Do you know anyone who doesn’t like magnets? I’ll give you a minute. . . yeah, me neither ;P Magnets are one of those few toys (like Legos) that I believe everyone enjoys.
A couple of years ago, I had been eyeing a style of building magnets for my kids for months. A mom I follow on Instagram raved about them regularly and being a simple, basic toy lover I knew I wanted them to be a staple in our home.
I ended up catching them on sale and snagged a couple of sets. They were the biggest hit Christmas morning and my family (Dad, too!) literally spent hours playing with them. I can truthfully say they’ve been played with almost every day since, and that was two years ago!
Believe it or not, there are actually lots of practical benefits to playing with magnets. Active, hands on learning while playing is so important, and here are few things your child will develop while playing with magnetic toys.
Fine Motor Skills and Hand Eye Coordination
As your child puts pieces of magnetic toys on various surfaces they are learning about spatial awareness. They are developing hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills in their hands and fingers.
Language
TALK to your child while you’re playing to develop language skills. What color piece are they holding? What is the shape? Is it bigger or smaller than that piece next to it? Talk about the process and the words will become a learning experience. If you want to invest in some letter magnets, you can also spell words.
Problem Solving
I cannot tell you how many “problems” I’ve seen my kids work through while building with magnets (especially those towers). When a child is given a task to solve, they will learn from cause and effect. Maybe a piece is too heavy, their tower is too tall, or they have the wrong color for the design they are making. All these little struggles facilitate learning!
Creative Skills
I have seen my kids create some of the coolest things from their magnets. My second child never creates the same thing twice and her imagination is astounding.
Want some new ways to play with your magnets?
- Experiments: What’s heavier-the magnet or the feather? Which one sinks? Which one can hold a paperclip? Easy but effective learning moments go a long way.
- Magnet Hunt: Place some magnets around your house (or even one room) and give your child a basket to go and collect them all. This is a great way to play hide-and-seek since you can put the magnets in places your child might not normally think of!
- Sorting: Group them by color, by shape, or whatever you want. This is a great activity for young toddlers!
- Maths Lessons: Let your child use them to help with counting.
- Patterns: Make a pattern with the magnets and get your child to copy it.
Okay, now you’re ready to get your own sets, so where can you grab your magnets?
Keep an eye out in the kid’s toy section at the store, but I’d also recommend Amazon if you’re looking for a specific kind.
You can find the ones my family have HERE.
