My kids love their magnetic tiles and play with them often. I consider them to be a basic toy for every child’s playroom. If you are looking for educational toys and open-ended toys for your children, then these are a great toy to buy and will provide your kids with hours of fun.
Magnetic Tiles for Imaginative Play
What Are Magnetic Tiles?
Magnetic tiles are tiles in different shapes and sizes that stick to each other with magnets on all sides.
They usually come in squares and triangles, but different brands have different shapes and types of tiles. You will find magnetic tiles in many preschool classrooms and playrooms, as parents and teachers love these toys.
Why Should You Buy Magentic Tiles?
Magnetic tiles are a great toy that encourages independent and creative play in kids. They are a great toy for fine motor skills, planning, learning about shapes, symmetry, stacking, patterns, problem-solving, and so many other important skills.
Magnetic tiles are great for educational activities and for young children to learn STEM skills. They are great for imaginative play and encourage kids to use their creativity.
They are easy to clean and store, and they are safe even for the youngest kids, so you can also have your babies play with them. Since they don’t have any little pieces, I feel comfortable having them out, even when babies are crawling on the floor.
Which Magnetic Tiles Should I Buy?
There are many different types of magnetic tiles, some are more expensive than others. Below I will review the basic brands that are available and the pros and cons of each type of magnetic tile. However, all the ones I have seen are great, and you probably can’t go wrong with them!
I would encourage you to get as many tiles as you can afford because this type of toy needs a big amount to get the maximum enjoyment out of them. Your kids won’t play with them as much if you have only a few.
I’ve had a few different brands of magnetic tiles in my house, and it seems like everyone I have has some, so I definitely know my way around different types of tiles!
Are Magna Tiles Safe for Toddlers?
Magnetic tiles are considered safe for toddlers. However, there are a few things you should be aware of. Since the inside of the tiles has small magnetic beads- if any of the tiles get cracked or broken, they should be thrown out immediately to prevent small kids from eating or choking on the small magnets.
Brands of Magnetic Tiles
Magnetic tiles are sold in all stores. You can find the bigger brand names at Target and Walmart and even sometimes at Marshalls, TJ Maxx, and HomeGoods. All of these below are available on Amazon.
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Magna-Tiles
This is one of the most popular brands of magnetic tiles, and the name “Magna-tiles” has become the vernacular term for all the brands of magnetic tiles. People often refer to “magna-tiles” when they mean magnetic tiles in general.
Magna-tiles don’t have super strong magnets, which I prefer for younger kids because it is easier for the little ones to pull apart and manipulate.
However, older kids may find them to be frustrating because the creations fall apart more easily (although I, personally, find that older kids love them).
They also have many different designs and limited editions, which can be fun and make it easy to add to your collection. For example, they have Eric Carle branded tiles or different types of animals.
Magformers
Magformers are the strongest type of magnetic tile. They also come in the most variety of shapes and sizes. Magformers have the basic tile and triangle shape, but they also have curved shapes, hexagons, arches, cones, and more (depending on the set you have).
These are great for older kids who really enjoy building and engineering. They have accessories that you can purchase to build moving vehicles, lights, and gears.
Magformers have a few cons. First of all, the magnets are very strong, which makes it very difficult for younger children to play with them. I would not recommend this set for a two-year-old- they will find it very frustrating. Also, Magformers are the most pricey of all the magnetic tile options.
Picasso Tiles
Picasso Tiles are very similar to the original Magna-Tiles and are a great option for a starter set. They usually come in large packages (at least 60 pieces), so it automatically makes it more fun to play with initially.
They don’t have as many options for additional sets or add-ons, although they do have a few, the Marble Run, Cars, and a Geometry set.
Play Mags
Playmags are another great option for magnetic tiles. Like the Picasso Tiles and Maghub Tiles, they are usually much cheaper than Magna-Tiles and Magformers. Their magnets are more similar to Magna-tiles than to Magformers.
They have a few add-on options, including magnetic figures, which are very cute and fun to play with, but many of them broke quickly. The figures are also very small, so I wouldn’t recommend them for children who still put things in their mouths. We have one set of Play Mags that we use with the MagHub tiles (below), and they work great!
MagHub Magnetic Tiles
This is the set we currently have the most of in our house, and we are very happy with them. They are similar to Magna-tiles in shape and magnet strength, and I originally purchased them because they were the cheapest. They don’t have as many add-ons or options as the other sets, but they do have letter inserts which you can use with the square tiles.
Which Magnetic Tile Set Should I Get?
No matter which magnetic tile set you pick, you are probably making the right choice! All of these are fun toys that your kids will love to play with and make great gifts
Many of the tiles also work well with different brands (Magformers does not do well with the other types), so you can mix and match accessories and types of tiles.
Keep an eye out for the best deals and sales, and try different magnetic tiles until you find the ones that fit your family’s needs.
Are Magnetic Tiles Worth It?
This is a fair question since most tiles are not exactly cheap. However, I think they are absolutely worth it! I have them in my house and encourage everyone else to get them as well. Your kids will play with them for hours alone and with others.
They are a great toy for toddlers to learn teamwork and collaborative play. My older kids enjoy playing with them, too; they build tall towers and use the vehicle base to build elaborate machines.
Have fun building!
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Robyn Goldfarb
Hi! I am a millennial mom with a passion for personal finance. I have always been “into” personal finance but got inspired to start my blog after a period of extended unemployment. That experience really changed the way I viewed my relationship with money and the importance of accessible personal finance education.