12 Best Magnetic Toys for Kids' Learning and Development

Magna-Tiles, invented more than 25 years ago, are the original magnetic-tile toy and still our favorite brand. They're a staple of the modern toy box, a fun way for kids to build projects out of their imagination.

This toy castle won one of our most recent Best Toy Awards. "My 4-year-old loves this set and has built her own castle multiple times since we opened the box," one parent said. "The dragon and royal figure were a big hit." A 9-year-old loved it too, with her parent reporting, "The box required you to build a castle but she got creative and built different shapes of her own. This toy kept her busy for awhile."

LaScala agrees with home testers. "My 9-year-old kept finding new and interesting ways to play with them as she grew older," she shares. Ages 3+

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It's fun for kids to create and then keep changing a farm scene. This works like a sticker book but thanks to magnetic pieces, it's endlessly reusable.

There are two double-sided magnetic backgrounds giving kids four scene choices all together, and more than a hundred magnets of people, animals, plants for the farm and more that can be placed on and moved around. It all stores in a magnetic tin to hold everything together.

Your child can create a story out of their imagination using the pieces. As your child creates a scenario, use it as an opportunity to have them tell you what's going on in their picture and practice their vocabulary.

Haba also has a set of funny Magnetic Faces for kids to play with for a couple of dollars more. Ages 3+

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Swiss brand Geomag makes its magnetic blocks out of recycled plastic. Magicubes are inch-and-a-half square chunks, or triangles half that size, which can attach to each other from any side.

The box combines magnetized cubes and triangles plus two little wheels for more play patterns. We find them to be high-quality magnets that really grip, and our tester kids had fun building with the blocks.

As safety experts, we like that these are appropriate for young kids, from baby to kindergarten age. Just note that Magicubes would likely be a little boring for school-age kids ready to build taller structures. Ages 1-5

Another winner from our most recent Best Toy Awards, Blockaroo is unique in that the magnetic foam blocks are lightweight and can spin or rotate even after you click them together. Plus they can go in the bath!

This trunk comes with 50 pieces, including shapes like half-circles and cones that allow for some really cool, imaginative structures. But it is hard to build a standard house shape with these, and easier to construct things like a creature or a vehicle.

Our testers loved them, with one parent saying, “There are endless possibilities." Another said, “My kids love mixing the different shapes into robots and bridges, then adding their own toy cars — it’s been so fun. I love how creative they've gotten with it, and that they play with it together."

You can also shop for a larger 100-piece set or for smaller sets, like this 13-piece roadster. Ages 3-6

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Watch your kid's face light up when they realize turning just one gear will set every single gear it is connected to spinning. Try these magnetized pieces on a cookie sheet or on the front of the fridge for a colorful mechanics lesson. "This is one of those toys that is so pretty, you don't mind looking at it," one tester parent said. "Also, it's kid-powered. Your child spins it, and there are no batteries required."

The set comes with 11 small and 11 large gears. The play is open-ended; your child can invent any path they want for the gears, and use as few as two or as many as all of them.

We're continually impressed by how long a child can tinker with these; the gears can hold their interest for 10 to 20 minutes straight, a long time to a little one! Ages 3-8

Elementary-school kids learning science are ready for this STEM set with 10 experiment suggestions so kids can see magnetism at work in different and fun ways. They can build a fishing rod, for instance, chase around a magnetic ball by using opposite magnetic force or vacuum up small magnetics to witness magnetic attraction.

This set comes with 39 pieces and kids can free-play with them as well, learning and observing on their own time. Online reviewers say that the magnets can work with some small household objects, too, including some paper clips. If there's a kid under 3 in the house, be sure to keep the small pieces away as small magnets are particularly dangerous if ingested. Ages 5+

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Chunky but smooth wooden pieces make Tegu a standout option for toddlers. Each solid wood piece is stained with a non-toxic, water-based finish. This starter set comes tucked in its own felt pouch. Keep it in your bag to amuse and distract your little one on outings.

Tester families say this set buys them some peace when they take their toddler or preschooler to a restaurant or on a plane, or when they're stuck waiting anywhere. Just showing your child how one block attracts another is fun and can elicit giggles, and knocking them together makes a satisfying sound.

Later, when the child grows, these can be incorporated into larger Tegu sets like the Stunt Car or the Sticky Monsters, which online reviewers say can even be a fun desk toy for adults. Ages 1+

As your kid grows they'll be ready to build giant structures, and this large set — both in terms of number of pieces, and the size of the pieces — provides that opportunity. Plus marble runs are always popular, and this magnetic ball run works with six large wooden balls for that same, thrilling play pattern (but no tiny marbles to lose!).

Kids can connect tubes and stair pieces to the tile blocks and then see how a ball rolls down the course. There are 92 pieces in all. It's not a small toy, so you will want to clear some space on the floor for the Rainbow Ball Run.

The brand's pricier, 120-piece building set won one of our previous Best Toys Awards. (From a kid tester: "I can build towers as tall as I am!”) In online reviews, some parents confess to using Connetix to build their own art projects when the kids go to bed. Ages 3+

It's the new way to do the old paper dolls: These wooden figurines have magnetic clothes and accessories that easily stay on until your kid is ready to change the figures' outfits again.

Snow White and Sleeping Beauty can try on different tiaras, skirts and tops plus they can carry accessories like a purse or a flower basket. There are little critters, too, that can attach themselves to the princesses. Use the set to keep your kid busy for a stretch, or bring it out for a playdate since there are two dolls.

Other sets in the series include Occupation Dolls (dress two characters as a doctor, astronaut, etc. — it comes with a couple of pets, too) and Abby and Emma, two regular girls who have dresses, pants and several pairs of shoes to try on. Ages 3+

You can take this set of two puzzles on the road. Magnetized pieces hold easily to the workboard and stay joined together while a kid works to create two different pictures.

The workboard is a small magnetic portfolio that opens like a book, and your child can build one puzzle on each side of the open portfolio. They're on the small side — six and a half inches square, so a little smaller than a regular sheet of paper — which makes it easy for your child to work on their lap or at a table without you needing to clear a lot of space.

Each puzzle has 20 pieces, which is a challenge for a 4-year-old but might feel too easy once your child is older than 6. Still, they're a great introduction to "real" puzzles. Ages 4+

When your preschooler places any of the 26 alphabet magnets into the bus window, the toy names the letter and teaches its sound ("the B says "bah" and so on). The catchy tune used is the same as "Farmer in the Dell" and helps kids connect the sound of each letter to its character.

"This was an absolute favorite for my kids and for me, since they could play with it while I made breakfast or dinner," says one of our Lab pros who is a parent. "It works on the fridge, but you can also sit the bus on the table along with the magnets and kids can play there."

There are two levels of sound for volume control. On Amazon, this toy has more than 18,000 five-star reviews, a reflection of both how long this Leapfrog toy been around (almost a generation now!) and how engaging the toy is.

Leapfrog's LeapPad tablet earned a spot as one of our top tablets for kids, a testament to how this brand might help your kids grasp educational skills. Ages 2-5

This combines magnetic-tile building with everyone's favorite Australian dog family, the Heelers. Kids can act out scenarios from the Bluey cartoon with the four family members: Bluey, sister Bingo, mom Chilli and dad Bandit.

The figures can stick on the swing or sit in the car thanks to magnets. Online reviewers report kids being proud that they can build a home on their own with little help from parents, and the grown-ups appreciate that the tiles are compatible with others brands such as Magna-Tiles.

While this is great for building, if what your child really wants is a Bluey dollhouse with lots of furniture and accessories, you might check out the Bluey Home instead. There's just no magnet fun with that one. Ages 3-5

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