Tomy Gearation

STEM skills targeted: construction / engineering
Recommended Age 3-7

I have a wooden gears puzzle that I got for my kids when they were small so I know how fascinated toddlers and pre-schoolers are with gears. The problem with that puzzle is that the gears could only be set up in one configuration so there was little scope for experimentation and design.

These Tomy Gearation building toys are fantastic for young kids as they’re brightly colored and appealing, allow for an infinite number of designs and configurations and tech the basics behind gears, motors and magnets from a really young age

There are two Gearation sets available from Tomy, the Gearation Building Toy and the Gearation Refrigerator Magnets:

Tomy Gearation Building Toy

This toy basically consists of a board with a magnetic surface and 11 brightly colored and patterned gears. The gears can be arranged in any way you like as they all can be fixed to the board via a magnet.

The fixed gear in the center contains a motor, which powers the whole setup. The speed can be changed to fast or slow or turned on and off with large easy to use switches.

What makes this toy really fun is that the gears don’t just spin around – they all have their own unique behaviors. Some of them make a noise while others have an arm that moves around.

Tomy Gearation Refrigerator Magents

This set consists of simply 5 gears, one of which is battery-powered and includes an on/off switch.

As these gears don’t come with a magnetic board they can be used on any metal surface such as a dry-erase board or refrigerator.

They’re a great way to keep kids busy in the kitchen while you’re making dinner and they’re so mesmerizing that everyone in the family will love to play them.