Wondering what are the best magnetic tiles for kids? As a mom of 4 who all love Magnetic Building Blocks, I’ve tried a few and can tell you all about my favorites (and the cons too!)
What is it about magnets that draw children in? From magnetic wands and fridge magnets for toddlers to a huge variety of colorful magnetic blocks, kids are so absorbed into playtime with these building toys.
Did you know that magnetic blocks actually provide a lot of educational benefits and are a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) toy?
Learn more about STEM here STEM Activities + Toys for Multiple Ages!
In this post, I will share with you all about the benefits of magnetic blocks, how we use them, and where you can find the best magnetic building blocks for kids.
Magnetic Building Blocks Benefits
No matter how old kids are, their curious little minds and bodies seem to always be drawn to play with magnetic building tiles. Even as an adult, I often join them on the floor or table and build too.
Magnetic blocks stick together ( because they have built-in magnets) so that young children can work on stacking blocks and squares up high and can experiment with how high up they can go before it topples over. They are working on their problem-solving skills to figure how high they can build up.
Children feel a sense of achievement as they create something unique.
Using these types of blocks is great for creativity and also STEM because it helps kids “think outside the box” with an engineer-type mind frame to create truly unique and awesome creations. They also really work on a child’s creativity while they create a unique architectural design.
I also love that these building tiles have created an activity where my kids can work together on a creation. They’ve learned how to communicate thoughts and ideas about things to build and also learned the importance of teamwork to make their thoughts become a reality.
I find that when they combine their resources and thoughts, they find such great confidence in how they’re able to create as well!
They also learn from each other.
Building with magnetic tiles is also a fun way to link up with other learning toys, too. Below is one creation of how they built a fun race car track and then had a skyscraper sitting right in the middle.
The following suggestions are great educational presents too.
Best Magnetic Tiles for Kids
There are some great choices out there but based on our own home use, these are my choices for best magnetic tiles for kids! (Also, some kits and sets may have compatibility with one another, so that’s always a bonus as well!)
My Recommendations for Magnetic Building Blocks
Worth a splurge – As A Base Starter Pack
Magnetic Tiles Mega Pack
This ultimate starter set features every shape in EVERY COLOR – including 6 large hexagonal tiles PLUS 2 purple car bases.
Good base set at a medium price point
Magnetic Tiles Rainbow Box
This is a base pack of 100 tiles that features a variety of shapes in different colors, including fences and door frames. You can expand on this set, but I suggest you purchase this as your base set to start your collection. This is the pack I started with and highly recommend.
Connetix Magnetic Motion Pack
Having a set of cars takes play with magnetic tiles to the next level. In my home, the cars are used EVERY single time the magnetic tiles are used.
This pack features their unique, exclusively designed clear fluted tubes, 6 rainbow wooden balls, x2 special effect stair soundscape tubes, x2 S-bend tubes, AND a split tube for racing fun! Also including connector tiles, this is the perfect expansion pack to explore gravity and motion.
Another Recommendation Of Magnetic Tiles I Love
I’ve also used the original creator of the Magnetic Tiles blocks, Magnatiles, and am very happy with their tiles too. I also love that the Magnatiles and Connetix Tiles are able to be used together.
My daughter can build to her heart’s content and use the best pieces from both Magnatiles and Connetix Tiles.
You don’t need to purchase sets from both companies because now they both have fun pieces like cars, windows, etc.
Here are the pieces I recommend from Magna Tiles.
More Budget-Friendly Recommendation
Picasso Tiles are a bit cheaper than the above two creators, and while some may feel the magnets aren’t as strong, others feel that they are even better. It really just comes down to your own personal preferences.
I love that Picasso Tiles has a wonderful idea book and some innovative pieces like people to add to the playtime.
Magnetic Tiles Questions
You can pair them with wooden toys like we did here too.
What are some magnetic building block benefits?
Having educational toys in the house is a great way to combine learning and fun. I love seeing the kids using their sensory skills and creative thinking skills paired up with their imagination.
Magnetic tiles work on:
- critical thinking
- fine motor skills
- hand-eye coordination
- imaginative play
- sensory development
What to consider before purchasing Magnetic Tiles
- Your child’s age is really important when considering purchasing magnetic tiles.
You need to remember that there are small magnets inside the tiles and these toys were not created for children to put into their mouths.
That means that you want to avoid giving the tiles to a child who is going to start biting on them and putting magnetic tiles into their mouth. Always supervise children.
An older child is likely not going to put the tiles into their mouth and they are therefore a safe toy based on a child’s age and development.
- Make sure that you choose tiles that are of high quality and are durable as well.
If the magnet is not strong enough, children can get frustrated when their buildings break easily. There has to be a balance with how strong/weak it is so that they allow children to play and create comfortably. You don’t want them too strong so that when a child moves pieces their masterpiece breaks.
They are also a toy in constant daily use so they need to be built to last.
Speaking of building, also check out my Counting Cube Alphabet Mats to help encourage your children to use those little fingers to build and create even more!
What age are magnetic tiles for?
As long as you have tiles that aren’t a choking hazard, kids of all ages can begin playing with them and using them. Make sure that you are nearby when younger children are using the tiles. I have an 18-month-old who enjoy’s using the magnetic tiles. I don’t mind her using them just as long as I am sitting there with her watching her. I also keep the smaller pieces away from her use, just in case!
Consider your child’s development.
Magnetic Tiles are recommended for children ages 3.
Using Magnetic Tiles for Learning
When we study certain subjects at home, it’s really quite easy to tie in the use of magnetic blocks. During our space exploration lesson plan, the kids were challenged with creating a rocket out of magnetic tiles!
We talk about magnetic force and how strong magnets are to be able to create something so cool using a STEM toy.
STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.
Talk to your child about magnetic polarities and give them examples of this using the tiles.
It was actually a really fun exercise for them to visualize and then create. They were then able to talk about their creations and tell us all about them!
I found it to be the perfect combination of independent play and critical thinking. They were so proud of their rockets that we left them up on the shelf for quite some time to show off!
STEM Play with Magnetic Blocks
If you have a child that loves to stack items or is constantly drawing and designing, using magnetic tiles can be a great way to dive into their building mindset easily.
Challenge them to draw an object on paper first and then try and recreate it using magnetic tiles.
You can also use these magnetic tiles for math, shape recognition, geometric shapes learning, and more. And sometimes, you just want to use the magnetic tile set to build towers as high as possible.
Learn more about STEM here – STEM Activities to do at home
Do your research and decide which one you feel is right for your family as well. We use a combination of them all and the kids love it.
If you’re worried about having the tiles lay around the house, see the system I created for storage! How I store my magnetic tiles:
See how I labeled everything in this blog post Kids Toy Storage with Cricut Joy. It took me minutes to create a system that works!
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