What are the best toys in the world? That’s kind of like asking which child is your favorite, but the toys I’m blogging about today are amazing! They are my top recommendation when anyone ask what they should get their child for a birthday or Christmas. I love these toys because they are open ended, versatile, good for kids of all ages, and most importantly – FUN!  What are these magical toys you ask?

Magna-Tiles!

These toys will keep your children engaged for hours at a time. The possibilities for play with these are endless! We keep these out all the time and they are played with all day, every day.

Magna-Tiles can be simple:

Or complex:

Magna-Tiles are great for cooperative play:

Or they can keep a single child completely engaged:

Magna-Tiles allow children to create interesting structures:

And then change them, evolve them into more complex creations:

Magna-Tiles are perfect for exploring science and math concepts such as magnetism, symmetry, balance, stability, color sorting, and light:

Magna-Tiles can be the main event or support other types of play:

Building with Blocks

Animal Habitats

Magna-Tiles are great for all ages!  My sister, who blogs over at CuddleBum, got a small set for her toddler at Christmas and he loves them!

I don’t have a single age of child that doesn’t love these toys. The really cool thing with these toys is that their play can grow and evolve with them.

In 2014 we were awarded the Select 25 Award from SelectHealth. With some of the grant funds we received from that award we expanded our magnetic toy collection and purchased Magformers!

Magformers are Magna-Tiles slightly more complex cousins and I highly recommend them as well!

FAQs 

Which should I buy: Magna-Tiles or Magformers?

We initially purchased the Magna-Tiles. They are a great toys right out of the box and any age children will love them! If you are buying them for younger children I would start with the magnatiles. I would also start with these for a child care program first if you don’t have either one.

The Magformers add a different dimension to the play.  They are a little more elaborate.  They don’t’ fit together in the same ways at the Magna-Tiles and there is a larger variety of shapes and structures you can construct. I find the children enjoy these most if they have been playing with the Magna-Tiles a lot and are ready for more complexity. Initially my elementary school age kids enjoyed these the most.

How many do I need?

The answer to this question really depends on your situation and your budget :). At a minimum I would recommend buying a set of at least 60 Magna-Tiles, even if you only have one child. They will use all the pieces they have available! With very young children you can buy smaller sets.  My sister initially bought a 32 piece set and her son still loves them! They are considering expanding their collection for his second birthday.

When I initially bought them for the learning tree I believe I started with a set of 100-200. While they enjoyed them it was not quite enough so we quickly purchased more.

Most magformers are sold in sets ranging from 22-75 pieces. My advice here is the more pieces you have the more open ended they are.  Some of the smaller sets are fun, but the smaller number of pieces really limits the types of structures and building the kids can engage in.

As you can see from the pics we have a LOT of Magna-Tiles and magformers. I have a set of 400 Magna-Tiles and 544 Magformers (combination of 2 large building sets). In my setting at the child care I feel like I never have enough!

Aren’t they really expensive?

Magna-Tiles and magformers are both an investment, but one that is well worth it. These toys are constantly being played with so the “price per play” is almost nothing. And they last through a lot of abuse (because the best part of making a tall tower is knocking it over!) Over the past 4-5 years that we have had the Magna-Tiles we have had maybe 4-5 that have broken and needed to be thrown away. Over the 3 years since we’ve purchased the magformers we haven’t had a single piece break.

Keep in mind, the larger sets are more economical.  You will less per piece if you buy larger sets.  And since you can never have enough I would start big if you can 🙂

And besides that I know many parents that drop several hundred dollars at a time on video gaming systems that will be obsolete in a few short years.  When you consider the value of the play and everything children can learn from these toys, they are a great value!

Where can I get them?

The best places to purchase your Magna-Tiles and Magformers are:

• Kaplan Early Learning Company. This is my favorite early childhood vendor hands down!  They have fair prices, good coupons, great customer service, and beautiful toys and equipment. I always check this company first when I need something.
  • Currently their Magna-Tiles 100 piece clear color set is $126.95.  They currently have a coupon for 20% off one item (BUZZ20). With shipping to my house the total comes to $116.79 (plus tax) slightly below Amazon’s price of $119.99 (plus tax)..
  • They also have a Table Top Light Box that you could get 20% off of if you decide to purchase your Magna-Tiles elsewhere.
• Zulily currently has Magformers and other magnetic toys on sale (event ends April 10, 2017).  They don’t have them all the time, but they do come around on a regular basis so if you miss the sale, just keep an eye out!  This is where we got ours the first time.  Zulily has great customer service and I’ve got several staple toys and materials I used daily from this company.
• I always double check Amazon’s prices before I place a final order.  Their prices fluctuate, so often their prices dip below other vendors.
  • This 112 piece set of Magformers is priced at $122.35.  It has a good variety of basic pieces and some fun extras like the wheels.
  • If you want to go big – this 300 piece set of Magformers is on sale for $220.81 and would be a great gift or addition to any classroom!
  • If you want to test out the waters Amazon is the best place to get smaller sets.  They also have several generic brands of the toys that are less expensive.  Up to this point I have not purchased any generic brands so I can’t vouch for their quality and durability, however they might be worth a shot!

Let me know if you love these toys as much as I do!  Happy Playing!

*This post contains affiliate links.  Not all links to products are affiliates.