Magnetic building tiles are a hot toy trend that encourages open-ended creativity and STEM learning. These colorful magnetic tiles engage kids through hands-on play and 3D construction. With so many options on the market, it can be tricky to know where to begin. This ultimate guide covers everything you need to know about magnetic building tiles for kids.
What Are Magnetic Building Tiles?
Magnetic building tiles (also called magnetic blocks, magnetic bricks, or magnet tiles) are made up of small plastic tiles or cubes that have magnets embedded on each side. This allows them to connect to each other, often in very satisfying “click” sounds.
Unlike ordinary building blocks, magnetic tiles attract on all sides instead of just stacking. This opens up a world of possibilities for young builders to create multi-dimensional structures from their imagination.
Kids as young as toddlers right up through elementary schoolers will enjoy playing with magnetic tiles. These hands-on toys inspire open-ended play that is great for developing spatial skills, creativity, STEM concepts, and more.
Benefits of Magnetic Building Tiles
There are many reasons why magnetic building tiles make an excellent toy choice:
- Foster creativity and imagination
- Develop spatial skills and engineering concepts
- Teach basic math and shapes
- Promote problem-solving abilities
- Inspire collaboration between siblings and friends
- Provide endless play possibilities from simple to complex
- Reusable toy with high replay value
Research suggests that engaging toys like building tiles that don’t have strict rules inspire more creative play in kids. Magnetic tiles can be used over and over again in new and novel ways, helping kids flex their mental muscles.
Different Types of Magnetic Building Tiles
There are a few popular varieties of magnetic building tiles on the market:
- Basic magnetic building tiles – These budget-friendly starter sets have chunky plastic squares or triangles embedded with magnets. They usually come in bright colors like primary colors or neon shades.
- 3D magnetic tiles – For more of a challenge, 3D magnetic tiles add height and shape variety. Some sets have curved pieces, long rods, and triangular pyramids along with classic squares.
- Marble run tiles – Designed to build vibrant flowing courses for marbles, these plastic tiles often have tracks, chutes, funnels, pivots, and launchers.
- Themed magnetic tiles – Many brands offer magnetic building tiles with decorative themes like underwater creatures, transportation, robots, dinosaurs, farms, castle, pirates and beyond to spark imaginative play.
Comparison of Popular Magnetic Building Tile Sets
| Product | # of Pieces | Price | Best For |
| PicassoTiles 100 Piece Set | 100 tiles + 6 marbles | $$$ | Budget pick |
| Magna-Tiles 32 Piece Clear Set | 32 tiles | $$$$ | Math & patterns |
| Playmags 100 Piece Pro Set | 100 tiles | $$ | First magnetic tiles |
| Creativity for Kids Sweet Shoppe Cafe | 50+ pieces incl. tiles, accessories & playmat | $$ | Themed play |
Top Magnetic Building Tile Brands
With magnetic tiles becoming mainstream, all kinds of retailers now carry their own affordable line alongside the top toy brands. The toy brands leading innovation in the magnetic tile space include:
PicassoTiles – One of the OG magnetic tile brands, PicassoTiles offers an excellent value with large sets that have bonus marbles for marble runs. Their bright and bold chunky plastic tiles are very satisfying for little hands to snap together.
Magna-Tiles – Known for their high quality transparent Dots, Triangles, and Squares that reveal the enclosed magnets. Excellent for exploring geometry, patterns, and spatial concepts beyond just building structures. More expensive than alternatives.
Playmags – This brand strikes a nice balance between education and creativity. Playmags sets encourage open-ended construction play as well as designing circuits, contraptions, games and more with plastic pieces that have embedded steel spheres.
Creativity for Kids – Affordable themed sets designed for crafty kids. Their Sweet Shoppe Cafe, Brickyard Bonanza, and others inspire roleplaying and storytelling. Magnetic tiles combine with playmats, decorative accessories, character figures and more.
No matter which brand catches your eye, always check the manufacturer recommended age range to make sure the tile size and magnet strength is appropriate.
What Age are Magnetic Tiles For?
Magnetic building tiles span a wide age range from toddlers into the early elementary years:
- Ages 1-3 – Look for larger, chunkier tiles specifically made for little hands. Avoid small pieces.
- Ages 3-5 – Great open-ended building toys to develop spatial and fine motor skills.
- Ages 5-7 – More complex builds, patterns and marble runs ignite curiosity and imagination.
- Ages 7-9 – Explore engineering concepts with kits featuring gears, pulleys, propellers etc. Advanced kids can create complex symmetrical structures.
Of course, every child develops differently! No matter the age, always supervise young kids playing with small toys and teach them not to throw pieces or eat magnets.
Buying Considerations for Magnetic Tiles
Here are the main factors to help select the best magnetic building tiles:
1. Number of pieces – More tiles means bigger builds! But start small with around 30-50 pieces for younger kids and add to your collection over time.
2. Tile size and thickness – Chunky tiles with a safety-tested grippy surface are best for little hands. Make sure tinier tiles have strong magnets so structures don’t collapse.
3. Magnet strength – Strong magnets hold better but are harder to separate. Avoid weak magnets only suitable for flat creations.
4. Colors and shapes – Vibrant colors and interesting shapes like triangles engage young minds. Double-sided tiles allow for color mixing creations.
5. Safety – No detachable magnets or sharp edges. Tiles and magnets must pass toy safety standard tests.
6. Extras – Some sets include activity guide books, marble runs, storage bins, construction boards, or themed figures for added play value.
7. Budget – Consider how much your child will use the toy. Splurge on a beloved classic like Magna-Tiles or start with an affordable basic set. Sales prices can offer huge savings on magnetic tile deals.
Where to Buy Magnetic Building Toys
All kinds of retailers stock magnetic building toys these days:
- Online stores like Amazon tend to have the widest selection and stock of tiles at the best prices with fast shipping. Easy returns too.
- Big box stores like Target and Walmart carry major brands in store and online for convenient one stop toy shopping. Usually cheaper than specialty toy stores.
- Local toy stores may have a specialty STEM section with magnetic tiles and experts to test them out. Unique indie brands abound.
- Craft stores like Michael’s will have crafty themed building tile sets from Creativity for Kids alongside art supplies.
- Educational stores like Lakeshore Learning have durable school grade magnetic blocks perfect for classrooms and homeschool.
Wherever you choose to shop, look at reviews from verified buyers to discover which magnetic building tile sets real kids genuinely enjoy before you buy.
Our Picks for the Best Magnetic Building Toys
To save overwhelm in a crowded market, here are our top picks across different ages and interests:
For Toddlers – PicassoTiles 100 Piece Set – Affordable extra chunky starter kit with cute animals to build basic structures. Bonus marbles and carrying case teach cause-and-effect motion concepts.
For Budding Builders – Playmags Pro 100 Piece Set – Ample pieces for big creations including 2 play boards, car with pullback motor, and propellers. Great starter magnetic tiles to develop spatial skills.
For Math & Patterns – Magna-Tiles 32 Piece Clear Set – Fewer pieces allow for more math play with translucent triangles, squares, pentagons and more. Challenging magnet puzzle play.
For Imaginative Play – Creativity for Kids Sweet Shoppe Cafe – Along with decorative magnetic cafe tiles, set includes pastries, sink, chalkboard, and figures for roleplay fun. One of many themed sets.
Best Value Bundles – Magnetic building toy bundles that include storage bins, activity books, marble runs and hundreds of pieces for less than purchasing sets individually. Lots of playroom possibilities.
How to Use Magnetic Tiles in Play and Education
Structured magnetic tile play helps develop important spatial skills and aptitudes. However, unstructured construction taps into more right-brain creativity. Find a balance in your magnetic tile playtime with these activity ideas for learning through building:
- Follow pattern cards or instruction booklets to recreate specific structures. Scaffold steps from basic to complex builds.
- Task kids to build upwards with triangles or stable beams instead of flats. Sets limits to stretch the mind.
- Shape and color sort mixed tiles into bins. Have kids guess how many there are of each.
- Build walls and mazes for toy cars, action figures or marbles to move through. Shows cause-and-effect concepts.
- Create 2D patterns and designs then trace and color them afterwards.
- Form 3D geometric shapes like cubes, cones, arches with magnetic sticks and tiles.
- Play “I Spy” with creations, naming shapes, letters, colors and more.
- Invent marble runs that incorporate concepts like speed, friction, gravity, bumpers, jumps, spirals, and timing.
- Tell a story out loud while building new parts scene by scene. Record stories to replay later.
- Set building challenges or competitions to foster creative thinking skills.
- Build collaboratively as a family, assigning different sections like frameworks versus roofs. Promotes teamwork and communication.
- Make games by adding crafty elements like spinners, puzzles, targets and game pieces constructed from tiles. Teaches design principles and fair play.
Keep magnetic tiles loose rather than boxed up so that kids treat them more like an artistic medium for always accessible play and learning while developing gross motor skills. Rotating the building toys displayed also keeps novelty and engagement high.
Tips for Starting a Magnetic Tile Collection
To develop a well-rounded and continuously engaging magnetic tile collection:
- Start with an affordable basic 100+ piece mixed or single color set – Colorful PicassoTiles, Playmags, or Walmart/Amazon Basics tiles are perfect starter sets. Upgrade later.
- Add specialty pieces over time like marbles, people, wheels, and robots – Expand to perform marble runs, storytelling and moving contraptions down the road.
- Invest in a few small themed sets around their interests to spark creativity – Pick themes like construction, ocean life, transportation or farms already aligned to their passions.
- Save premium quality sets like Magna-Tiles for big milestones like birthdays – Coveted clear view tiles make precious keepsake gifts to unwrap. Register for them too!
- Take advantage of sales – Stock up on add-on discounted sets with bonus accessories like storage and activity guides for even more play.
With the right mix of magnetic building tiles, kids get endless mileage from these deceptively simple construction toys that can engage them from toddlerhood well into the grade school years.
Final Thoughts
Magnetic building tiles ignite open-ended creativity through hands-on play for kids that never gets old. As children construct and manipulate 3D structures, they sharpen vital spatial reasoning and problem-solving abilities while having fun. Magnetic building toys inspire imagination and collaboration too.
With so many types, brands, and budget ranges to accommodate different ages and interests, getting started with magnetic tiles can be daunting. This buying guide covers all the basics parents need – from safety and durability factors to developmental benefits and even storage tips – to select the perfect magnetic building tiles to foster a lifetime of learning through STEAM-based play.
Frequently Asked Questions About Magnetic Building Toys
What are the best magnetic tiles for toddlers?
For little hands, choose large chunky tiles at least 5cm thick like PicassoTiles Jumbo or Grimm’s Rainbow set. Avoid small loose magnets and opt for bright colors to engage toddlers.
What skills do magnetic building tiles teach?
Magnetic tiles are ideal STEM learning toys for teaching spatial skills, engineering concepts like gravity and friction with marble runs, early Structures & architecture, basic shapes and patterns, and cooperation through group creativity.
How do I choose good quality magnetic tiles?
Look for thick tiles not less than 3-5mm with strong neodymium magnets properly sealed inside. Vibrant colors, smooth edges, variety of unique shapes beyond just squares, and large piece counts indicate decent quality sets that will last through rough toddler play.
Can I make my own DIY magnetic tiles?
With self-adhesive magnet strips, poster board, glue, and paint you can handmake custom magnetic tiles in any size, shape or theme. Make racing ramps, roads, buildings, pools etc. Purchase magnetic receptive primer for a smooth professional surface that holds better than tape alone.
Where to buy affordable basic magnetic tiles?
Basic starter magnetic tile sets cost as little as $25 from retailers like Amazon Basics, KidKraft and POPLO, Walmart’s Imaginarium brand, Playmags Magnetic Tiles, PicassoTiles collections or even Melissa & Doug. Focus more on piece count than branding.