Best Electronics Kits For The Budding Scientists

From bubbling DIY volcano models to dropping a feather and a tennis ball at the same time, there are plenty of classic childhood science experiments that stick with us throughout our lives. In that moment of excitement, they kindle our captivated curiosity and connect us to the scientific world.

Now, you can ignite your child’s fascination with science from an early age with an electrifying electronic kit! Using these child-friendly kits, kids from as young as five years old (with parental supervision) can safely explore the thrilling and creative realm of science from the comfort of their own home.

What are electronic kits?

A thoughtful gift for any young budding scientist, these attention-absorbing electronic kits come in a wide variety of styles, age ranges and circuit boards. Some electronic sets tackle the basic concept of electrical currents, while other kits delve into more complicated electrical projects that involve coding.

Depending on the type of electrical science kit, kids will be able to discover how electric circuits, robotics, STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) projects, coding, and the astounding properties of magnetism work, to name a few. Each kit is deliberately developed to encourage creativity yet simple enough for children to follow, without them losing attention and becoming bored. 

In very basic terms, an electronic kit is a comprehensive package of electrical components designed to fit together to create an electronic device for any number of fascinating applications. Often, they’ll come complete with easy-to-follow instructions, a circuit board (or breadboard) and a circuit diagram. 

These pieces slot together to carry an electrical current which causes all kinds of exciting and brightly coloured objects to move, create sound or light up! It’s up to you and your budding little scientist to connect the pieces and begin your journey into the incredible world of electrical experiments.

Whether they have grand aspirations to become an Electrical Engineer, a tech-savvy CAD Technician, a vital IT Consultant or an audio-manipulating Sound Engineer, setting your children off on the right path is crucial to nurturing their scientific and electrical interests. 

Even if their passions lay outside of the scientific realm, electronic kits are brilliantly engaging and great at developing a host of essential life skills. This includes the ability to accurately follow instructions, alongside encouraging their problem-solving, building, communication, concentration and attention skills. 

Providing them with universal skills they can apply to life and any future profession, it’s a win-win situation whether they take to the topic or not! With these compelling electronic kits, science is never dull.

How to make the most out of an electronics kit for kids?

To make the most out of your electronic science kit, it’s a good idea to find out how many experiments your kit can carry out. Some kits are very specific and build one device, while others can be built, disassembled and reassembled in a different way to intelligently create another device or scientific experiment. 

Another way to ensure you have as much fun as possible is to make the electronic kit relevant to your child and their life. Do they have a favourite battery-powered toy or action figure that you can relate an experiment to? Or are they intrigued to find out exactly how their coveted iPhone works? Whatever it might be, there’s sure to be an electronic kit that suits them.

Once you’ve identified where their interests lie, picking up a suitable electronic kit should be a breeze! If not, we can certainly help at OnBuy. Keep reading to find out which captivating electronic kits are the most suitable for your curious little ones.

Our top ten electronic science kits for kids at OnBuy

At OnBuy, we’ve whittled down our extensive selection of electronic science kits listed on our edit to bring you our top ten very best electronic kits. Packed full of plenty of experiments to make objects move, light up and make amusing noises, these scientific investigation sets are exciting and satisfying.

With any electrical components being sealed in kid-friendly plastic, children can explore, learn and expand their understanding of electronics from a safe distance. An enticing introduction to electronics, your child is guaranteed to be amazed by the impressive results they can achieve.

Focusing on key stage 1 and key stage 2 of the STEM curriculum, this cost-effective Cambridge Brainbox electronics kit is best suited to nurturing the talents of primary school age children. Effortlessly combining design and technology, this kit is filled with over 100 thrilling experiments and requires very little skill to set up.

As a result, children from eight years old can fit the robust and brightly coloured electrical components together using the clear instructions to discover how motors and switches work. All of the pieces easily fit to the included pressboard using press-studs for quick, non-fiddly and satisfying electrical connection.

As your little one experiments with creating captivating light and sound effects at their fingertips, they can fill in the relevant 2F, 4F and 6G National Curriculum science worksheets to solidify their knowledge as they learn. For effective and fun learning, this electronic kit is perfect.

Specifically designed for effortless snap and play creativity, the Hot Wires Electronics Kit boasts easy-to-use electrical components encased in a child-friendly plastic casing. To build riveting electronic burglar alarms, lie detectors, a working FM radio and spinning disks, all your budding scientist child needs is this fantastic kit to create it all.

Complete with a clear instruction booklet, they can gradually work their way through up to 100 of the electrical experiments contained within for hours upon hours of fun and simultaneous learning. Available at an alluringly affordable price, this electronics kit will provide long-lasting indoors fun on those rainy days stuck inside.

Endorsed by leading educators worldwide, Snapino strips back electronics into its most basic components for effortless learning that’s also entertaining. As your child follows the colourful images and instructions laid out in the included manual, they’ll be able to create a plethora of thrilling STEM-inspired projects.

With everything your child requires included, Snapino gradually introduces them to Arduino coding via 20 individual and exciting programs. Each set coding programme is pre-written to control the included 14-part kit with ease, making coding a snap for kids! As this electronic kit is slightly more complex than the others, the recommended minimum age is twelve years old. 

Fully compatible with other Snap Circuit sets, they’ll soon pick up impressive coding skills and eventually be able to create prototype circuit designs using the large component models. As they construct working traffic lights, night lights and distance sensors, you’ll be stunned that their array of successful electrical projects comes at an equally impressive price.

As one of the most affordable electrical science kits in our top ten best electronic kits for kids, this set blends the fun of basic electrical experiments with the compelling power of magnetism for young scientists. They can choose to explore these two areas individually, then combine them to form electromagnetism!

With 62 individual experiments included, your little ones will have hours of fun creating their own working circuits and as well as the Popular Playthings predetermined 30 circuits using a range of LED lights, motors and switches. 

Complete with a power source, connectors, magnets and electrical current indicators (light bulbs, speakers and fans), your child will be drawn to the brightly-coloured electrical building blocks. Suitable for children from the eight years of age, this kit is designed to encourage learning and ignite that passion for science and physics.

As the world’s first technology company to be partnered with Google for Education, teaching is at the core of TokyLab’s philosophy. Covering a vast array of educational subjects, this Tokymaker is an engaging tool perfect for teaching children about coding, electronics and creativity. 

The Tokymaker allows the user to create their own complex coding using their graphical programming interface, connect a wide array of sensors and actuators, and access over 600 internet services to seamlessly link their physical and digital life.

With no prior experience required, this electronic kit is chock full with interactive courses, explanatory audio and slides! Your fledgling scientist will soon be able to construct stunning augmented reality and artificial vision experiences using their own smartphone or Chromebook.

With a massive 335 circuit programmes included, your child will have hundreds of unique circuits to create, keeping them effortlessly entertained as they learn on many rainy days. Suitable for budding scientists as young as six, this comprehensive electronic kit involves water, motor, voice and magnetic elements to excite your child’s curiosity.

Each component satisfyingly snaps together to create intriguing circuits as outlined in the easy-to-follow and helpfully illustrated manual. From an electric fan and lamp, to a voice controlled musical doorbell and working FM radio, there are hundreds of astoundingly simple scientific experiments your kids can carry out.

In total, this electronic kit for kids contains 31 individual parts (which are all clearly labelled) and requires no additional tools, apart from the battery power source. With two AA batteries in hand you can tip this kit out of the box and immediately dive into the fascinating world of electrical circuits.

Calling all Star Wars fans, this electronic kit is perfect for you! Which R2-D2 fanatic could pass up on the chance to build and control their very own droid?! Reminiscent of a simplistic, Star Wars themed Lego kit, your child will be able to follow clear instructions via their connected smartphone as they construct their loyal sidekick from 20 individual droid components.

With additional coding using the free Droid Inventor app, the finished project will be able to attempt over 22 separate tasks to learn new and exciting skills. Bursting with authentic Droid sound effects, the adorable robot can be controlled through Drive Mode, Self-Navigation and Force Mode.

Their new best friend comes with aesthetic stickers and is even fully customisable, so they can express their creativity and individuality by swapping the clear body for more unique materials. Despite the costly price tag, this electronic kit really brings an element of awe and magic to the inventive process and is sure to be a blast!

Our concluding advice

There’s nothing boring about STEM subjects when it comes to purchasing your very own electrical science kit for your child. With so many fantastic and comprehensive sets to choose from it can seem daunting, but with our top ten electronic kits for kids you’re guaranteed to discover the perfect source of ignition for your child’s curious mind.

If you need our advice, look for electrical science kits with easy-to-follow instructions, hundreds of experiments and plenty of attraction-grabbing features, any child would love to get involved for hours of satisfying, problem-solving fun.