78 November/December 2021
Our colleagues at Good Housekeeping (another Hearst publication) have been testing products for
more than a century, just like we have. And they take toy evaluations seriously, making sure that
the top games and devices meet ASTM standards, and then sending the most promising ones out to
kids to play with. We partnered with the Good Housekeeping Institute for this roundup, combining
some of their test results with our own evaluations to bring you this authoritative list of STEM and
builder toys and entertaining games for your little tinkerer or future programmer.How We Tested Toys
BEST CODING TOY
Osmo Coding Starter
Kit $99Like the Genius Starter Kit in
last year’s PopMech Game and
Toy Awards, this interactive set
for iPads and Fire tablets lets
kids use physical pieces to work
through puzzles on the screen.
This one is focused on coding,
though, as the name says, and it
features Osmo’s signature well-
thought-out design and interface.BEST LEGO SET
Lego Vidiyo The Boombox $100
Our kid testers played with the customizable Boombox for a good long
while, which parents liked. Though they might be less keen on the price,
which struck us as a bit high. Still, it blends the fun of a nearly 1,000-
piece Lego build with the interactivity of the Vidiyo app, which pairs
tunes with the footage so kids can create and share their own videos (in
a parental-controlled, moderated space).
B E S T P O C K E T- S I Z E
G A M I N G T O Y
Bandai Digimon X $20
Remember the original Digivice,
the one you had to press two
together to duel a friend and
more often than not saw your
monster die while you were in
class because you forgot to clean
up after it? This generation has
some upgrades, including more
Digimon evolutions and colors,
while retaining the retro appeal
from our childhood.
BEST CIRCUITRY TOY
Educational Insights
Circuit Explorer $35The current toys in the Circuit
Explorer line—a rocket, a rover,
and a base station—are good
stepping-stones to gauge if your
child is interested in this side
of STEM. While there could be
more actual circuitry involved,
the toys are well made. Buy one,
and if your kid takes to it, step up
to something more robust.TREVOR RAAB (DIGIMON, CIRCUIT); COURTESY LEGO (BOOMBOX); COURTESY OSMO (CODING)