But when it comes to STEM learning, the line between marketing and reality gets a little blurry. Many toy manufacturers make bold claims, assuring parents STEM toys will teach their kids about engineering, chemistry, robotics and so on, and the industry has ballooned in recent years, but there is little evidence to support the hype. (A spokesperson for Learning Resources confirmed the company has never performed clinical trials to prove whether Botley can teach children how to code.)
National anxiety about American students losing out on jobs to international candidates eventually trickled down to the toy industry, and companies have rushed to slap STEM stickers onto their products. The STEM toy industry was valued at $3.6 billion last year, according to Technavio, a market research firm. But the industry isn’t regulated by an organization like the Food and Drug Administration, which requires companies to prove the efficacy of their products, and it’s not clear how accurate many companies’ claims are.
In fact, few researchers have studied the impact of STEM toys long enough to give weight to their claims, and those who have say the science is murky. “We’ve been studying toys for 10 years, and the one thing we’ve found that’s consistent is that every child is different. And so I’d be skeptical of any product that makes big claims,” said Julia DeLapp, the director of the Center for Early Childhood Education at Eastern Connecticut State University.
Source: Lieber, C. (2020, July 21). No, my toddler doesn’t need to learn to code. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/21/parenting/stem-toys-kids.html?searchResultPosition=17
Analysis: I found this article to be extremely helpful in shedding light on the nature of science toys. I was surprised to learn that a lot of companies never tested their toys for effectiveness nor understand what STEM is. I think it’s interesting that for young children, they just need a spark instead of a lightbulb to learn what electricity is and how it works, perhaps current science museums do a disservice to children by completely dumbing down ideas and information. I remember COSI was much more mature when I was little, and I recently went back this year, it was so basic and they removed a lot of features and exhibits in favor of bright signs and big font writing simple facts. Something to keep in mind for this park.
