhood?
Research strongly supports that learning starts at the age of 0. It is well established that as soon as a baby is born, their brain starts developing depending on the exposure they receive and various other factors such as parents' responsiveness, involvement, playing together (serve-and-return interactions).
Every smile, every sound, every toy, every little interaction supports baby brain development and early cognitive skills.
🌟 Why early STEM learning matters for your child’s future
STEM learning in early childhood helps build a mindset that is valuable for life:
Open-mindedness and flexibility
Problem-solving and persistence
Strong world readiness
Better cognitive + spatial reasoning skills
Creativity and thinking outside the box
A foundation for future academic success and achieving heights in STEM careers
The ability to tackle real challenges in community and globally to be able to compete in the new economy.
🌈 How STEM Toys Support Brain Development in Babies & Toddlers
STEM-oriented toys introduce and enhance knowledge of STEM concepts through play.
These toys:
Encourage curiosity
Promote critical thinking
Build cause-and-effect understanding
Strengthen cognitive, motor, and gross-motor skills
Boost focus, patience, and attention span
Stimulate sensory development
Support creativity to explore, stimulating their growing brains to make new neural connections in the brain
Open-ended play encourages their brain to find the answers to 'why' and 'how,' which is important for innovations, be it a simple science experiment in a school lab or a revolutionizing finding in a research setting.
🍼 STEM Learning for 0–3 Months
While your baby needs sleep and cuddles (for skin-to-skin) at this stage and the concept of STEM might seem meaningless, but don’t forget their brain is continuously developing from the day they’re born. Cognitive development is still important at this stage and it can be encouraged when they are alert (not when they're resting or fussy, of course!) and when they try to gaze around or connect. The more exposure they get, the more brain stimulation occurs.
You can boost their baby brain during those short wake times through activities like parentese, talking or narrating, singing and reading simple baby books.
Best STEM toys and activities at 0-3 months are:
Looking in a mirror (Check this tummy time floor mirror)
Black and white contrast images for visual stimulation
Montessori Mobile with high contrast objects for tracing with eyes
Any multisensory toy like a cloth book for touch (This Baby Einstein Activity Book)
👶 STEM Learning for 3–6 Months
Your baby is now out of the fourth trimester and more interactive. They’re reaching important milestones like grasping, rolling, sitting with support, better color vision, exploring with hands and mouth, learning object permanence, and understanding cause-and-effect.
They will benefit the most by having back-and-forth conversations with eye contact. Baby rattles and cloth books are common appropriate toys at this stage.
Some brain-stimulating STEM learning toys I have personally found beneficial and engaging are:
Multisensory Lamaze toy to grasp, touch and explore different textures with hands and tongue, or to bat with hands when hung
These Silicone blocks (lightweight, instead of wooden) can be introduced so that they can grasp, explore the patterns, see different colors. I like it because while it is a good sensory toy and a good teether at 6 months, it will grow with your baby as it can be used to teach numbers, names of colors, animals and geometrical shapes, and for stacking to make a tall tower at a later stage (around 12-15 months) (covering at least 2 STEM subjects 😉).
👶 STEM Learning for 6–9 Months
Between 6 and 9 months, babies typically begin to sit unsupported, crawl, and use a pincer grasp to pick up small objects. They like to play peek-a-boo, look for things you hide, track objects as they fall, move things from one hand to the other, and put objects in their mouth. Common cognitive milestones (learning, thinking, problem-solving) for this stage are looking for dropped objects, banging items together for cause-and-effect.
Perfect STEM learning toys for your 6-9 month-old baby are:
Peek-a-boo toys (Ms. Rachel has great versions!)
👶 STEM Learning for 9–12 Months
Your curious little baby will learn how to wave “bye-bye”, say “mama” or “dada”, understand “no”, put objects into containers, and look for hidden toys.
To support intellectual development of your baby you can do simple things like describe what you’re doing. Label the thing their eyes fall on and talk about it (like its color, shape or material, or the sound it can make let’s say by tapping on a surface). They’re now more curious each day to learn about the world around them and there's no limit to how many new words you can expose them which also improves their vocabulary.
Great STEM toys for your 9-12 month-old baby are:
Pop-up Activity Toy for cause-and-effect
Hape Activity Cube: This can be the perfect age to introduce the activity cube to your baby. Although meant for 12+ months you can introduce it at 9 months. They can practice their pincer grasp for moving beads along, watch the balls move through wire tracks and learn about object permanence as they look for hidden shape blocks within the cube. This toy will grow with your baby and help them learn about sorting, color-coding, spatial reasoning and more until at least the age of 2.
🚼 STEM Learning for 12–18 Months
Once toddlers hit 12–18 months, their brains explode with new connections. This is the stage where they want to “do it myself,” explore how objects connect, and imitate adult problem-solving. They will begin to stack 2–4 blocks, use tools (spoons, push toys, hammers), experiment with connections (inserting, twisting, sticking, pulling apart), match basic shapes and colors, understand simple engineering concepts like stability and balance, and explore early math ideas: big vs small, more vs less.
Best STEM Toys for 12–18 months are:
Hape Butterfly Walking-Toy will build up the curiosity in your LO, who is beginning to explore the world on their feet to figure out the engineering behind the flapping wings.
Discovery Toys Measure Up! Cups are my favorite because of a number of ways you can play them, which defines the open-ended play concept in STEM learning for toddlers.
Melissa & Doug First Shapes 3-5 piece knob puzzles are good to start at this stage.
According to the Queensland Department of Education, early puzzle play helps children build problem-solving, memory, and spatial-thinking skills—all foundational abilities that support stronger learning and school performance later on.
My First Library Board Book Set with real images of farm animals, wild animals, birds, shapes, colors, fruits and vegetables, improves observation, vocabulary as you read to them while developing good reading habits.
🚼 STEM Learning for 18–24 Months
By 18–24 months, your toddler will begin to think more like an actual “STEM learner.” They will develop problem-solving skills by using more than 1 toy at a time and using both hands (holding with one while using the other to explore). They love to explore switches, knobs and buttons, as well as show interest in pretend-play. They have longer attention spans and can start recognizing numbers.
Perfect STEM Toys for 18-24 months are:
Start-up Circuits STEM toy so they can learn to press buttons, turn switches or pull levers
Melissa & Doug Doctor kit or 1-2-3 Build It Construction Set by Learning Resources for pretend play to develop early interest in the science field
Fisher-Price Wooden Rainbow Stacker is a great choice as it allows stacking and nesting for the future problem-solvers to build up their cognitive skills.
👧 STEM Learning for 24+ Months
By now, your toddler will have a better understanding of similarities and differences in shape and size, but may not be able to express them. They’re learning to count with longer attention span. They love to copy you doing chores and engage in imaginary play. They use trial and error to solve problems, like trying to set puzzle pieces in different ways until they're satisfied with the result.
Research from the University of Chicago found that toddlers who play with puzzles between ages 2–4 build stronger spatial skills — an ability linked to better math and STEM performance in school.
Start with 2-3 piece puzzle then move to 4-5 pieces by age of 2.5 years (30 months). Toddlers learn to play without frustration with 6-12 piece puzzles by the time they are 3 years old.
Best STEM Toys for toddlers 2-3 years old:
Wooden Play Kitchen set will boost independence while also promoting learning motor and cognitive skills through play
4-in-A-Box Puzzle Set by Mudpuppy has 4 pieces to 12 pieces puzzle in one for your baby to build up the confidence in problem-solving
Modeling clay (by Crayola) is as important as crayons (large ones - Jumbo Crayons by Lebze) for these toddlers at 2 years and above, to involve in arts and crafts
Geometric Stacked Montessori Toy is much better than many other stacking toys at this stage to help them learn counting and reasoning skills
💬 Important reminder for parents (keep this!)
A Reddit mom and an early childhood educator said something very true: Skills like long attention spans, naming letters, or counting to ten are NOT milestones until around age 5. It’s great to expose them early — just don’t expect mastery. Babies learn through play, not pressure.
Final Thoughts: STEM Learning Starts Long Before Preschool
STEM learning in the earliest years isn’t about math worksheets or teaching science vocabulary. It’s about giving your baby the space and tools to explore how the world works.
Every time your baby drops a cup, knocks down a tower, crawls after a rolling ball, tries to stack two objects, or pushes a button to see what happens, they’re building a foundation for future skills in math, engineering, critical thinking, logic, problem-solving, creativity, and scientific curiosity.
And it all happens through play — exactly the way it should.
If you nurture their curiosity now, you’re supporting the kind of thinking that builds lifelong skills.