![]() What can I do with it? Will it stack? Will it balance? Can I line it up with other blocks? They enable you to create shape nets and really understand how a 2-D shape folds up to make its 3-D equivalent. That’s incredibly liberating because it frees you to buy a present that is fun and different, even if it’s not optimal, educationally.ĭo you remember polydrons from school? They are magnatiles without the magnets and, I suspect, the reason magnetic tiles were invented in the first place: brilliant fun but hard for small hands to snap together.īut because the connection is stiff, your constructions won’t collapse. OK, so I know we’re talking Christmas presents, but I hope to show you that you can get most of the learning from cheaper materials and things you already have lying around the home. There’s some good thinking going on here. ![]() Here is an interesting way to make a cube:Īnd here’s how you create a bridge pier, ready to span a large gap using only short planks.Īnd how do you create a building with only thin planks? And small windows when all the pieces are long? The various pieces introduce them to the creative possibilities.īut for deeper, more engaging play, a preschooler needs a greater challenge. For a toddler, a set of blocks with bridges and arches, steps and ramps is perfect. Of course, much of this depends on the age of your child. ![]() If your set contains long blocks, you will never have to work out how to span a large gap with smaller pieces. If your set contains arches, you will never have to work out how to make a bridge. An unlimited supply of every conceivable shape removes the challenge. If you want to extend your child’s thinking, impose constraints. A review of magnetic tiles that doesn’t recommend magnetic tiles… Use your judgement, and don’t take risks. And even if your child is older, things you find on the web aren’t always suitable for play. I doubt whether acrylic squares would pass a safety test for the under 3s for all kinds of reasons. If you start going freestyle, buying fun materials that weren’t designed as toys, think carefully about safety. You can also hold them up with bulldog clips or plasticine.Ī word of warning. With a bit of research, you might find sheets that fit into the Smart Lines bases, giving you beautiful coloured screens. I wonder what your child could make with a set of these? Prop them up between blocks to make windows and doors. You’ll have to imagine that these are Magnatiles, but you get the point:Ī quick Google search for ‘coloured acrylic sheets’ throws up some beautiful pieces, for just a few pennies each. I don’t have a photo to show this with magnetic tiles, but one of the delights of plastic tiles is the colour they throw across the room when placed near a light source, whether that’s a torch or a window. ![]() Writing a ‘p’ or ‘d’ becomes much easier when you have encountered the idea of joining shapes in your play. See also, how those rectangular enclosures connect to lines, making letter-like forms. Do you see how you can ‘discover’ squares and rectangles, simply by laying out roads and bringing them back to the start? The rules are immutable: parallel sides of equal length. You simply can’t get enough to make a usably large small world scene.īy contrast, look at the creative possibilities afforded by a big box of blocks. But as we’ve seen, magnetic tiles are expensive. Flat magnetic tiles offer some of the same two-dimensional possibilities: roads, roofs and ramps. What’s interesting about your question is that you’ve noticed that the two toys are equivalent in some way. Try getting creative and you discover that your irregular shapes won’t connect without leaving an unsightly gap. After a while, all your constructions look identical: a house or tower with exactly the same pointy roof. You can only ever create regular 3-D shapes. You make all kinds of discoveries: a cube with a missing side makes a box a cube with both ends missing is no longer stable and can be squashed to make a diamond.īut this simplicity is also a drawback. You won’t ever create a pyramid by accident.Īnd because the shapes are constructed in such a regular way, it’s obvious which pieces are missing. If you have six squares, you can’t fail to make a cube. The materials are didactic, that is they teach. The basic premise is a compelling one – to rapidly construct geometric shapes in a foolproof way. We tried Magnatiles when the children were very young and we have been given a variety of other brands for various birthdays along the way. Over the years, we have had many different magnetic tiles in the 100 Toys house.
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