Racking your brain for holiday gift ideas? Running to the store or jumping on Amazon seems like the easy button, but with thousands of options what do you buy? A toy seems like a no brainer, but is it your best option?

Before you rush out to battle the winter weather, parking lot traffic jams, and checkout lines that wrap around the walls, let us ask you this: Do you want your house full of more toys? No way! That’s why we made a list of the top six STEM holiday gift ideas that are both educational and fun.

Fisher Price Think and Learn Code-A-Pillar

Code-A-Pilar is a new Fisher-Price hands-on, learning game that’s great for ages 36 months to 8 years. This motorized caterpillar teaches coding skills as children are challenged to program their Code-A-Pillar to reach targets. Each segment is a different action, and they light up as the device is completing each task. This easy to follow game can be put together in several ways. You can tell it to move, stop, light up, or blink lights! Can you maneuver around an obstacle course? Or make it through the living room without touching any furniture? Try it out! Prices can vary on this item. When we checked online on Tuesday 11/22/16, Target was the lowest price, beating Amazon Prime, Wal-Mart, and Toys R Us by up to $30! Be sure to look at current sales before buying. This gifts averages around $50.00

Ten to the Top Addition Game

10 to the Top is a new game by Learning Resources for ages 5 and up. This fun additional game is a cross between Jenga and math. Players try to “make 10” by stacking cubes on top of one another. Take a break from technology and play a family game this holiday. Your child might return to school with a little more confidence in their math skills! Most big box stores carry this game including Wal-Mart, Amazon, and Toys R Us. Coming in at just under $20, this affordable game is a sure hit!

LEGO!

Ok, so this one is a toy, but LEGO has been creating an excellent product for years! LEGO is a hands-on building activity for a wide range of ages. Be sure to check the label, different LEGO products are geared towards different age groups – but rest assured they have something for almost everyone! Take this classic LEGO set for example, it’s for ages 4 and up. This kit can be found on Amazon for $49.99. We decided to highlight a basic LEGO kit instead of a themed one. True, LEGO does have a kit in almost any genre a child could want, but a classic kit is a blank slate. It lets your child do the driving by deciding what to build and how to build it. This encourages critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity. Will they build a space ship? A racecar? Maybe a princess castle. Either way they will spend hours playing.

Classes, Memberships, and Subscriptions

Giving a non-gift gift can sometimes be the best present of all! Huffington Post published an article this month titled, “18 Excellent Gifts for Kids That Aren’t Even Toys.” Classes, memberships, and subscriptions made their top three. Obviously, we are biased about this selection! However, we are not the only ones who think this is a great gift idea (especially from grandparents). According to Rachel Jones, author of the article, giving your child classes can encourage them in their interests; letting them know you pay attention to what they like. She goes on to say memberships to places like the Zoo or museum can be a great family activity, and subscriptions play on a child’s natural enjoyment of receiving something in the mail. It can be something educational like a subscription to National Geographic’s Kids.