Best Osmo deals 2023: Save on educational fun

Osmo deals: Child using Osmo with iPad
(Image credit: Osmo)

These Osmo deals are a great way to engage your kids in fun activities that boost their brainpower as well. Time in front of a screen for kids doesn’t need to be a passive experience, as Osmo kits are ideal for wannabe coders, keen learners and kids who love to read. These Osmo kit deals offer educational games that are fun and engaging.

Osmo is an electronic STEM toy that’s compatible with both iPads and Amazon Fire tablets, making it very accessible. They offer a tactile experience using manipulables — numbers, shapes, coding instruction squares — that takes what you’re doing in the real world and translates that to activity on the screen and then back again.

The Osmo base and a compatible tablet are all you need to get started and there’s a wide array of kits to pick from, letting you find the experience that’s best for you. Of course, the more kits you pick up the wider the array of different things your child can learn and with these Osmo deals, you might be able to afford more than one. Osmo's Super Studio is 30% off at Amazon is ideal for fans of Disney.

Don’t miss Live Science's list of the best coding toys for even more recommendations.

Today's best Osmo deals

Osmo Genius Kit for iPad
Best Osmo iPad Deal
$69.99 at Amazon

Osmo Genius Starter Kit for iPad: $99.99 $69.99 at Amazon
This starter kit will work with all iPads running iOS 10 or later, except Generation 1-4, 9 & Mini 6. Designed for 6- to 10-year-olds, it comes with an Osmo base and reflector for iPad, tangram pieces, number tiles, word tiles, storage for each game and five games: Numbers, Tangram, Words, Newton and Masterpiece. At 30% off, you're getting a great deal.

Osmo Coding Starter Kit for iPad: $99.99$69.99 at Amazon
$69.99 at Amazon

Osmo Coding Starter Kit for iPad: $99.99 $69.99 at Amazon
Designed for ages 5 to 10, this game bundle includes 31 tangible coding blocks, including Walk, Jump, Hand, Magic, Rest, Quantifiers (Numbers), Repeat, Subroutines, as well as Stackable storage for game pieces and three game apps: Coding Awbie, Coding Jam and Coding Duo. Right now, Amazon is selling the bundle for 30% off.

Osmo - Monster Starter Kit for iPad: $49.99$38.59 at Walmart
$38.59 at Walmart

Osmo - Monster Starter Kit for iPad: $49.99 $38.59 at Walmart
What kid doesn't want to play with monsters? These are the cute kind of monsters, of course. With this kit, kids ages 5 to 10 can create their own monster drawings (dubbed "Mo") and bring it to life on the tablet, where kids can interact in one of Mo's amazing rooms. The kit comes with a drawing board, erasable marker, microfiber cleaning cloth and the Osmo Base for iPad. (It is also available in English and Spanish.) 

Osmo - Super Studio Disney Frozen 2 Game: $29.99$15.89 at Amazon
NOT
was $29.99 now $15.89 at Amazon

Osmo - Super Studio Disney Frozen 2 Game: $29.99 $15.89 at Amazon
For 5- to 11-year-olds, this learn-to-draw pack includes a Super Studio Frozen 2 Sketchpad, 2 Super Studio markers, a Super Sweeper eraser and the game app Super Studio Frozen 2. Kids will get step-by-step instructions on how to draw the scenes from "Frozen 2," and then watch the story come to life in their first animation. The Osmo Base is NOT included.

Osmo - Detective Agency: $49.99$43.99 at Amazon
$43.99 at Amazon

Osmo - Detective Agency: $49.99 $43.99 at Amazon
Kids can become their own version of a Sherlock Holmes with this Osmo add-on for the Fire tablet and iPad. Using a game piece magnifying glass, your little P.I. can search for landmarks around the world while also learning trivia facts about geography, culture and history (Detective Agency). Along the way, there are plenty of mysteries to solve. The add-on comes with 4 double-sided maps, a map holder, a magnifying glass & 1 Game App: Detective Agency.

How do kids learn with Osmo?

The Osmo device works through what the company calls "augmented reality," in which a reflector mirror is attached to an iPad or Fire tablet that sits in the Osmo base. That reflector captures images from the table below and feeds them to the tablet's camera. With the Osmo app, those physical objects — such as Osmo's letter or number tiles — become part of the digital world, where your child can interact in a hands-on setting. 

With that basic premise, Osmo has created a slew of add-ons, and that's where the learning truly begins. For these learning games, you can choose between different age groups: 3-5, 6-9 and 10+. Also, parents can adjust the skill level for these add-ons to fit their child's needs. 

Math: If you have a child who needs help in math, or perhaps they need a number challenge, you can choose from several math add-ons depending on level and type of activity. For instance, for 6- to 8-year-olds, the Math Wizards Bundle comes with four games that teach geometry (with fun food puzzles), the foundations of multiplication (with all-star sports teams), measurement (with dragons!) and addition/subtraction by brewing silly potions in a magical workshop journey. 

Literacy: To help your kids learn or just improve their reading skills, you can check out the "literacy" sets. For instance, the Early Literacy bundle can help kids with a range of skills, from letter recognition, vocabulary familiarity, sentence construction and even phonics with ABCs. The 38 silicon sticks and rings that come with the set can be used for creating letters that come alive on your tablet for gameplay and other fun learning activities. The bundle is rated for ages 3 to 12 because all of the "equipment" is flexible in terms of the games/apps it can be used with. 

Science: Yes, Osmo dives into some science areas! With Osmo Newton, kids can either draw an object or find something lying around their room. Then, they use this imaginary cup, some new invention they hand-draw or real-life objects such as mom's keys to guide falling balls on the screen into targeted spots. And there are 60 levels. 

Other skills targeted with Osmo add-ons and related apps include: coding, critical thinking, drawing, geography, imaginative play and puzzles.

Managing editor, Scientific American

Jeanna Bryner is managing editor of Scientific American. Previously she was editor in chief of Live Science and, prior to that, an editor at Scholastic's Science World magazine. Bryner has an English degree from Salisbury University, a master's degree in biogeochemistry and environmental sciences from the University of Maryland and a graduate science journalism degree from New York University. She has worked as a biologist in Florida, where she monitored wetlands and did field surveys for endangered species, including the gorgeous Florida Scrub Jay. She also received an ocean sciences journalism fellowship from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. She is a firm believer that science is for everyone and that just about everything can be viewed through the lens of science.