COMMENTARY: Back to School Goes Full STEAM Ahead

The back-to-school season usually means the smell of newly sharpened pencils, a new wardrobe, and denial that the precious summer months have come to a close. You’ve probably heard the acronym STEAM being thrown around here and there, but this movement is making a bigger impact on the toy industry than ever before.

STEAM puts an emphasis on science, technology, engineering, art, and math, and these concepts have definitely made their way to back-to-school gear. But companies are doing a lot more than just making educational toys. They’re creating products that have value added to them—something kids appreciate without even knowing, and parents love for all of the extra benefits.

NeonLightWriterSome examples include the Geek & Co. line of science kits from Thames & Kosmos, which take chemistry, electroluminescence, and other concepts that might normally be intimidating, and makes them approachable. Meanwhile, the My First Crayola Grow-with-Me Easel, from Grow’n Up Ltd., stores art supplies, and transforms from an art easel to a tabletop, to a foldaway.

On the tech side of things, the Little Scholar Tablet from School Zone is a full-functioning Android device with 150 apps already preloaded onto it, and more content available to download. Finally, VTech’s Kidizoom Smart Watch lets kids take photos, record video and voice, and play educational games, giving them lots of options.

LittleScholarSTEAM toys are absolutely worth the hype. Not only are kids learning about electric circuits and lighting technology, they actually get to create their own. Not only can kids use the easel for drawing, coloring, and as a platform to do homework on, but it grows with kids as they get older. The Smart Watch plays right into the very popular trend of wearable tech, while tablets are becoming more realistic, yet remain kid-friendly (For more examples of smart tech toys that resemble the grown-up version, see our recent commentary, “Even More Smart Devices Are Available for Kids“).

This may not be STEAM’s debut in the toy world, but the concept is surely more relevant now than ever before. As such, STEAM products dominate the toy space with no signs of slowing down, especially as the young ones head back to school.

For more commentary from Magdalene, check back often. Views expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Toy Book as a whole. We hope that you will share your comments and feedback below. Until next time!

About the author

Maddie Michalik

Maddie Michalik

Maddie Michalik was the Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book from 2020-2022. She was also a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider.

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