Updated: 27th December 2023.
Magnet toys have become increasingly popular in recent years. But why is that?
As we try to tackle (or even avoid) the lures of technology, more and more of us are searching for new toys for our children that offer both plenty of fun and educational value. Magnetic toys do that in abundance.
Over the course of this guide, we'll explain why magnet toys make such great toys for kids and suggest some of our favourites for different age groups.
Table Of Contents
Our top three magnet toys
Benefits of playing with magnetic toys
We know that magnetic toys are considered to be among the best toys for education and development. And the great news is that there are clear benefits regardless of whether your child is four or 14.
Let's take a look at what make the magnetic toy so appealing.
Magnetic toys promote a whole range of cognitive skills. At younger children will learn the basic physics of magnetism, and cause-and-affect. As they get older, they will engage in things like critical thinking, logical reasoning, problem solving, and develop an understanding of spatial relationships.
The ideas are scalable depending on age, too. A younger child might imagine building a 2D house, flat on the floor. But as they get older and start to understand structures, toddlers might be able to progress to a 3D house. Older children might be able to build larger-scale and more complicated houses as they learn more complicated engineering concepts. In fact, schools are increasingly using magnetic tiles and blocks to help demonstrate different scientific concepts to students.
The development of fine motor skills is particularly prevalent in toddlers who play with magnetic toys. Their little hands learn to grasp the pieces which improves their hand eye coordination and muscle development in the hands and fingers.
Although most magnetic building sets will offer a few different build suggestions, they certainly encourage imaginative play. Because most modern magnetic building blocks and tiles come in all manner of different shapes and size, they encourage kids to come up with their own endless creations.
We all know that building blocks can be very collaborative toys. And magnetic building toys are no different. Toddlers will often play and build with you or other adults. As they get older, it might be two friends teaming up to building the tallest tower they can. Or, perhaps it's a group of teenagers in school working together to understand how they can build a structure strong enough to support a certain weight.
While it may not be a developmental benefit for your child, the cost of magnet toys is certainly a benefit for parents.
So many parents are feeling the pinch on their finances and are struggling to balance the money with the desire to help and support their child's development. When you compare a magnetic toy to something like LEGO, there's a huge cost saving. Don't get us wrong, we love LEGO but there's a big difference in price.
Different types of magnetic toys
Although magnetic tiles and magnetic building blocks may immediately spring to mind, there are definitely other types of magnet toys available.
You may well remember playing with a small wooden train sets when you were a child yourself, with each carriage held together by a small magnet. Or there's the classic fishing game where players try to gain as many points as possible by picking up magnetic fish using a magnetic fishing rod.
Magnetic jigsaw puzzles are becoming more and more popular, and there are a range of magnetic 'drag-and-drop' puzzles, too. And who could forget the classic magnetic letters that have adorned so many fridges over the years?
The 10 best magnetic toys for kids
Editor's Review
“I don't usually ever do reviews unless I hate the product.. but this one we LOVE. My 2.5 year old loves it and my 4.5 year olds loves it. In the last three weeks, I have ordered a total of four packs because they are so fun and you can build so many different things."
This Magna Tiles-style set from Coodoo offers 40 magnetic tiles in five different colours and six different shapes. Our pick as the 'best overall magnetic toy' and an Amazon's Choice product, it's one of the best magnetic toys available. The larger magnets used in the tiles makes building easier while the 'cross fixation' of the magnetic tiles creates a stronger bond to make sure your child's creations stay together (without making them difficult to pull apart).
Please note, this 40 piece set will not be enough to make the scene depicted in the main product image.
Magnetic toy type: Magnetic building blocks
Best for: 3-10 year olds
Key features
- 'Cross fixation' makes the magnetic tiles stronger
- Larger magnets
- Six different shapes
PROS
CONS
Editor's Review
“All Melissa and Doug products are high quality. This one is too."
This is one of the magnetic toys that almost feels like it's become a staple purchase for a toddler, and is our pick as the 'best magnetic toy for toddlers'. The Magnetic Wand Number Maze from the much-loved Melissa and Doug will see your child able to use the wand to drag a load of 'red apples' around the farm to different animals. At the earlier age, your toddler will just loving moving them around but as they get older, they'll be able work on their numeracy skills by putting the correct number of apples in each animal's basket.
Magnetic toy type: Magnetic 'drag and drop'
Best for: 2-5 year olds
Key features
- 55 red apples to move around
- Wand attached to the board by a string
- Smooth wooden finish and rounded edges
PROS
CONS
Editor's Review
“This kit was a lot of fun. It's great being able to see what you can make happen when given a bunch of pieces and free reign to see what you can make happen with that."
We've all seen those videos of extravagantly long marble runs on social media. Now, National Geographic is giving your tween or teen the chance to build their own. This set uses magnets to stick to magnetic surfaces like a refrigerator or filing cabinet. The 150 piece set includes a spiral lift, more than 30 trick pieces and over 70 tracks and connecting magnetic pieces, and 30 marbles.
Although there are detailed instructions on how each trick piece works, the build itself is totally up to your child, resulting in endless possibilities.
Magnetic toy type: Magnetic marble run
Best for: 10 years and over
Key features
- 150 pieces
- Works on refrigerators, filing cabinets, dish washers, whiteboards and any other magnetic surface
- Limitless configurations
PROS
CONS
Editor's Review
“Fun and creative toy. It did take some time for the kids to learn how to use it. It's definitely worth it. It allow them to create their own image and follow the post cards to make the recommended pictures."
This 12" magnetic drawing board from KWYZ allows young children create different images by using a magnetic pen to drag brightly coloured beads into individual slots. There are 20 designs included for you child to follow using the handy card insert slot, or you can sit back while your child creates something from their imagination.
Magnetic toy type: Magnetic 'drag and drop'
Best for: 3-6 year olds
Key features
20 picture cards to follow
Card insert slot
Encourages patience and focus
PROS
CONS
Editor's Review
“These look a lot like the Minecraft game and we bought some of the Minecraft figures, so it's really fun to recreate the world outside of the video game! They're magnetic and cling together as they should. The design is pretty and looks like these will hold up to use really well."
This 100 piece magnetic building blocks set from Toyology is clearly inspired by the phenomenon that is Minecraft, even if it just can't say so. It contains a collection of rubble, brick wall, wood, tree, flower, water, ground and window pieces that are printed with a slightly textured vinyl. There's a handy storage bag included as well as an idea booklet, although any Minecraft fan will probably love creating their own scenes.
*Please note, this 100 piece set is not enough to create the scene depicted on the box and main product image. These have been created using multiple sets.
Magnetic toy type: Magnetic building blocks
Best for: 5-10
Key features
- 100 pieces
- Minecraft-inspired set
- Compatible with other Toyology magnetic toys
PROS
CONS
From the much-loved science-based play company, Kidzlabs, this anti gravity kit uses magnets for seven different scientific experiments, from floating spinners to an anti gravity sculpture. There's no 'one and done' with this kit, so each of the experiments can be done over and over again, really sparking a curiosity and excitement around science in a fun way.
Magnetic toy type: Magnetic science experiment
Best for: 8-15 year olds
Key features
- Seven magnetic experiments
PROS
CONS
Editor's Review
“I have a 2.5 year old and a 9 month old. They both love playing with these. They aren't small enough for my 9 month old to choke on and fun enough to stack and build things with. Like other reviews, we did purchase two sets which was enough for both of them to play and make things with."
The Cross-Country Sport Plus is Jeep’s attempt at bringing their off-road expertise to the world of infant strollers. At the budget end of the market, costing £160 ($200), it offers decent performance on all terrains despite the lack of suspension system. It comes with car seat adapters, a detachable changing bag, and fabric parent tray as standard - perhaps making it more suited to everyday use with occasional use for jogging.
Magnetic toy type: Magnetic blocks
Best for: 2-5 years old
Key features
- 48 pieces
- Washable magnetic pieces
- Seven colours
PROS
CONS
Editor's Review
“This is a very cute set - we are big Bluey fans! There are a lot of magnets, more than I was expecting based on other magnet paysets we have seen. There are lots of options as far as dressing the characters up and setting up scenes."
Unless you've been living under a rock the past few years, you'll know that Bluey is THE big thing in young kids' TV and toys. This magnetic playset features 75 different pieces including the main characters and a whole host of accessories. The storage tin opens up to reveal two parts of Bluey and Bingo's play room, leaving your child to create their own Bluey stories with the magnets.
Magnetic toy type: Magnetic playset
Best for: 3-6 year olds
Key features
- 75 pieces
- Two play scenes
- Magnetic surface doubles as storage tin
PROS
CONS
This magnetic fishing game from Goody King is a great choice for having some family fun or when entertaining a group of children. The large set comes with enough fishing rods and nets for four players, with 35 small fish and five larger fish to catch. Whoever catches the most is the winner! Simply put them in a container filled with water and start playing.
Please note, this does not include a container.
Magnetic toy type: Magnetic fishing game
Best for: 3-10 year olds
Key features
- 4 players
- 40 fish included (35 small fish, 5 large fish)
- Expandable fishing poles
PROS
CONS
Editor's Review
“This is so nice to keep the puzzle pieces together since it is magnetic. My son loves Paw Patrol and this was a great activity in the car and just at home!"
Every parent has felt the frustration of having a huge, bulky box for a tiny little puzzle, and then losing pieces the moment your kid throws open the box. Enter the magnetic puzzle! Opened out like a put, this double-sided magnetic board features two 15-piece Paw Patrol puzzles with additional activities based on finding different items around the puzzle scene.
Magnetic toy type: Magnetic puzzle
Best for: 3-6 years olds
Key features
- Double-sided
- 15 pieces per puzzle
- Book style
PROS
CONS
History of magnetic toys
Magnetic toys are nothing new, of course. We're not telling you about some innovative, new-fangled type of toy. They've have been around for decades but have gone through a number of different evolutions since.
The first magnetic building toy was released in the 1980s, consisting of short rods that were connected by small iron balls that could be used to create all manner of different shapes. However, because of the choking hazard associated with such small pieces, this type of magnetic toy was banned by the US in 2008.
In 2006, the brand Magformers brought to market a new concept of magnetic building toys, introducing magnetic tiles which placed the magnets themselves securely inside plastic shapes (usually triangles and squares) that we large enough to reduce the risk of choking.
In 2015, the concept of the magnetic tiles went through another evolution thanks to a brand called Dailymagic. It took the idea of magnetic tiles and expanded it. Not only were the shapes larger, allowing for larger scale builds, there were more shapes to use as well. And they used more and smaller magnets, meaning a more even distribution of the magnetic forces which makes them easier to play with. However, the brand Magna Tiles is perhaps now best known for this type of magnet toy.
FAQs
Which ages are magnetic toys suitable for?
Magnetic toys are brilliant for children of all ages, offering a range of different benefits. For older babies and toddlers, they help to develop fine motor skills and the basic understanding of things like cause-and-effect. Older children will benefit from more complicated understandings of physics and engineering as they play with much more complicated structures.
Why do kids love magnet toys?
Quite simply because they're so unique compared to other toys. How many other toys will pull different pieces together on their own? Magnet toys spark a curiosity that doesn't happen with other types of toys.
What are rare earth magnets?
Rare earth magnets are small ball-shaped magnets made from the alloys of rare earth elements. They are incredibly strong, capable of lifting or holding thousands of times their own weight.
These types of magnets, also known as neodymium magnets, were used in original magnetic toys in the 1980s but were banned because they are so easily swallowed. They are considered dangerous, not only because of how easy it is to swallow them, but because their strength could cause damage inside the body.
