The Must Have STEAM Toy That Bends the Rules of Play

As a Mom, I have always looked for fun and engaging screen-free fun for my children. I prefer non-screen activities. I also want them to include design thinking toys that they would play with on trips. My kids are older now. So, when I got the chance to try Clixo, I brought them to school for my classroom. I work hard to bring STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) into my classroom. I saw the design challenges as perfect for my students who were ahead on some of our AI art projects. We really needed a screen-free break to get the kids talking. Clixo was perfect!

This post is sponsored by Clixo. All opinions are my own.

When I found out that Clixo won an award from TIME for one of the best inventions of 2025, my students and I had to dive in!

Design Thinking that is Screen Free Fun

Interestingly, we found that Clixo is very different from other rigid, hard plastic building sets. Magnets are on each side of the building pieces. The flexible pieces let children bend the pieces into creations. They can snap and twist them, too.

First, my students started off with the design challenges. Soon, they had on crowns with spinning propellers and necklaces. Eventually, they created animals of all types, from sea creatures to puppies.

Students had to recall and problem-solve. They bent and shaped things into the pieces they wanted. Students experimented to get the right shapes that they wanted. It was design thinking in action as they iterated, tested, and revised their inventions. I like to see this happening and I also like to see students interacting and socializing as they build.

We tried to keep an eye on the bell, but because they were having fun we lost track of time. Even so, I was shocked to see how quickly they stacked and packed into the boxes when the bell rang. (I usually end up cleaning up messes with hands on activities.) I took Clixo home for some more play. Yes, we are a bit older. However, these are rated fun and safe for ages 6-99!

My Recommendations for Who Would Like Clixo

I liked how easy it was to put back in the box. Along with this, the handy bands close the box tightly and keep the pieces from falling out. For this reason, Clixo is something I’ll recommend for families I know who want to encourage thinking and screen-free fun over the holidays.

My students said they would play with this on trips or on family vacations as well as at home.

Definitely, I’ve never seen anything quite like Clixo. I think this will make a cool addition to maker spaces and centers from elementary through high school. I had two students who started with Clixo, and eventually, all of my students were building and having fun. They were making their own fun and that was awesome. 

I highly recommend Clixo for:

• Elementary classroom centers and makerspaces
• Makerspaces for all ages
• Home maker spaces and play centers
• For fun family projects – having multiple people really unlocks the play
• Buy all three of these for an amazing holiday present for a young one

In summary, Clixo is a STEAM toy that promotes design thinking, which I recommend.

Where Can You Find Clixo?

Currently, you can get the Clixo Creator Pack, Tiny & Mighty Space, and Marine Marvels Packs at Target.

One note, while I love all of the packs, I would recommend making sure that you get the Creator Pack as it has the magnets with ball bearings so you can make things spin.

In addition, I also loved the Marine pack because it has so many designs that are really the coolest.

The Tiny and Mighty Space is great as it adds many more pieces to the first two.

Check them out and the full collection at Target.

Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored blog post.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via cash payment, gift, or something else of value to include a reference to their product. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”