My 10yo won't stop asking for the LEGO Mindstorms EV3. It's like $350 which feels insane for LEGOs. He's pretty into building stuff and coding (started Scratch last year) so it seems like a fit but I'm worried he'll play with it for a week and move on. Anyone have experience with this? Is there a cheaper entry point to robotics that's actually good?
This is the eternal 10yo question. Here's the thing though: if he's already into Scratch and building, the EV3 might actually stick. It's not like buying a toy, it's like buying a skill tool. BUT $350 is real money so maybe ask if any local libraries do robotics camps or clubs where he could try one first?
My 11yo got one and LOVES it. BUT - he was already in a robotics club at school so there was structure/reason to use it. Standalone at home? Honestly might gather dust. Can you test it somewhere first?
EV3 is great BUT check if his school has a robotics club first. Some schools use them and kids can already access the kits. $350 is a lot if school might let him use one for free.
$350 is steep but the EV3 holds value. You can resell it for like $200-250 on Facebook Marketplace if he doesn't stick with it. That makes the real cost like $100-150 for the trial.
Replying to the resale value point - this is actually smart. The EV3 market is solid because schools want them. I sold mine for $200 after my kid moved on.
The EV3 is pricey but if he's actually doing Scratch then he has the coding foundation. That's the real predictor of whether he'll stick with it. Have you checked if his school has a robotics club? Some schools have kits you can access.
The "play with it for a week" fear is real but Mindstorms actually has competitions and community stuff around it, not just solo play. If your kid is the type who'd be motivated by showing other people his builds or competing, it might have longer legs.
My kid got the EV3 at 9 and used it seriously for like 8 months. Went hard, then dropped it. However he learned actual coding logic and problem-solving that stuck, so like, the money wasn't wasted even if he's not using it daily now. Depends if you care about the activity or the learning outcome.
what's his coding level like though? Like can he actually debug code or is he still just following tutorials? Because if he's ready for problem-solving, EV3 makes sense. If he's not there yet, you might be buying frustration.
What does 'into building stuff' look like? Like LEGO architecture sets or actual problem-solving building? Because that matters for robotics interest.
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Honestly I'd get him a cheaper robotics kit first ($50-80 range) to see if the interest is real or if he just likes the IDEA of robotics. If he burns through that and wants more, THEN the EV3.