I love Educational Insights Toys and Learning Resources toys. In fact, while most parents probaby scroll the news, social media, or read books on their phones, you can usually find me scrolling either of their websites for new toys, or toys that were previously too advanced for my kids😂
We have a lot of Design & Drill sets at our house. A lot. My kids love putting them together with the working drill, and then (this is the part I love) they keep playing with the rocket, race car, or truck once it’s built. That combo is why Educational Insights has a permanent spot in my toy guides.
Here are all seven Educational Insights toys I recommend across the site, sorted by the 11 play categories I use for our toy rotation, with ages on every pick.
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Why We Like Educational Insights
- Real tools for little hands. A working kid-size drill is about as exciting as it gets for a 3 year old, and every bolt is fine motor practice.
- Two kinds of play in one box. Design & Drill sets are close-ended while kids build, then turn into pretend play once they’re done.
- Low-mess crafts. The pom pom and gem kits use pre-glued boards, so there’s no glue bottle in sight.
The downsides: the drill runs on batteries, so keep spares around. Bolts are small and they wander (a zip-top bag in the box helps). And like any close-ended build, a kid who gets stuck may need you nearby the first few times, so I wouldn’t make a brand new set a solo quiet time activity.
Educational Insights Toys by Age
These ages are minimums, but sets like the Design & Drill get played with for years.
| Age | What to look for | More toys for this age |
|---|---|---|
| 3+ | Design & Drill Bolt Buddies (rocket, race car, pick-up truck), Pluffle | Toys for 3 year olds |
| 4+ | Pom Pom Kit, Binoculars | Toys for 4 year olds |
| 5+ | Design & Drill Marble Maze, Jumbo Gem Kit | Toys for 5 year olds |
| 6 | Telescope, Circuit Explorer | Toys for 6 year olds |
Design & Drill Building Sets
Design & Drill sets are blocks, so count them as your building pick for the week. They also cover fine motor skills, following steps, and a bit of engineering. Our building toys guide has more, and the STEM toys guide covers the science side.
Design & Drill Bolt Buddies Rocket (ages 3+)
This is the set I’d start with. Kids drill the bolts in to build the rocket, then play with it once it’s done. Building it is close-ended (there’s a right way), and playing with it afterward is pretend play. I love that they’re practicing fine motor skills the whole time and have no idea.
Educational Insights Design & Drill Bolt Buddies Rocket
We have a lot of these kits! The kids love putting them together with the working drill, and then playing with the toys once they are complete.
- TAKE APART ROCKET TOY: Kids can enjoy hours of independent building and drilling fun as they use the power drill toy to put together their very own rocket ship, complete with space-themed playset
- CREATIVE CONSTRUCTION MEETS PRESCHOOL PRETEND PLAY: Transition seamlessly from hands-on STEM action to pretend play, with packaging that unfolds into a combination launch pad/moon landing playset
- SKILL-BUILDING TOOL KIT: Little builders develop early engineering and fine motor skills while practicing problem-solving and real world application as they use the drill to tighten and loosen bolts
The race car and the pick-up truck work exactly the same way. Kids build them, then play with them once they’re complete. Pick whichever vehicle your kid is into. My oldest has been playing carpenter at his toy workbench for years, so a working drill was an easy sell at our house.
Educational Insights Design & Drill Pick-it-Up-Truck
We have a lot of Design & Drill sets at my house. The kids love to build (I love that they are practicing fine motor skills), and they can play with the sets once the are complete.
- CREATIVE CONSTRUCTION MEETS PRESCHOOL PRETEND PLAY: Transition seamlessly from hands-on STEM action to recycling-themed pretend play, with packaging that unfolds into a reusable playset
- SKILL-BUILDING TOOL KIT: Little builders develop early engineering and fine motor skills while practicing problem-solving and real world application as they use the drill to tighten and loosen bolts
- KIDS DRILL SET INCLUDES: Power drill for kids, take apart toy truck body with storage bin and bucket, four wheels, 18 bolts, and two Bolt Buddy figures; drill requires two AA batteries (not included)
Educational Insights Design & Drill Race Car
We have lots of Design & Drill sets at our house. The kids love putting them together, and then can play with the sets when they are done.
- TAKE APART RACE CAR SET: Kids can enjoy hours of independent building and drilling fun as they use the power drill toy to assemble and disassemble their car, complete with race track playset
- SKILL-BUILDING TOOL KIT: Little builders develop early engineering and fine motor skills while practicing problem-solving and real world application as they use the drill to tighten and loosen bolts
- KIDS DRILL SET INCLUDES: Power drill for kids, take apart toy race car body, six snap-on parts, nine bolts, and two Bolt Buddy Figures; drill requires two AA batteries (not included); for ages 3+
Design & Drill Marble Maze (ages 5+)
We can never decide what’s more fun: building the maze with the working drill and screws, or seeing if the marbles actually make it through the track. We’ve bought just about every kind of marble run there is, and this one adds the drill, which makes the building half just as exciting as the marble half. It’s also a great intro to cause and effect: if the marble falls off, the track needs fixing.
Educational Insights Design & Drill Marble Maze
We can never decide, what's more fun? Building the maze with the working drills and screws? Or seeing if the marbles make it through the track?!
- Working drill and screws to assemble the mazes
- Guide book with example mazes (close-ended play), or make your own design (open-ended)
- Drill has forward and reverse motions
Rotation tip: if you have more than one set, only put one out at a time. Take the finished vehicle apart before it goes back into storage, and when it comes out again a few weeks later, it feels like a brand new build. That’s the whole magic of a rotation: fewer choices, and toys that feel new every time they come back.
Mess-Free Craft Kits
Both of these kits use a tool and pre-glued boards, so there’s no glue, no paint, and not much to clean up. They land in the no-mess tier of our art supplies guide.
Pom Pom Kit: Animal Dress Up (ages 4+)
Kids use the tool to grab a pom pom, then press it onto the pre-glued dots. That tool grab is the same pinch kids need for a pencil, and the soft pom poms make it a sensory craft too. It’s close-ended (the dots show where each pom pom goes), which is great practice at following a pattern.
Educational Insights Pom Pom Kit: Animal Dress Up
Use the tool to grab a pom pom, then place it on the pre-glued dots for a mess-free sensory craft.
- TODDLER CRAFT KIT INCLUDES: Pom pom popper tool, 16 animal dress-up design cards with loops at the top for easy hanging, and 1000 colorful pom poms; for girls and boys ages 5 and up
The Jumbo Gem Kit is like diamond painting for little kids. The gems are big and easy to pick up and stick with the included tool, so it’s far less fiddly than the grown-up version.
Educational Insights Jumbo Gem Kit
This is like diamond painting for little kids! The gems are big and easy to maneuver and stick with the included tool.
- MESS FREE ART: No need for glue, tape, or scissors; this preschool craft kit includes all tools and materials, so kids can enjoy crafting independently and safely without creating a mess
- TODDLER CRAFT KIT INCLUDES: Gem popper tool, 500 jumbo craft gems, and 16 fantasy design cards that can be pieced together and displayed to showcase a magical, sparkly scene; for children ages 5+
Pluffle Sensory Play
Pluffle Hide and Seek Sensory Set (ages 3+)
Confession: Pluffle came out after we had already invested heavily in Play-Doh, Kinetic Sand, and other sensory bins, so it wasn’t part of our early sensory setup.
But if you’re starting from scratch, this set comes with everything you’d want in a sensory bin: fine motor tools, a fluffy play material, and characters to hide and find. It’s open-ended, so kids can scoop, bury, and make up their own games.
Educational Insights Pluffle Hide & Seek Sensory Set
Pluffle came out after we had already invested heavily in Play-Doh, Kinetic sand, and other sensory bins…But this set comes with everything you'd want in a sensory bin including fine motor tools, a fun medium (pluffle), and characters to play with.
- PLUFFLE SENSORY BIN: Get set up for sensory play right away with this all-in-one kit that helps kids develop fine motor skills & imagination as they play with Pluffle, a unique sensory bin filler
- MESS-FREE PLAY SAND ALTERNATIVE: Pluffle is the feel good fluffy stuff that's non-toxic, gluten free, nut free, and easy to vacuum off any surface, so every toddler can get in on the sensory learning
- ENDLESS PLAY: Unlike dough, clay, slime, and other sensory table materials, Pluffle never dries out or hardens; it's a reusable sensory table filler that kids will love for years
- OCEAN-THEMED SENSORY KIT INCLUDES: Sensory bin (doubles as box), two colors of Pluffle, scissor scoopers, and five ocean friend figures (dolphin, shark, seal, octopus, and turtle); for kids ages 3+
If you’re deciding between sensory materials, our Kinetic Sand guide explains why we only buy natural-color sand.
Educational Insights STEM Toys
From circuit-building, to outdoor exploration, and even star-gazing, Educational Insights have toys that spark curiosity and learning.
Kidnoculars and Telescope (ages 4+)
Educational Insights Kidnoculars
These binoculars for kids have survived two boys and hundreds of nature adventures!
- FOCUS FREE BINOCULARS FOR TODDLERS: Kidnoculars are sturdy, portable binoculars designed specifically for toddlers to help them develop a sense of adventure and a love of exploration and discovery
- SPARK A LOVE FOR SCIENCE: Nature toys for toddlers like Kidnoculars allow children in preschool and kindergarten to develop an early interest in multiple fields, from geology to astronomy and beyond
Educational Insights My First Telescope
This no-squint telescope is like binoculars, so it makes it easy for kids to look out of.
- STARTER KIDS TELESCOPE: Designed specifically for ages 4-8 years old, this kid-sized telescope is focus-free so little explorers can get going right away with no complicated adjustments
- SPARK A LOVE FOR SCIENCE: STEM Toys like My First Telescope provide an out-of-this-world way to encourage STEM learning and an early interest in astronomy, exploration, and discovery
Circuit Explorer (ages 6+)
This is the toy that gets “oo-s” and “ah-s” from parents and kids visiting our house. They are blocks that show circuit paths. When you make a full circuit by connecting a motor or light (with batteries inside), your part with move, spin, light up, make sounds, and more.
We have all three of the sets, and all of the pieces can be connected together and used for jumbo builds!
Educational Insights Circuit Explorer
When kids come to my house to play, this is the toy they want to play with!
- SIMPLE CIRCUITS, BIG IMAGINATION! Learn the fundamentals of circuitry, off the board and out of this world!
- STEM ACTIVITIES – MAKE THE CONNECTION: System-ready pieces light up when kids follow the symbols and connect the vehicle's circuits
- BLAST OFF INTO STEM LEARNING: Keep them connecting on their own with safe circuits kids can build themselves
- EVERYTHING YOU NEED to build a Deluxe Base Station with Towers, Spinning Diner Sign, Planetarium with color-changing dome light, Voice Synthesizer Station with 10 space sounds, Communication Station with rotating Radar Dish, a Powered Space Rover and a freewheeling Space Rover both with light-up headlights; Base, Dome Light, Voice Synthesizer, Communication Station, and Space Rovers require 3 AAA batteries each, not included.
Educational Insights Circuit Explorer Rover
- SIMPLE CIRCUITS, BIG IMAGINATION! Learn the fundamentals of circuitry, off the board and out of this world! System-ready pieces light up when kids follow the symbols and connect the vehicle's circuits
- BLAST OFF INTO STEM LEARNING: Keep them connecting on their own with safe circuits kids can build themselves
- COLLECT THEM ALL! Collect multiple Circuit Explorer sets to build your system with interchangeable pieces and power sources.
Educational Insights Circuit Explorer Rocket
- SIMPLE CIRCUITS, BIG IMAGINATION! Learn the fundamentals of circuitry, off the board and out of this world. System-ready pieces light up when kids follow the symbols and connect the spaceship's circuits
- BLAST OFF INTO STEM LEARNING: Keep them connecting on their own with safe circuits kids can build themselves. Everything you need to build a rocket with light-up nose cone and rocket nozzles, Space Rover with light-up headlights, and Landing Pad with colored-changing lights. Also includes astronaut and robot figures for pretend play. and stickers for customization. Rocket, Landing Pad, and Rover require 3 AAA batteries each, not included
FAQ
At our house, the Design & Drill sets. We have a lot of them. Start with the Bolt Buddies Rocket for a 3 year old, and move up to the Design & Drill Marble Maze around 5. Once they get older, the Circuit Explorer toys are impossible to beat.
The Bolt Buddies vehicles are labeled 3+, and the Marble Maze is 5+. Younger kids may need help lining up bolts the first few times.
The Pom Pom Kit and Jumbo Gem Kit use pre-glued boards and a pick-up tool, so they’re about as mess-free as crafts get.
Pluffle is a soft, fluffy sensory play material from Educational Insights. The Hide and Seek set comes with tools and characters, so it works as a ready-made sensory bin.
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