My son got really into the robotics unit they did at school this year. He's been researching LEGO Mindstorms ($350-400) and I'm trying to figure out if this is genuine interest or a phase. Don't want to drop that kind of money if he's gonna use it twice. Does anyone have experience with this for kids his age? Is there a less expensive robot kit that's still legit?
Real talk: school robotics club was a one-year interest for my kid. Insisted he wanted the Mindstorms set. We bought it. It's now a very expensive shelf decoration. Maybe see if school has a robotics team he can join instead?
The fact that he did a robotics unit at school and is STILL interested enough to research it himself is different from just wanting the thing because it looks cool. That's showing genuine sustained interest.
My son got Mindstorms for his 11th birthday and actually used it for like 6 months which is better than most expensive toys. It's not overkill if he follows through but the price tag is brutal for a 'maybe'.
Split the difference: buy him the cheaper LEGO robotics starter set ($80-100) for his birthday and tell him if he actually builds stuff with it for 3 months, Mindstorms is on the table for next year.
Real talk - go to a library or makerspace that has Mindstorms set up. Let him actually mess with one for 30 mins. That'll tell you everything about whether it's real interest or just the idea of it being cool.
Not overkill if he's genuinely into programming. My son asked for it explicitly last year, same age, and he's spent hours learning Python through it. BUT he was already into Scratch coding first. If he's coming in cold to programming, it might be frustrating.
This actually depends on whether HE is researching it or you're pushing. If he's the one hunting down videos and specs, go for it. If you're researching and trying to surprise him, wait. 10yos have short interest spans for expensive hobbies they don't pick themselves.
Get it. Robotics is legit but $350+ is a lot to gamble on. What if you start with something cheaper like a basic Lego WeDo kit ($100ish) to see if the interest actually sticks? Then upgrade if he's still into it in 6 months.
My 10yo has the Mindstorms and honestly? He built it once, messed with the programming for like 2 weeks, then it lives in a bin. The learning curve is steep and you kinda need to be into programming specifically, not just robotics.
Do NOT buy the full Mindstorms kit without him trying it somewhere first. Get him a cheaper robotics kit like VEX IQ ($150) and see if he actually sticks with it. If he does, THEN consider upgrading.
The school robotics program probably used VEX or some beginner kit right? Check what that was and build from there. Stick with the same system if possible so he has some baseline familiarity.
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If he's researching it himself that's a good sign it's genuine interest. LEGO Mindstorms is legit but $350+ is a lot. Check if his school has a robotics club or if there's a local library/maker space with one he can mess with first. That's the true test.