Best Educational Robot Toys For YOUR Child
Have you ever thought about buying a teaching assistant robot for your child? Maybe a robot dog toy or a robot car toy? There is no getting away from it – robot toys are the future. If you want your child to learn about engineering and science, they are a great option.
In this guide we are going to focus on the best robot for kids based on educational value. We will give you our opinion on some of the best educational robot toys on Amazon. You will also find a buyers guide to help you to make the right purchase decision.
What your Children can Learn from a Smart Robot Toy
One of the primer benefits of purchasing an educational robot toy for your child is the development of their STEM skills. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering & mathematics. Before the robot toys for boys and robot toys for girls appeared, developing STEM skills was best achieved through the use of toys such as Lego.
There have been several studies that have looked at the advantages of letting children play with a learning robot toy. The result of these studies is that there is proof that not only do these robots help with STEM skills development, but they also contribute to the development of the following skills:
- Communication
- Creativity
- Problem solving
- Teamwork
You don’t need to be set on your child being a computer engineer or expert programmer, although there are coding toys for kids available. The skills that they will develop from playing with the best robot toys will help them in many areas of life.
These days most organizations use technology in the form of computers. Through the use of interactive robots for kids you will be helping your child develop valuable skills that they can use in higher education and their jobs.
What is the best Age for Robot Toys?
You could be forgiven for thinking that robots for girls and robot boy toys are for older children. But a study of robotics revealed that this is not the case. Here a number of different robot toys were introduced to younger children and the research found that they were able to master the necessary programming skills and the basics of robotics.
There are robot toys for 3 year old’s and we will show you some of these in this guide. You will also see that there is a robot toy for 7 year old kids and upwards. These have more advanced features of course.
If you are not sure that your child will be interested in an AI robot toy then there are inexpensive kid robot kits that you can purchase for around the $50 mark. You can use this to see if your child takes to the concept of “kids robotix” and then purchase a more advance toy if they like the idea.
As your child progresses with robot toys you can invest in more expensive ones. These are going to be more complex and will present a challenge to your child. This will help to develop different skills in your child as they grow older.
Best Robot Toys for Kids 2021
We are now going to show you what we consider to be our top 6 picks when it comes to robot toys. As we mentioned earlier, our focus here is on the educational value of the toy. These are all Amazon kids robots which means that you can purchase them from the world’s largest and most trusted online retailer.
- Collector’s Edition Cozmo Educational Robot from Anki
If you are looking for a programmable robot for kids then the Cozmo robot toy is an ideal choice. This is one of the best coding robots for kids that we were able to find at a reasonable price. Although Anki claim that this robot toy is suitable for toddlers, we believe that it is better suited for older children from 5 years and upwards.
Your child will consider Cozmo to be their friend. It is an adorable robot that the whole family will love. It is one of those AI toys that can express so many different emotions. Cozmo is able to recognize your child quickly and also remember their name. The more that your child plays with Cozmo, the more he evolves.
The Cozmo robot toy can challenge your child through the playing of different games. You get 3 cubes with Cozmo and he is able to lift these up and play different games such as “memory match”, “keepaway” and “quick tap”.
Cozmo also has an explorer mode and when you turn this on you will be able to see what the robot sees. Your child can guide Cozmo to explore different places and to lift the cubes. They can teach this cute little robot to greet people and pets too.
There is a code lab with Cozmo which your child can use to program the robot. This is one of the best coding toys as it has a “sandbox” level for beginners and “constructor” level for those children that have mastered the sandbox basics.
Start your child off in the sandbox mode and they will learn to create their first Cozmo project rapidly. They can program Cozmo so that he sings a song or sneezes for example. As your child works through the different levels within the sandbox, they will improve their coding skills.
After your child has mastered the basic coding skills using the sandbox mode, they can progress to the constructor mode and start to tackle projects of higher complexity. Cozmo has a display and your child could design some new games for this or even program the robot to dance interactively.
Don’t be fooled by the fact that Cozmo is only a small robot. It has 4 motors and more than 50 gears. He also has facial recognition software and a VGA camera that operates at 30 frames per second. The display has a resolution of 128 by 64 pixels and your child will be able to see Cozmo’s emotions here. Cozmo is an intelligent robot toy.
To program and control your Cozmo robot you will need either an Android or iOS mobile device and the free app. Cozmo is a small robot that only weighs a few ounces and has dimensions of around 8 inches by 7.3 inches by 5.4 inches. Your child will adore the Anki Cozmo robot and will learn a lot with it as well.
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- Interactive Talking Robot for Toddlers from WEDRAW
If you have a preschooler then this is the ideal robot for 3 year old and a great robot for 4 year old. In fact, the creator of this toy states that it is a good robot for 5 year old as well. His robot will help to teach your child sight words and also math.
We think that this is one of the best robot toys for toddlers currently available. There is no screen with this robot but it does have a human voice which is very friendly. The WEDRAW smart robot for kids is very engaging for toddlers and the voice guides them to learn by drawing.
What learning outcomes can you expect? There are many with this robot including:
- Problem solving skills development
- Development of hand to eye coordination
- Develop creativity
- Development of fine motor skills
- Drawing skills development
- Handwriting skills development
The WEDRAW robot comes with learning cards which are really colorful for children aged 3 to 5. You should find that letting your toddler play with this robot toy will make learning activities for preschool much easier. It should provide your child with an excellent foundation for the lessons they will receive at kindergarten.
This is a very safe talking robot toy for your child. The plastic material is of the highest quality and non-toxic. All of the edges and curves of this toy are smooth which protects your child from any cuts or other injuries.
Large learning cards are easy for toddlers to handle. It is easy for your child to use the WEDRAW robot and there are over 50 lessons available with it. Your child can learn all of the letters of the alphabet and also the numbers 0 to 9.
It is a little robot toy which is ideal for the 3 to 5 age group as they will not feel intimidated by it. The robot has dimensions of 8.8 inches by 8.3 inches by 6.8 inches and it weighs just under 3 pounds. This is an excellent first robot toy for your child.
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- Drawing Robot Doodling Ant from Haktoys
This is another of our best robots from toddlers aged 3 and upwards. Young kids love this robot because it is in the shape of a friendly ant. It can do amazing doodles and create shapes while it plays catchy tunes at the same time. The Haktoys Doodling Ant is able to hold 5 different markers at a time.
One of the reasons that we like this robot toy so much is because it helps young kids to really develop their imagination. It is a dancing robot toy that will also spin around when it is drawing. This is great fun for toddlers.
Your Doodle Ant Pismire can draw more than 100 different spirals and different designs. A child can use the knob under the ant robot so that the designs change. This is achieved by moving the markers that the ant is holding in a number of different positions.
It is a great robot to help your child with their recognition of colors. Toddlers that have this robot should develop their hand to eye coordination as well. The robot comes complete with 10 markers and you get two of the blue, black, orange, purple and red markers. There are also 8 sheets of paper included.
This is a well-constructed robot toy made from high-quality materials that are all non-toxic. It is a durable toy that is safe for your toddlers to use. The Doodle Ant Pismire only measures around 7 inches by 7 inches by 5 inches and only weighs one pound. The price of this robot toy is good as well and we highly recommend it.
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- Educational Robot Toy for Toddlers from REMOKING
If you want to improve your child’s understanding of English then this is another good educational robot for toddlers. It is another talking robot for kids that is able to sing songs, record the voice of your child and play a guessing game with them.
Using this REMOKING robot toy will encourage your child to speak out and will help them to develop their language skills. The guessing game that the robot can play with your child will not only develop their cognitive ability, but will also stimulate the imagination of your little one.
This robot will work with your child to explore the world of animals. The robot can change the color of its eyes to express different emotions. For the different modes, the eye color will change. You will get 20 animal cards in color with this robot which your kid can use when they are playing the guessing game.
There are 20 different tunes available with this REMOKING robot and there is a small speaker at the back to deliver the sounds. You also get a volume control which is on the top of the robot. Your child will love to sing and they will find this kid’s dancing robot a lot of fun while they are learning.
This robot has touch sensing and your child can control it to move forwards and backwards as well as make left and right turns. There is a button on the chest of the robot where your kid can record their voice for a maximum of 8 seconds.
It is made from safe ABS plastic that is non-toxic and there are no sharp edges or anything that could cause an injury. This is a small robot toy that has dimensions of just 6.4 inches by 5.1 inches by 4.6 inches. The weight of the robot is only 12 ounces.
We recommend this high-quality entertaining robot toy if you have a child that is 3 years old and upward. You will need to use 3 batteries type AAA for the power. Your young child will be able to easily handle this robot and use it for learning.
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- Programmable STEM Learning Robot from Miko My Companion
Miko 2 is one of those STEM robot toys that kids absolutely love. It is a mini robot toy that is packed with features. The Miko 2 robot helps your child to learn through the use of AI voice activation. This robot toy will hold conversations with your child. Recommended ages for this robot are from 5 to 12 years old.
This robot has many fun games that will help your child to learn. It comes pre-loaded with world facts and an academic syllabus. Miko 2 can tell your child stories, recite rhymes and riddles as well as sing and dance. Getting Miko 2 to do the moonwalk is always a lot of fun for kids.
As Miko 2 has emotional intelligence it is able to notice and remember the different moods of your child. This improves each time your child plays with the robot. All your child needs to do to activate Miko 2 is to say “hello”.
You can stay in touch with your child at any time using the “tele-connect” feature of Miko 2. This provides remote navigation and video calling. Data encryption is used with this robot and there are safety features such as profanity filters and strict privacy.
There are more than 30 free apps available for Miko 2. Your child can learn how to program with this robot and it is also possible for them to learn about foreign languages. You can connect Miko 2 to your TV as well. Miko 2 will work with an iOS or Android device.
Your Miko 2 robot is packed with the latest technology including a quad core 1.5 Ghz processor, an HD wide angle camera, 2 MEMS microphones, inertia and edge sensors and the smallest laser ranging time of flight sensor in the world.
Miko 2 weighs less than 2 pounds and the dimensions are approximately 7 inches by 6 inches by 6 inches. There is a lithium-ion battery supplied with the robot. This safe and well made smart Miko robot toy will educate your child and keep them entertained too.
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- Artie 3000 Drawing and Coding STEM Robot from Educational Insights
Artie 3000 is one of the best coding robots for kids. Your child will learn to design different code for the robot and then it will draw the line patterns as a result. It comes with a number of pre-programmed designs to make it easy for your child to start to program Artie 3000 immediately.
If your child is new to coding then they can use the easy setup program for Artie 3000 and start to play around with the different programs already loaded. On the Educational Insights website there are more programs available so that your child can learn new programming skills.
There is a drag and drop interface where your child can learn to code easily. Your child has access to the JavaScript and Python coding languages and there is a snap feature as well as point and click, blockly and remote control.
Your Artie 3000 robot has a Wi-Fi server built in which enables it to connect with a computer or a tablet device. You never have to connect with the Internet to use the Artie 3000. There is no data collection with this robot toy. Educational Insights recommend that your child uses at least a tablet sized screen as this is better for programming.
The Artie 3000 needs 4 batteries of the AAA type to power it which are not included when you purchase the robot. There are four markers (washable) included and you also get activity guides and a quick start guide.
This is a small friendly robot which measures around 8 inches by 8 inches by 5.2 inches. It is lightweight at approximately 15.8 ounces. Kids from the age of 7 upwards can have a lot of fun learning to program with the Artie 3000.
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Things to Look Out for when Considering Robot Toys for Children
Robot toys for kids start at less than $50 and can cost hundreds of dollars so we recommend that you have a budget in mind when you are looking for a robot toy. Always bear in mind that you will usually get what you pay for. The robots at the lower end of the price range tend to have a lot less features than those that are more expensive.
Any high tech, artificial intelligence, robot toy is going to require a power source to operate. Usually there are rechargeable batteries involved which can be recharged using a USB cable and a device like a computer, a mains adapter or even a solar panel. Yes, you can buy a solar robot toy.
Most robots will work with a mobile device such as a smartphone or a tablet that uses the iOS or Android operating system. The manufacturer provides a free app with the robot and your child can use this to control the robot remotely using either Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.
Check to see if a robot toy requires assembly before you buy it. Some of the robot toys for kids come pre-assembled so your child can play with it right out of the box. If the idea of assembling a robot toy appeals to you then you may need to assist your child with this. It can take quite a while to assemble some robot toys for children.
