Toys and Gift Ideas for Space Lovers

“Space is for everybody. It’s not just for a few people in science or math, or for a select group of astronauts. That’s our new frontier out there, and it’s everybody’s business to know about space.”

Christa McAuliffe

The Universe is an incredible place, with stars, planets, galaxies, black holes – a little that we know and so much more that we don’t. It is no wonder, therefore that so many kids are enamoured by space and toys related to it. They love to know more about the spacecrafts, planets, flights to the space, the various missions that humans have gone on, and toys are a great way to foster and develop that interest.

So, if you are looking for a gift for young space-lovers, here is a list for you.

1. Space Themed Jigsaw Puzzle

Most kids love puzzles. Couple that with space and you have a great gift for space lovers. There are a lot of jigsaw puzzles available in online stores – from solar system puzzles to constellations to a random display of various planets.

For younger kids (5+ years), here is one such puzzle:

There was one, however, that caught my fancy more than others – a 500-piece puzzle that talks of human’s space related history. It is a tough puzzle and therefore suitable for older kids (even adults).

Below is the link to the puzzle that celebrates every crewed space mission since 1961 and includes a full-color reference poster with the puzzle design on the front and a complete timeline of missions on the back. From the space race of Vostok vs. Mercury to the famed Apollo program to the International Space Station, this puzzle celebrates Earth’s history of intergalactic travel.

2. Space themed activity kit

India’s Space Odyssey is an activity kit by Imagimake that tells children about the key milestones of India’s Space Program – from the first Rocket that we launched to the latest Chandrayaan 2 mission. It has model making pieces to build the successful launched rockets by ISRO and satellites like Aryabhata, Mangalyaan, Chandrayaan, Moon Rover etc

It also has an information booklet with fun facts. A great gift for space lovers who are 7 years old or above.

3. Solar System 3D model

This is a great gift for smaller children (3+ years) to visually show them orbits, the colour and types of various planets in our solar system etc.

Below is a link for a model made of wood. They have also added a moon to make it more fun.

Here are some more gift ideas for kids

4. Book on Constellations – Star Finder

If you want your child to know more about the various constellations, then this book is a great way to introduce them to it. It not only talks of various constellations (in the Northern Hemisphere), but also tells the stories behind them.

For self-reading, the book would be suitable for children who are over 7 or 8 years.

For Southern Hemisphere constellations, there is a board book that can be used for younger kids as well, Animals in The Sky. It is a great book, but has constellations that can be seen from the Southern Hemisphere.

5. Lego – Apollo Saturn V

It features a metre-high (approximately 1:110 scale) model of the NASA Apollo Saturn V with a removable S-IC first rocket stage with main rocket engine details, removable S-II second rocket stage with rocket engine details, removable S-IVB third rocket stage with the Apollo spacecraft and rescue rocket at top of the whole spacecraft, plus 3 stands to display the model horizontally.

It has 1969 pieces (the number of pieces are same as the year Saturn V was launched!).

While the manufacturer recommended age is 14+, we bought this for our son when he was 8 years old and he loved it. It gave him an understanding of the various stages in a rocket, a perspective on the size of the rocket with respect to humans (it is mostly as per scale). A great gift for kids, Definitely recommended.

6. Lego International Space Station

The model features 2 rotating joints with 8 adjustable ‘solar panels’, posable Canadarm2 and other authentic details. It also has a booklet with facts and information on the ISS.

Apart from these, Lego also models of NASA Space Shuttle Discovery, Lunar Space Station etc. There are a lot of models related to space to choose from.

7. Space themed stress balls

These balls are a decent toy for very young kids (2 or 3 year olds) to introduce them to different planets. Since the balls are not of different sizes, they will merely tell the different colours of the planets.

Apart from these, you can gift figurines or soft toys of astronauts, Layla- the dog or colouring books on the theme of space and planets.

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