Magnetic tiles are all the rage in early childhood education toys right now. These brilliantly designed building sets allow children to explore STEM concepts like engineering, physics, and architecture while having fun. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore why Best Choice Magnetic Tiles are one of the best magnetic tile options for fostering creativity, imagination, and early development skills.
What Are Magnetic Building Tiles?
Magnetic building tiles are colorful, plastic construction pieces that easily connect to one another via embedded magnets. Some sets contain triangles, squares, rectangles, trapezoids and other shapes while others feature vibrant mosaics or images. When pieced together on a flat surface or vertically, they form fascinating 3D structures from children’s wildest imaginations.
Unlike ordinary building blocks, these magnetic tile toys stick together firmly so elaborate towers, castles, and creations stay upright without collapsing. This allows kids to focus on conceptualizing and building rather than having to rebuild over and over again. The magnetics connection also enables new design possibilities like houses with angled roofs.
Sets range from small travel-size packs with just the basics to over 100+ tiles providing endless architectural possibilities. Some include special pieces like wheels, window frames, doors, and characters to enhance creative play.
When shopping, pay attention to:
- Tile size – Standard is 1.57 inches but larger jumbo options allow bigger structures
- Number of tiles – More diversity in what kids can construct
- Special pieces – Doors, windows, wheels spice things up
- Sturdiness – Will structures easily stay together and hold up?
- Safety – Must meet toy manufacturing standards
- Child age range – Some work better for older kids with more advanced building skills
Why Choose Best Choice Magnetic Tiles?
With so many magnetic tile set brands on the market, why opt specifically for Best Choice? Here are the top reasons this toy company’s building sets shine above competitors:
1. High Quality Safe Materials
All Best Choice magnetic toys meet strict U.S. and European safety standards including ASTM F963, EN-71, ISO 8124, and CE certifications. Their magnetic building tiles crafted from durable, BPA-free, non-toxic ABS and polypropylene plastics for safety and longevity. You can rest assured kids won’t be exposed to hazardous chemicals while playing.
2. Unique Tile Shapes
While most basic packs contain squares, triangles and rectangles, Best Choice infuses innovation into their magnetic construction sets. Along with standard pieces, you’ll discover unique shapes like parallelograms, trapezoids, pentagons and hexagons that spark kids’ creativity in new ways. Specialty tiles featuring road themes, mosaic floral designs, curved edges, neon colors and glitter offer even more flair.
3. Strong High-Quality Magnets
All magnetic toys rely heavily on magnet strength for connectivity and stability. Weak magnets result in structures collapsing while children build. Best Choice only utilizes premium neodymium rare earth magnets known for their unparalleled magnetic energy. This keeps connections securely intact so kids can craft epic masterpieces.
4. Ideal Magnet Spacing
Proper magnet placement is also paramount in magnetic tile sets. Best Choice spaces high-powered circular magnets precisely so tiles effortlessly click together from any angle. Competitor brands often have magnet spacing issues causing tiles to connect weakly, fall apart, or entirely miss attaching to other pieces.
5. Smoothed Polished Edges
Sharp plastic edges can scratch children’s delicate skin or get uncomfortably caught on clothing. All Best Choice pieces feature smoothed polished borders to prevent discomfort or injuries during energetic building play. Kids can have non-stop fun without worries.
6. Vibrant Assorted Colors
Visual aesthetics matter too! Little architects love bringing their visions to life with vibrant colors that pop. Rather than basic primary shades, Best Choice infuses twinkling purples, shimmering golds, fire engine reds and emerald greens for maximum uniqueness and beauty. Increased diversity in color options gets those creative juices flowing even more.
7. Compatibility Across Sets
As the magnetic tile obsession grows, many parents buy expansion sets to take the building excitement up a notch. Best Choice’s stellar engineering ensures all their magnetic building block lines including Safari Animals, Space Station, Princess Castle and Cityscapes seamlessly work together. Simply mix and match pieces across various sets without issues – now that’s some magnetic magic!
8. Range of Age Appropriateness
Every child’s developmental stage differs so magnetic tiles must meet kids where they’re at. Best Choice offers progressive levels ranging from easier starter sets with large chunky tiles for toddlers to 100+ piece advanced builds keeping older kids enthralled for hours. Their unique architecture also grows with children by fostering progressive skills at each evolving stage.
9. Budget-Friendly Pricing
Despite their top-notch quality and innovative designs, Best Choice magnetic construction toys won’t break the bank. Their value-focused pricing makes this superior magnetic tile experience affordable for most families. Competitors with less functionality charge almost triple the cost! Parents rave these toys literally provide hours of entertainment per dollar spent.
Top 5 Benefits of Magnetic Tile Play
Beyond the exceptional Best Choice brand, magnetic play tiles themselves provide a slew of developmental upsides for kids including:
- Enhances Spatial Reasoning Skills – Visualizing and manipulating 3D structures bolsters spatial processing and relational thinking in the brain’s parietal lobe.
- Develops STEM Concepts – Building towering formations teaches foundational engineering, physics, architecture, and mathematics principles.
- Boosts Fine Motor Skills – Grasping small pieces and connecting them builds dexterity, strength, and precision in toddlers’ hands and fingers critical for later fine motor tasks like writing, buttoning, or tying shoes.
- Sparks Creativity and Imagination – Innovative tile shapes, magnetic connections, and versatility empower unbridled creative expression. Kids incorporate sci-fi, fantasy, and everyday life themes into builds.
- Promotes Critical Thinking – Trial and error with structural integrity, weight distribution, and balance boosts out-of-the-box strategizing and critical analysis abilities.
Unlike technology or flashcards, magnetic tiles equip kids with tangible tactile building experiences that lay incredible foundations for later academic and career success in engineering, science, technology and mathematics.
Top Picks of Best Choice Magnetic Tile Sets
Can’t decide which set is right for your aspiring architect? Here is our expert rundown of 5 top Best Choice magnetic building toys to consider:
| Product | Price | Rating | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Farm Friends Magnetic Building Set | $29.99 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Adorable magnetic animal shapes including cow, pig, sheep, and horse head pieces kids affix onto traditional triangle and square background tiles to construct a lively farm scene |
| Build and Play Cube Set | $34.99 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Unique storage case with built-in magnetic base doubles as a travelling toy and building surface for on-the-go fun. Contains 60 rainbow and translucent tiles. |
| Giant Magnetic Foam Mosaic Tiles | $59.99 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Oversized jumbo tiles with stunning mosaic floral designs for advanced 3D creations. Foam base makes structures lightweight. |
| Space Station Building Set | $44.99 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 100+ pieces including glow-in-the-dark tiles to inspire interstellar building adventures. Contains space themed window, door, wheel accessories for spaceship or space station designs. |
| City Builder Magnetic Set | $69.99 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Deluxe 142-piece set creates impressive metropolis skylines with specialty city-scape themed pieces including buildings, elevated roadways, trees, traffic signs and diverse vehicles. Suitable for ages 3 and up. |
“My daughters received the Best Choice City Builder Set for Christmas and have been obsessed with architecting entire busy cities complete with tall office buildings, parks and bustling roads. The adorable little cars with wheels, trees, road signs and buildings pieces make their structures so realistic. This set has provided hours and hours of screen-free fun and strengthened so many cognitive skills.” – Amy, Mom of girls ages 5 and 6
Beyond these top picks, Best Choice offers various other magnet tile sets like Princess Castles, Wild Animals, Underwater Adventures and Transportation themed allowing kids to construct scenes straight from their wildest imaginations.
Tips for Magnetic Tile Play
Follow these pro pointers when inducting kids into the magnetic tiles craze for optimal developmental upsides:
- Start Simple: Begin young kids with basic shapes in just a few colors that easily connect before advancing to trickier specialty pieces. Too many options at once overwhelm little minds.
- Demonstrate Engineering: Construct a simple sample structure yourself showing how different tiles fit together to give children a starting mental model to work from.
- Add Stories: Encourage kids to create characters, action scenes and narrate stories involving their magnetic creations. This builds elaboration skills along with structures.
- Show Physics: Point out how angles, shapes and weight distribution relate to structural integrity so kids discover engineering nuances through natural play observations.
- Reinforce Math: Count pieces, compare lengths and height. Identify shapes and patterns woven into builds bolstering geometric and spatial processing abilities.
- Avoid Directives: Resist the urge to direct exactly what or how kids should build. This restricts intrinsic creativity and problem solving. Instead empower them to take the constructivist lead.
- Embrace Imperfection: Not all kid-led designs hold together perfectly or seem structurally logical to adult eyes. But children gain critical thinking skills through trial and error so let them experiment sans judgement.
- Document Progress: Capture images of children’s first wobbly constructions all the way through increasing complexity. It builds self-esteem and lets them see their incredible building journey unfold.
Enjoy Endless Magnetic Magic
Let those creative juices flow! With Best Choice’s innovative magnetic building tiles, kids construct everything from medieval castles to futuristic space stations while picking up pivotal developmental skills. Take their STEM learning to infinite heights with magnetic building tile play. We hope this comprehensive guide offered helpful insights into this top-notch brand and product line. Happy magnetic designing!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which set is easiest for toddlers?
The Farm Friends and Build and Play Cube sets work well for the 2 to 3 age range with their chunky puzzle piece-like tiles that easily click together. Avoid tiny magnetic tiles requiring fine motor dexterity kids this age lack.
Do the sets contain small parts hazardous for babies who mouth toys?
While Best Choice magnetic building tiles themselves contain no small parts, some specialty pieces in certain sets like vehicles or trees do pose a choking risk for children under 3. Simply store those hazardous accessories out of reach until kids mature enough.
How do you clean magnetic block toys?
Mix warm water with a tiny dab of gentle soap on a soft cloth. Wipe down individual magnetic tiles to remove dirt and germs taking care not to submerge the magnets in liquid. Thoroughly dry pieces before rebuilding to prevent mold in crevices.
Which sets are compatible with other Best Choice products?
One of the best features of this exceptional magnetic building toy brand is cross-compatibility. All Best Choice collections including Princess Castle, City Builder and Space Station seamlessly interconnect with one magnetic tile shapes intermixing beautifully.
Are there any safety concerns with rare earth magnets?
While incredibly strong, Best Choice magnetic building blocks meet strict U.S. and European safety regulations so magnets safely encased within durable non-toxic plastic tiles present no safety issues. Supervision still encouraged for proper use.