My husband is an engineer. Our toddler put two STEM toys to the test

Disclaimer: The Hape Domino Robot Factory and Strictly Briks sets were gifted to us for review. We were not paid to write this article, and all opinions are my own.

A little engineer in the making?

When your husband is an engineer, you expect your children to develop an interest in how things work. H has always been good at taking things apart, fixing them and explaining why something does what it does. I tend to leave him to it, especially when it involves calculations.

Cyrus, at two-and-three-quarters, was already showing similar interests, although his approach was less technical. He liked throwing things, pulling them apart and knocking over anything that looked as though somebody else had spent a considerable amount of time building it. If there was a tower standing in the middle of the living room, it was a personal challenge.

We had been sent two STEM toys to review, and I thought they might give him something different to do on a wet weekend. H was quite interested too. With engineering already part of our family life, I wanted to see whether the toys would appeal to Cyrus or whether we’d just end up with another collection of pieces scattered across the carpet.

STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. It’s one of those terms that seems to appear on more and more children’s toys, usually accompanied by promises about problem-solving and preparing young minds for the future. I’m not against any of that, but I do think we’re expecting a lot from toddlers on this front! Cyrus was still at the stage where putting his own socks on was an achievement, so I wasn’t concerned about his understanding of engineering.

I just wanted to see whether he’d enjoy the toys.

At Cyrus’s age, I was more interested in whether he’d enjoy playing than whether he could explain why a ball rolled down a ramp.

Our mini mohandes gets to work

In our English-Persian household, Cyrus is affectionately known as our little mohandes, the Farsi word for engineer. H grew up in Tehran, and Persian words have always been part of our family life. Given his father’s profession, this little nickname seemed fitting, although I suspect H has visions of Cyrus eventually following him into engineering. Either that, or he’ll be a doctor!

The first toy we tried was the Hape Domino Robot Factory, a wooden construction set with dominoes, ramps, tracks, balls and a little red tipper truck. The idea is to arrange the different pieces so that one movement sets off another, creating a chain reaction. I wondered whether Cyrus would have the patience to build anything before deciding to knock it over.

As it turned out, he took to it immediately. H helped him arrange the pieces, showing him how to position the ramps and send the balls rolling along the track. Cyrus watched carefully for a while before deciding that he had his own ideas about where everything should go. The dominoes didn’t always stay upright, and several arrangements collapsed before we’d finished putting them together.

I think H found this mildly frustrating at times. He would carefully position a ramp or line up the dominoes, only for Cyrus to move something or send a ball rolling before everything was ready. Cyrus, meanwhile, thought it was great fun and couldn’t understand why we kept trying to stop him.

Once we managed to get a complete run going, he loved watching the dominoes fall. He’d laugh, pick them up and want to do it again. The little red truck was another favourite, although I’m not convinced he cared much about its intended role in the chain reaction. It was a truck with wheels, and that was enough.

By the end of our first session, we’d had several successful runs, a number of collapsed tracks and at least one wooden ball disappear beneath the sofa. I found another one later while tidying up, which is usually how these things go.

H would carefully arrange the dominoes, only for Cyrus to decide that knocking them over before we’d finished was a much better idea.

Is there any science involved?

Watching Cyrus play, I could see why toys like this are described as educational. He was beginning to work out where to put things and discovering that moving one piece could change what happened to another. If a ball didn’t travel where he expected, he’d try moving the ramp or ask H to help him.

Sometimes he managed to get things working himself, while other times he became impatient and knocked everything over. I wouldn’t go as far as saying he was learning engineering, but he was thinking about what he was doing. He could see that one action affected another, even if he didn’t have the words to explain it.

Children have been building towers, rolling balls and knocking things over for generations, long before anybody thought to put STEM on a toy box. There is value in that sort of play, but I don’t think it needs to be dressed up as an early science lesson every time.

What I liked about the Hape set was that we could all get involved. H enjoyed showing Cyrus how the different pieces worked, while I helped with the dominoes and tried to keep track of the balls. It was something we could do together without having to follow a complicated set of instructions.

It also kept Cyrus busy for a good part of the afternoon, which was welcome given the weather outside. Nobody was asking for a phone, the TV stayed off, and I managed to sit down with a coffee for a few minutes while H supervised the construction work. A successful afternoon.

Is the Hape Domino Robot Factory worth the money?

The Hape set felt well made, with sturdy wooden pieces and a good mix of components to experiment with. I liked that we could arrange the tracks differently each time rather than having to reproduce the same design. Cyrus enjoyed the moving parts, especially the balls and dominoes, and there was enough variety to keep him interested.

There are quite a lot of pieces, however, and they do have a habit of spreading across the room. Some are small, others roll, and retrieving everything afterwards takes patience. This isn’t a problem, but it’s worth bearing in mind if you prefer toys that can be packed away quickly.

It also benefits from adult involvement with younger children. Some arrangements are fiddly to put together, and the small components mean parents need to check the manufacturer’s recommended age and safety guidance. Cyrus played with the set under our supervision, and I wouldn’t regard it as something to leave a young toddler to use alone.

When we originally reviewed the Hape Domino Robot Factory, it was priced at £49.95 through Wicked Uncle. That’s a substantial amount to spend on a toddler toy when children’s interests can change from one week to the next. I could see us getting it out again, though, especially when H had time to help Cyrus build something more complicated.

Strictly Briks and tall towers

Our second toy was Strictly Briks, which was  more familiar territory. Like most children his age, Cyrus enjoyed building towers, although he seemed to think the best part was knocking them down afterwards. If anything, the taller the tower, the more determined he was to see it collapse.

The Brik Tower set allows children to stack bricks and create structures of different shapes and heights. There isn’t much explaining to do, and children can decide for themselves what they want to make. I liked that simplicity after spending time arranging dominoes and trying to stop balls rolling beneath the furniture.

H started helping Cyrus build a tower, and before long they had something tall standing in front of them. Naturally, Cyrus knocked it over. They started again, this time with Cyrus helping to position the bricks himself. He was beginning to understand that if he didn’t place them properly, the tower wouldn’t stay standing for very long.

I remember playing with building blocks like this when I was little, and I don’t think the appeal has changed much. We used to build houses, towers and all sorts of structures without giving much thought to whether we were learning anything.

Strictly Briks reminded me of those toys. There were no complicated instructions to follow, and Cyrus could make whatever he fancied. It was also something he could return to without needing so much help from us, although he still enjoyed having H nearby to assist with the more ambitious construction projects.

The only downside was the usual problem with building bricks. They get everywhere, and standing on one when you’re not wearing shoes is not a pleasant experience. I suspect that’s something most parents will agree with.

Do we expect too much from children’s toys?

I’ve noticed how many children’s toys come with claims about developing skills. Some promise to improve concentration, others encourage creativity or problem-solving, and plenty seem designed to give children a head start before they’ve even started school.

I understand why parents are drawn to them. We all want our children to do well, and if a toy can help them learn something while they’re enjoying themselves, that’s fine. But I do wonder whether we’ve become a bit too concerned about making every activity educational.

When I was growing up, we played with building blocks, dolls, board games and whatever happened to be lying around. A cardboard box could keep us entertained for ages, and nobody felt the need to explain what we were learning from it. We made things up as we went along, sometimes spending an entire afternoon playing a game that would have made very little sense to anybody else.

Cyrus has had toys that cost very little and others that were a lot more expensive. Some of his favourites have been the simple ones, and I’ve lost count of the times he’s shown more interest in the packaging than the present inside.

That doesn’t mean I think STEM toys are a waste of money. I can see why parents like them, and both of these sets gave Cyrus something to think about while he played. I just don’t believe a toy needs an educational label to be worthwhile.

Much of what children learn comes from trying things out for themselves. Sometimes they need a bit of help, and at others, it’s better to leave them alone to work things out. I think we can make childhood too complicated if we’re not careful.

Which toy did Cyrus prefer?

Of the two, I think the Hape Domino Robot Factory was Cyrus’s favourite. He loved the movement, watching the balls roll down the ramps and the dominoes tumble over. There was always something happening, and he enjoyed changing the pieces around to see what would happen next.

Strictly Briks was less exciting in that respect, but he liked building towers and could play with the bricks without needing quite so much help. It was the sort of toy he could return to whenever he fancied making something, rather than waiting for one of us to help set everything up.

H enjoyed both, although I suspect the Hape set appealed more to his engineering side. He seemed quite happy working out different arrangements for the tracks, even when Cyrus had lost interest in following the original plan.

I enjoyed watching the two of them together. H could explain how things worked, while Cyrus was happy to ignore his suggestions when he had an idea of his own. There were a few moments when I thought my husband was taking the construction work more seriously than our son, but I left them to it.

The Saffron verdict

I’d give both toys four stars, although for slightly different reasons. The Hape Domino Robot Factory was the bigger hit with Cyrus because there was so much movement involved. The wooden pieces felt sturdy, and I liked being able to change the layout each time we played. Strictly Briks was simpler, but it gave him the freedom to build whatever he wanted without having to follow instructions.

The main drawbacks were the number of loose pieces and the price of the Hape set. Neither was entirely tidy-parent territory, and younger children will need supervision, especially with the domino set. I would also check the current age recommendations before buying either toy, as Cyrus was younger than the intended age range of some construction toys when we tried them.

Still, both kept him interested, and we’ve had plenty of toys over the years that have barely made it out of the box before being forgotten. These were enjoyable enough for us to want to get them out again.

Whether Cyrus eventually follows H into engineering is anybody’s guess. At the moment, our little mohandes seems far more interested in demolition than construction, although that’s not an entirely bad place to start.

I suspect his daddy has a few years yet before he needs to worry about competition.

Do toddlers really need STEM toys?

Having tried both sets, I can see why STEM toys appeal to parents. Cyrus enjoyed playing with them, and it was interesting watching him begin to work out how things fitted together and what happened when he changed something.

But I wouldn’t want parents to feel they need to spend £50 on an educational toy to give their child a good start. Ordinary building blocks, cardboard boxes and plenty of other things children already play with can be just as entertaining.

I think we sometimes forget how much children learn just by being allowed to get on with playing, without adults constantly worrying about what they’re getting out of it.

For us, the best part of trying these toys was watching H and Cyrus playing together. One knew quite a lot about engineering, while the other was still discovering the joy of knocking over a tower.

I’ll leave you to guess which one enjoyed that part most.

Do you buy STEM toys, or do your children get just as much enjoyment from ordinary building blocks and cardboard boxes? I’d love to know whether the educational claims influence what you buy.

Occasional stories, experiments, discoveries and questions from Saffron & Cyrus.