Are you looking to see what exactly are the educational benefits of magnetic tiles and are they really worth it?
They don’t come cheap and there’s a possibility that your child won’t even play with them!
That’s not actually an issue, as I actually experienced that with my kid.
More on that later.
Let’s get on first with the many educational benefits of playing with magnetic tiles.
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List of Contents
12 Educational Benefits of Magnetic Tiles
Enhances Creativity and Imagination
Doing various magnetic tiles activities with little to no instructions or guides can develop your kids’ sense of ingenuity, sparking new and exciting ideas.
It provides your child the opportunity to understand and process the things they’ve learned from their environment – books, and people. And translate that into a magnetic tile creation – road, tower, house, dinosaur, and more!
Develops Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking Skills
Playing with magnetic tiles also develops problem-solving skills and enhances critical thinking skills!
Imagine the effort and brainpower it takes for a toddler or young child to figure out how the pieces fit together, how to balance them, how to create a stable structure, how to make a tower taller, etc.
So your little one’s brain is hardcore learning critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
And this could benefit them well throughout their lives.
Improves Spatial Awareness and Math Skills
I was surprised when I first learned about this because I never really connected tiles or any toys for that matter, with improving math skills.
Until I realized, when my kid builds different shapes and structures, she is actually developing an understanding of geometry and spatial relationships.
She is also learning about basic math concepts like symmetry, patterns, and measurement!
These foundational skills will benefit your kid when they get older and are ready for primary school.
Fosters Collaborative Learning
Magnetic tiles also foster collaborative learning.
Playing magnetic tile activities with other kids also fosters collaborative learning.
Kids will start to learn how to share ideas, communicate them effectively, plan, design, and work together towards a common goal.
This learning process will help children enhance their social skills and how to work well in a team, skills that are important when they grow up and work for a company or have their own businesses.
Promotes STEM Education
STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math.
All of these 4 key subjects emphasize critical thinking, problem-solving, and innovative skills.
Toys that support these principles and relate to the 4 key subjects help to encourage your child to become curious, learn how to solve problems, think creatively, and work effectively in a team.
And playing with magnetic tiles provides that opportunity and more.
Through the tiles, kids are exposed early to STEM concepts and are learning:
- basic properties of magnetism and how they work
- how to balance the tiles and create a tall, stable tower
- experimenting with a steep car ramp
- what happens when a tower doesn’t have a stable foundation
and more!
Enhances Hand-Eye Coordination
Hand-eye coordination is an extremely important skill used for everyday tasks such as buttoning up a shirt, pouring water into a bottle, eating with utensils, and such.
It’s also important for writing, reading, doing sports, etc.
And your child can enhance theirs by just playing with magnetic tiles!
One needs to simultaneously use their hands and eyes to pick up, grasp and build towers and structures from magnetic tiles.
And all of that in turn can develop your kid’s hand-eye coordination.
Develops Fine Motor Skills
Connecting magnetic tiles and building various structures and shapes out of them will naturally develop your child’s fine and gross motor skills.
An example of enhancing your kid’s fine motor skills is when they use their hands and fingers to delicately construct a simple shape or an elaborate magnetic tile tower.
Gross motor skills, on the other hand, are developed when they need to make large body movements such as stepping over or going around their magnetic tile structure
Or interacting with it by jumping over it, having a toy car or ball run on the tiles, and such.
Develops Color and Shape Recognition
Magnetic tiles can also tremendously help with color and shape recognition, especially when you’re just teaching it to a toddler.
Its bright colors and various shapes and sizes will entice and engage your little one to learn better and faster.
Fosters Literacy Skills
Magnetic tiles are also a great way to teach kids the alphabet, phonics, and reading.
You can get a whiteboard marker and write a letter on several magnetic tiles, arrange them alphabetically, or lay them out to form a word and kick off things from there!
That’s what I actually did to teach kids how to spell and read. 🙂
Teaches Magnetic Principles
Your child will also learn the basic principles of magnetism when playing with magnetic tiles.
They will explore that with other materials and will wonder why the tiles stick together and what other objects the magnetic tiles stick to.
Teaches Patience and Concentration
It requires a good amount of careful planning and placement to stack tiles together to create a tall tower or any elaborate magnetic tile structure.
And that requires a lot of patience and concentration, which your child can get from playing with magnetic tiles.
Boosts Their Confidence
Kids can feel a sense of achievement and accomplishment when they have finished a magnetic tile creation and that can improve their confidence.
Tips for Using Magnetic Tiles
- Supervise younger kids
Especially toddlers. They wouldn’t know yet how to play and care for the magnetic tiles so you always have to keep an eye on them.
Especially if they’re starting to throw tiles on the ground and break them.
Guide them consistently on how to use and care for their magnetic tiles.
- Get a container
Get a dedicated magnetic tile container to keep them safe from toddlers, for them to last longer, and for your kids to learn how to responsibly clean them up.
Check out tons of ideas here on how to store magnetic tiles.
- Clean them properly
Don’t put them in the washing machine or dishwasher.
Don’t also submerge them underwater.
The simplest way to clean magnetic tiles is just to wipe them with a damp cloth.
Check out more tips here on how to clean magnetic tiles – remove permanent markets, what to do when they wet, and more.
FAQ on Benefits of Playing With Magnetic Tiles
What do children learn from magnetic tiles?
Children can learn a lot from playing with magnetic tiles, such as developing their problem-solving and critical thinking skills, improving their fine and gross motor skills, fostering math and literacy skills, being exposed to STEM learning, and more.
Are magnetic tiles educational?
Yes, magnetic tiles are educational as they provide opportunities for your kid to play and learn the basic principles of various subjects such as geometry, spatial awareness, color recognition, magnetism, and more.
Educational Benefits of Magnetic Tiles: Wrapping Up
I remember buying magnetic tiles for my kid when she was only 2.5 years old.
At first, she didn’t know what to do with it.
So I kept coaxing and encouraging her to play by creating “invitations to play.”
I kept the tiles for some time as I realized she wasn’t interested in them (yet) then took them out after a few months.
And she has been playing (and learning) from it non-stop.
I also used it to teach her the alphabet, numbers, phonics, and more.l
She’s turning 6 in a few months’ time and she still plays with it!
It’s been a worthwhile investment and I’m so grateful for the many educational benefits of magnetic tiles. And I’m so glad I got her the whole, big set.
So if you’re on the fence about buying magnetic tiles for your kid because they’re expensive (especially the bigger sets and expansion packs), here’s your sign to get it!
It’s so worth it!
