With such a burgeoning universe of tech toys, coding challenges, and puzzling projects available this Christmas, we know how daunting the search for that one gift can be.

We have compiled our top gifts for your child, with all the products featured designed to fuel your child’s imagination and help develop their computational thinking; all whilst having fun, of course!

Dough Universe

Dough Universe from the wonderful London-based Tech Will Save Us is the perfect gateway into the world of electronics and circuits. The components, consisting of a motor kit, bulbs, buzzers, and more are all of high quality, robust, and work straight out box - perfect for Christmas morning!

A great compliment to the Squishy Circuits lessons that we run in our Mini Coders and Level 1 Scratch and Robotics holiday courses, the Electro Dough are sure to entertain those curious minds for an endless amount of hours.

For a comprehensive review on this product, visit Tech Trends here.  

Ages 4+ | From £20 - £30 | Tech Will Save Us 

Ozobot

Ozobots have held a fond place in our hearts for years and years and for a good reason; they combine fun, imagination, and learning, all in one cute bot! We have continued to use Ozobots in our camps and after-school clubs at the request of our coders and campers, with multiple attempts of taking these robots home being reported!

The Ozobots have a variety of functions; they are able to follow trails drawn in various colours and can be connected to mobile apps to create and design a whole range of apps. The most loyal pet that your child will ever have!

Ages 5+ | £40 - £90 | RobotShop 

AR Gifts: Curiscope Virtuali-Tee & Shifu Orboot

We are always testing and incorporating the newest tech into our after-school clubs and holiday camps, whether it be VR, the latest coding apps, or the newest STEM activities. The future is here and there’s no doubting that Augmented Reality (AR) has only just touched the surface of what is possible and is here to stay. These AR gifts are a great way for your child to not only get a taste of what is to come in the tech world but are a brilliant learning tool for them. If your child has a burning desire to learn more about the world or has always wondered what keeps their body moving, these are the made for them!

 

Ages 6+ | From £24 - £39.99

MAKEDO

MAKEDO takes a child’s creativity to a whole new level, providing an awesome toolkit with safe screws, a scru-driver, and a ‘saw’. They can design, create, and bring to life amazing creations from basic structures such as a car with moving wheels to more complicated designs with multiple moving parts (a barking dog with a wagging tail, perhaps?!).

We love the versatility of this product and matched with a circuit, there is really no boundaries to what your child can create. We are big fans of using simple craft materials to create objects and even robots as you can see here!

Visit Tech Age Kids for a full, comprehensive article on how to add tech to your cardboard creations.

Ages 6+ | From £12 - £30 | Pimoroni 

Bananagrams

Bananagrams is a fun, fast-paced word game that relies on the ability to think quickly and creatively to solve word problems under timed conditions. In coding it is essential to have the skills to react and adapt to changing circumstances and we have certainly found that this game helps to improve those qualities. In a handy travel pouch, this game is great for family fun this Christmas as well as being educational.

Ages 7+ | £6.99 | Smyths Toys 

Kano Pixel Kit

Build it yourself, learn real code, and make art, apps, and games - the Kano Pixel Kit really does do it all!  With 128 lights and 16 million colours, we love the versatility and variety that this product offers. At blue{shift}, we are always encouraging collaboration and this is really important when it comes to learning and creativity. Kano provides a really active, informative community with fellow coders sharing their creations that can be manipulated and programmed to your child’s own device.

As well as the Pixel Kit, there is also a Motion Sensor Kit, Computer Kit Touch, and even a Harry Potter themed device, making wands a reality (seriously!).

Ages 8+ | £79.99 | Kano 

3Doodler Start Essentials Pen Set

Your child can turn their creative ideas into 3D objects with the 3Doodler. A great compliment to our 3D printing Creative Coding Level 3 course, the possibilities are endless, with your child able to see their creation form right in front of their eyes. Creativity forms such a vital basis for all forms of coding and we here at blue{shift} are always encouraging our coders and campers to stretch the boundaries of what they think is possible. The 3Doodler is a fantastic tool that allows the opportunity to do exactly that!

Ages 9+ | £39.99 | Smyths

Snapino

For any child who loved Snap Circuits when they were younger, the Snapino is a great progression to this, with the focus on learning Arduino and electronic components. This piece of kit is simple enough for kids to get to grips with the basics of its functionalities fairly quickly but there are a multitude of level progressions that will challenge anyone who already has an understanding of coding (yes, even the parents!).

Don’t just take our word for it, though, you can read a comprehensive review of Snapino here. 

Ages 10+ | £34.56 | RobotShop  

For Something to Do this Christmas….

Science Museum: Wonderlab: The Equinor Gallery

Why limit yourself to using technology when you can immerse yourself in it this Christmas at the Science Museum’s Wonderlab exhibit. Open daily, this is an experience like no other and will sure to inspire any child, parent, or grandparent to learn more about what the future technology has to offer.  With a whole range of interactive experiences, there are shows to watch, potions to mix, and a whole room dedicated to space to get lost in - we love it!

Ages 7+ | £8 | Science Museum