Magnatiles - are they a really good toy?

[NanaStrikesAgain]

Over the past couple of years I’ve seen various things about Magnatiles. Are they as good as they sound? Do your kids play with them frequently? What ages are they best for? Is it better to get a big set of 100, I guess you can’t build much with the smaller sets?
I’m trying to work out if they’d be a good present for our granddaughter who’s almost 3.

YES get a huge set. They are the most used toy in our house. Best buy ever.

Agree well used here too very popular and lasted till the children were fairly old too.
Get the biggest set you can, you can always add to them for future presents. We had some wheels like a trailer which you could build onto a train that was a hit.

Yes! My ds played with these from toddler age until he was 9, very creative, great toy.

YES!!! still played with 4 hrs later, get a big set as you'll end up playing with them yourselves! Some alternatives on Amazon are abit cheaper and just as good though

Given that at age 42 I still make a beeline for them whenever I spot them in someone's house, I'm going to give them a glowing review.

Gutted that I Never discovered them when DD was little

We have lots of the off brand type and they get played with every day for the past 2 years. If you have kids who like building things then they're great.

They're also a good lesson in not getting upset when it all crashes down too...

If we could only keep one toy- it would be these. Get a massive set.

Great toy , ours are the amazon version which is considerably cheaper than official magnatiles . Mine have been used practically everyday for 5 years and they are on to the second child now with no breakages

Turned out to be the favourite toy for my 3y last year. I bought a small set. Still in use.

I think anything soft and plush is good for young children.

They are fabulous. My dc love them. We also got some magnetic blocks on Amazon which are also a hit. Adults always make a beeline for both the tiles and blocks too!

We have Mag Genius and they're great.
Ignore the recommendation for more soft and plush crap above. Your granddaughter will love magnatiles.

Completely agree with @Phonicshaskilledmeoff - if we could only keep one toy it would be these ☺️

First bought them for DS when he was about 2 and they have been added too most birthdays and christmases since - and he’s now 5 😂 They’re still the most used toy in our house. He uses them just to build, or to use alongside other toys - he builds tunnels for his train set with them, houses etc for whatever figurines he’s playing with, garages for his cars, builds marble runs with them.

We have some of the official Magnatiles ones and loads of the cheaper brands - they’re all compatible with each other and I doubt we could even pick out which is which! The “Sunny Auntie” brand ones that come in the carry case on Amazon would make a fab starter set - I think they come in around £35ish

Agree they are the best toy and my son has played with them every day since we got them 4 years ago (now aged 6)

As above no one needs more plush toys but you can never have too many magnet tiles. It's genuinely the one toy I can guarantee will be played with by any visiting child no matter how old and keeps DS occupied for hours! We've had them for 4 years now and they still get played with most days.

We've got loads of them - both the real magnatiles and the Amazon knock offs I think. I have a 2 year old and a nearly 5 year old and they play with them every day. They are particularly good for the 2 year old and it's something they can do together. I would say over the last 3 years they are the toy which has got the most use. My 5 year old is now massively into Lego but they still play with the magnatiles. They build all sorts of garages/zoos etc to put other toys in as well so it encourages them to play with other stuff!

100% worth it. But ours are off brand ones but just as good

They’re fantastic, I bought them for my DS when he was 4 and he still plays about with them and he’s 12 now. Good for imaginative play and fine motor skills.

I think the great thing about them is that kids can be really creative, like Lego but the difference is that it takes less time for them to build their creations so they maintain their interest.

They're brilliant! Go down well with every visiting child we have, and a fair few adults too.

I’d get decent branded ones as child is little, potentially top up with off brand later. Need to be 100% sure the magnets are safe. We have Connetix and Magnatiles and there’s little difference. Get the biggest pack you can afford, and a flat baking tray to go with it for building on. The wheel bases are great too.

As well as the baking tray idea above the metal 3 tiered wheeled trolleys are amazing for storing them.

Perfect age to get them, get the biggest set you can. You will get 5+ years use out of them.

Just be sure to get a genuine branded Magnatiles set (or Geomag etc - just soemthing that is sold in established UK shops) - don't be tempted by a cheap Temu or unbranded Amazon copy.
They won't be safety tested to our standards, and are often manufactured with dangerous chemicals and the magnets may not be secure.

One of our best and most played with toys. We have the Connetix brand. My son uses it to build castles, houses, ramps for his little cars, etc. We are quite minimal with toys so the magnet tiles do a lot of heavy lifting to function as things we don’t have. For example, he has some Paw Patrol pups and their vehicles but I refuse to buy the massive hideous towers and so on so he makes his own Paw Patrol towers with the magnet tiles which I think is a million times better.

For Christmas we’re extending the collection we have and getting the set that has the light tile. It’s a rechargeable tile with a switch that you can put into your creations to light it up.

We have Amazon ones and they are very well manufactured. We've had them 3 years, and they are used every day and trodden on, and not one breakage. They are hands down the best toy we have ever seen. My youngest started building simple towers without help at 15 months, so any age from there up will enjoy them. I actually enjoy them myself on occasion!

Another vote for if we could only keep one toy it would be these. DS is now 6 and they were his most used toy 3-6 for sure. Pinterest also has loads of cool ideas for things you can do with them.