Our guide to the best space gifts for kids will help you nurture a love of space and STEM in youngsters of all ages. There’s nothing better than being able to share our own scientific passions with our children, and our gifts are the perfect way to kickstart a budding interest.
In our guide to the best space gifts for kids, we’ve featured telescopes suitable for beginners, space-themed Lego sets, robot building kits and more. Many of the items we’ve included have been tested (and approved!) by our experts and their families, making them excellent gifts for birthdays, holidays or other special occasions.
If you’re looking for more ideas, take a look at our guide to the best Lego space sets, the best space books for kids and the best telescopes for kids.
The quick list
One of our favorite space-themed Lego sets, this astronaut is inexpensive, a joy to build and fun to display. It can be turned into a dog or a space shuttle, too.
Inexpensive and easy to use, the FirstScope isn't the most powerful telescope but it's the perfect first scope for kids — hence its name.
These budget-friendly binoculars are a great choice for kids: they're ideal for viewing close celestial objects and not too big that little hands can't hold them comfortably.
A gorgeous picture book that introduces youngsters to the Apollo 11 mission. This 50th anniversary edition has additional information, and it's the perfect way to introduce youngsters to space travel.
With different discs to insert, this star projector can display multiple views of the night sky. It might not be scientifically accurate but it's a great way to teach children about space.
Best Lego set
✅ You like creativity: Lego is the perfect outlet for creative kids.
❌ You want something to play with: Once it's built, the Astronaut is more of a display set than a playset.
🔎 Lego Creator 3-in-1 Space Astronaut: It's an excellent value set that looks absolutely wonderful — and it can be built in one of three ways. ★★★★★
We’re always waxing lyrical about the Lego Creator 3-in-1 Space Astronaut set, and for good reason. This inexpensive set can be built in three ways: as an astronaut, as a space shuttle or as a space dog. However, the main model of the set, the Space Astronaut, is undoubtedly the star of the show.
While the astronaut isn’t NASA or ESA branded, it’s detailed enough to look realistic, so looks fantastic when it’s built up. In our Space Astronaut review we praised the posability of the set: You can move its arms, legs and even its fingers to arrange them in the stance that you want. And since the Astronaut comes on its own sturdy stand, you don’t need to worry too much about making sure it can stand up straight.
The build process here is fun, too. The Lego set is rated for ages 9 and above, but younger kids will be able to tackle this with a bit of help from an adult. Once it’s built, it’s something they can enjoy on their bedroom shelves for a long time to come.
- Read our full Lego Creator 3-in-1 Space Astronaut review for more information.
Best telescope
✅ You want something to last: This is not a toy, and it's built to last — at least until your kid wants a more powerful telescope.
❌ You already have a telescope: It's a very basic, beginner model, so kids with experience already will want something more powerful.
🔎 Celestron FirstScope 76: As its name suggests, this is very much designed to be a 'first' telescope. It's not the most powerful, but perfect for viewing the moon and nearby planets. ★★★★
There’s no better way to embrace a child’s interest in space than by giving them their own telescope. The Celestron FirstScope 76 is a great telescope for beginners: it’s inexpensive, easy to use, and due to the fact it can sit on any tabletop, it’s very easy to set up.
Like the name FirstScope suggests, this has been designed to be someone’s first scope. Take it out of the box and it’s pretty much ready to go, making it ideal for kids to use unsupervised (or with minimal supervision). It’s pretty lightweight at just 4.3lbs, but despite that its body feels robust so you don’t have to worry about it getting broken easily.
Of course, the views you’re going to get through the FIrstScope 76 aren’t going to compete with more expensive, advanced telescopes — but considering the price point here (around $70), it’s impossible to be disappointed. In our Celestron FirstScope 76 review, we noted that it’s great for observing the Moon and its craters, along with other objects from our own solar system: We’ve been able to glimpse Jupiter alongside Saturn and its rings, for example.
- Read our full Celestron FirstScope 76 review.
Best binoculars
✅ You want something more portable: Binoculars can be moved around easier than a telescope.
❌ The user wears glasses: They don't have the biggest eye relief to suit glasses-wearers.
🔎 Celestron Cometron 7x50: These binoculars are great value, and they're a good size for smaller hands to hold comfortably. They aren't the most powerful, but they're ideal for near object viewing. ★★★★
While the Celestron Cometron binoculars are not designed for kids — they’re general use astronomy binoculars — they are one of our favorite pairs for beginners, and therefore make an excellent gift for kids just getting into space and stargazing for the first time.
Of course, binoculars don’t allow you to get quite as close to the stars as a telescope does, but we think these binos are a great choice for backyard astronomy, allowing for some great views of the moon and other close celestial bodies. Since they’re lightweight, kids will have no problem keeping hold of them, and there’s no need to worry about needing a tripod to steady them.
Included in the box of the Celestron Cometron 7x50 binoculars is a carry case, eyepiece and lens covers, a lens cloth and instruction manual. They’re good to go as soon as you take them out of the box: No set-up required!
- Read our full review of the Celestron Cometron 7x50 binoculars for more information.
Best book
✅ You're buying for a young child: This picture book is perfect to introduce 3-5 year olds to space travel.
❌ You want in-depth information: It's designed to be an introduction and won't offer rich, scientific information.
🔎 Moonshot: This is a gorgeous picture book perfect for younger readers. It may be a little basic for older kids, however. ★★★★
Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 by Brian Floca was first released in 2009, to coincide with Apollo 11’s 40th anniversary. This newer version of the book, released in 2019, has been expanded upon for Apollo 11’s 50th anniversary.
This version provides new information about the mission as well as extra details about the team members who worked on the mission from the ground. It's the best version of the book, and provides a great, if basic, overview of the Apollo 11 mission.
It’s aimed at young children, so don't expect to find the most in-depth retelling of the Apollo 11 mission. Older children might find it a little basic, but for younger kids, the images here are beautiful. We think it’s the perfect book to read aloud to children under 5 thanks to its prose which flows like poetry. It’s easy to follow and easy to understand for even the youngest inquiring minds.
Best star projector
✅ You want something educational: The different discs offer different learning opportunities for kids.
❌ You want scientifically accurate projections: It's more than decorative but you still won't get accurate recreations of the night sky.
🔎 Brainstorm Toys Deep Space Home Planetarium: Easy to operate and with multiple discs offering different views, it's a great way to introduce kids to the night sky. ★★★½
One of the best space gifts for kids just has to be a space projector. These little gadgets can bring the majesty of the night sky indoors, onto any bedroom or living room wall or ceiling. For kids, they can provide an excellent introduction to the stars, and this Brainstorm Deep Space Home Planetarium is designed especially to be an educational tool.
There are plenty of star projectors on the market, but this is one of our favorites for kids. Suited to ages six and above, it comes with changeable discs that feature official NASA imagery of nebulas, the Moon, spacecrafts and planets. It's not scientifically accurate, but it's still a good tool for learning.
In our Brainstorm Deep Space Home Planetarium review, we noted that the projector needs to be controlled manually, giving kids a more hands-on approach to using it. We really like that aspect, and think it's helpful to keeping children more engaged with it for longer. For a reasonable price tag, we think this is an excellent space gift for kids, particularly given its educational benefits.
- Read our full Brainstorm Deep Space Home Planetarium review.
How we test
The gift ideas on this list are all rather different from one another, and each one has been reviewed and assessed by a relevant expert. Each item has been assessed for its suitability for children: we've considered how easy each one is to use, whether adult supervision will be required, and whether it's sturdy enough to be used by kids.
We've also considered the price of each item: Does it offer good value for money? We've selected items that offer a good balance between value and user-friendliness in order to find the best space gifts for kids. We've also been sure to choose a selection of items that have both educational and entertainment purposes, offering extra value to children and their parents.
Recent updates
February 14: We've added a "How we test" section for full transparency on how we came up with this list and have recently updated the intro and straplines too.
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