I realised that I haven’t done an update on what Frida is working on for ages, and so hopped onto my laptop to draft a post. But when I sat down to write it, the only thing I really felt I could write about was magnetic tiles!
These are without doubt our number one most played with toy at the moment. Frida will play with them in the morning before we go out, and then again for hours when we come home in the afternoon. She creates buildings, vehicles, patterns, shapes – they are so versatile that they can be used in so many kinds of play. She often uses them alongside her flower fairies or wooden animals.
I would say magnetic tiles are suitable around age two onwards, although of course each child is different. Because they are magnetic, they are very easy to use and build with, which is part of the reason they are so satisfying – you don’t need advanced motor skills to build amazing creations. Plus they are just very satisfying; when we first bought them I had to remind my husband that we bought them for Frida, not him!
We usually are not big fans of plastic toys, for aesthetic and ethical reasons, but for these we were happy to make an exception as they are just such a great toy. There are many magnetic tile brands out there but we use the Children’s Hub brand – after looking into them I couldn’t see any real differences, the reviews were good, and they are significantly cheaper than other brands (but still EU safety approved with BPA free plastic). I’m yet to be convinced that these are more unethical than the market leaders, though happy to be proven wrong.
We have 160 which feels like a good amount – we started with 60 but quickly ran out when building bigger structures. It’s not impossible we will add more if Frida’s interest remains at this level…
However, if you are looking for something similar without buying plastic, there are a couple of options; Earthtiles which are beautiful looking wooden magnetic tiles, and Tegu which are magnetic blocks and come in a range of colours and sets.
What are your children enjoying at the moment? Do they like magnetic tiles as much as Frida?
Magna Tiles are THE BEST! 🙂
They really are! Xx
Our magnetic tiles are played with daily too! In fact we take them on holiday too. We have a vast collection now ranging from magnatiles,playmags, children’s hub, shine halo: wheels, dome set and windows. We can’t tell the difference between the £60 set to the £10 set. Having three children has meant that our collection is pretty large but when they all get building it’s nice not to limit their creativity. My 8 year old built Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament and it touched the ceiling! My daughter uses them differently to the boys, making patterns and 2d pictures, our youngest boy loves making stables, trains, rockets, 3D structures. I added a cookie baking tray as a base for him to make them portable so we can save it for the next day! I love how versatile, open ended and easy to use they are, definitely a heirloom!
I would love to know where that bird poster is from! We love our PlayMags and they get daily use over here!
Just wanted to thank you for the recommendation, I just ordered a set of 00 for my kids. been researching and reading and saving. so excited!