However, the instructions cover 100 sample projects, the most of any kit we tested.
When you exclude the connecting parts and count just the modular electronic pieces, this Snap Circuits kit is similar in size than our top pick from SmartLabs. We found that the best kits struck a balance between education and fun, holding kids’ attention while walking them through how to use the kit. In the classroom, many groups started by putting together pieces in ways that looked interesting, and then were reluctant to take them apart to start over when they found they didn’t work like they expected. Freeform play is a good thing when a child knows what they are doing, but if they don’t learn the basics of using a kit, their play won’t result in something that works, which can make them lose interest faster. Instructions that were interesting but not very educational sometimes held the kids’ attention but didn’t give them a clear picture of what they were doing-or led to freeform playing with the kit. During our testing panels, instructions that were too dry and wordy caused kids to feel overwhelmed or to lose interest in our first round of testing, they sometimes asked an adult to complete the rest of the project or wandered back to a different kit.
We also considered the educational value of the instructions and if they were able to hold the builder’s attention.
We evaluated how well each kit’s instructions explained the steps to build each project.
