This post was sponsored on behalf of K’NEX. All opinions stated are my own.
When I am buying my kids gifts for Christmas, it is very important that I buy them educational Christmas gifts. They always beg for video games, but I just love getting them gifts that open up their minds and get them busy off the screen.
K’Nex is an advanced building system. The box says 9 years and older and they are not kidding about that. Younger children can definitely help out, but there are 580 pieces in the Wild Whiplash Roller Coaster, so they will more than likely get bored with it.
The fantastic thing about this set is that it feels amazing after you finish building it! At 2.5 feet tall, this is a toy they will love playing with after they are finished building it! This is definitely a STEM gift that you have to put on your list.
The first step is separating all the pieces. After working on this project with 2 other people, we were still only 1/4 of the way through an hour later. I suggest getting some containers with lids or zippered plastic bags to keep pieces separate.
Another tip: Count the pieces. The first page in the book has the numbers of pieces that should be included. There is nothing more frustrating than putting it together and finding out 3/4 of the way through that you are missing a vital piece. If you are, simply call the number on the back of the instruction book and they will ship you the missing piece.
Something I appreciated was the size of the instruction book! You can see every detail of the joints and sections you are creating. It is simple enough for me to follow, so it is definitely simple enough for tweens and teens.
Where to Buy the K’Nex Wild Whiplash Roller Coaster Set
The K’Nex Wild Whiplash Roller Coaster is sold exclusively at Walmart. You can purchase it online or in stores for only $29.84.
Social & Educational Benefits of K’Nex
After organizing and working on putting this together I discovered some important benefits of the K’Nex set that make this a perfect educational Christmas gift.
- Team work: One person can organize, the other put the parts together.
- Communication skills: Learning how to work through frustrations together.
- Problem Solving: There will be times when your child puts things on backwards. Learning how to go back and figure out where they went wrong is a very valuable skill.
- Overcoming frustration: This is a skill I’m always teaching my children. Don’t give up just because it gets frustrating. The best part about this set is how fun it is when it is all put together!
- STEM: This is definitely a fantastic way to enhance engineering skills and learning cause and effect.
Fantastic gift as well as educational. Another educational gift option is this Kidioke sing-along music playing story book, perfect in teaching youngsters words and singing, as well as a present this Christmas.
This looks like so much fun!