robot kit for 6 yo

[blue heron]

Our 6 yo is passionate about legos, battlebots, trains and robots. He builds battlebots out of lego all the time and yesterday he built a little robot out of gears, gears, gears.
I'd like to get him some sort of a kit he could make something a little more complicated, something open ended that he could take apart and make various things with.
Any ideas?

[34me]

Really pricy but so worth it http://shop.lego.com/product/?p=8547...2057&ShipTo=US It says 10+ but my guy could build basic bots at 6

[blue heron]

Your six yo did ok with the mindstorm? I have my eye on it, but I thought we might need to wait a couple years.

[LightForest]

I love robotics kits, so when I saw your post in the "New Posts" section I just had to jump in

LEGO NXT (mentioned by the previous poster) is a great option! I have two other possibilities to contribute also...

LEGO's education division recently released a sort of robotics product geared towards slightly younger kids called the WeDo. WeDo is also less pricey ($140).

There's another fun product called the PicoCricket that's great for craftier kids, and like the WeDo, I find it to be a little friendlier than the NXT for younger kids. This kit is made to coordinate with LEGOs (LEGOs are incorporated into all the kit components). Unfortunately, the kit costs $250.

If your son already loves LEGO, then it totally makes sense to go with one of these three kit options (NXT, WeDo, or PicoCricket), because they will all integrate perfectly with his existing pieces (even all those tiny gears).

Have fun!

[One_Girl]

My dd got a K-nex dinosaur kit for Christmas. It has a sound box, but isn't technically a robot. The instructions are very detailed and a good challenge for kids this age. K-nex also has Moto Bots sets that are about $26. You can usually use the pieces to either follow directions or make whatever you want to make.