Magformers Designer 62-Piece Set - Magnetic Tiles Building Blocks, Educational Kit, STEM Toy Set - Magnetic Building Tiles for Kids to Develop Problem-Solving Abilities and Shape Recognition

My previous favorite toy was Magna-Tiles Clear Colors 100 Piece Set. I bought them when my oldest grandson was 3. He just turned 6. They have entertained him, and his cousins for hours and hours in the short time we have had them. I love seeing how creative in their constructions they can be.The Magformers Wow Set was a Lightning Deal and I thought it might be a good addition since it had some wheels and can make cars/trucks/trains. etc. After I ordered it, I decided 16 pieces would not be enough, so I also ordered this 62 piece set. They both arrived today while the 6 year old was here. We had the best time with them. They can do things the Magnatiles cannot do. I am most impressed with the instructions on how to lay the pieces out flat and then lift by one of the center pieces, pulling it into a 3-D figure. You can't do that with the Magnatiles since they are solid and have no opening in the center to pick them up. I am a retired geometry teacher, so to be able to have children translate what they want their 3-D figure to look like when finished into the 2-D model is HUGE. I don't expect my 6 year old grandson to be able to do this for awhile, but he can make the pattern the picture shows and see how it will pull into the 3-D figure. I want toys he can grow with and this is definitely one of those. I have 7 grandchildren, so I expect these will be a favorite toy to play with at grandma's house. I ordered another set this afternoon because I saw that there are sets with pentagons and we didn't have any in the sets I already purchased. Yes, these are an investment, but I expect they will be a favorite for many, many years. Possibly even longer than Legos, since we really haven't gotten into those yet.

I love the Magformers! I have four children and they all find creative ways to use them. The magnetic pieces are durable and easy to store when they are not playing with them. My two year old girl is learning colors and shapes with them, as they also help with her hand coordination as well. My four year old boy is learning architectural design in his creative play. Then, my seven year old creates all kinds of neat structures to use for her dolls and animals to use as houses or barns. My teenager and myself even enjoy coming up with new things to build. It is relaxing to sit down with my kids and share in the fun. The shapes have the magnets contained inside them, which makes them safe. They are also stronger than other brands that can not build as substantial of a structure as these can. The possibilities are endless! I only wish each box came with more pieces. You have to buy several sets to get all the shapes and colors. Special sizes or rare shapes found only in the designer sets have very few pieces included in the sets, which limits the use of them without buying many sets to get the numbers up to where they are more useful in design. But I highly recommend these! Each year we add more sets as Christmas gifts. The Carnival Ferris Wheel is really cool! Now there are vehicles with wheels that further add to what can be built. The brighter color sets (more neon colored) are really pretty to add to the primary sets. It's addictive! It's the kind of toy that will be used for many years without the kids outgrowing them. So, in the long run, the price is worth it! I will be saving these for my grandchildren to play with someday. As the world gets more electronic and digital, these types of toys will still be a classic fun toy.....one that will not need batteries!

Got this set for my grandsons, ages 2 and 4. The 4YO immediately caught on to the concept of building different structures using the patterns included with the set, and it kept him focused for 30-45 minutes at a time. The 2YO needed help building the pre-structures according to the patterns, but with supervision, he was very happy to see his projects come together. The only drawback to this set is that many of the patterns require that you use ALL the squares or ALL the triangles, and predictably, little boys lose pieces. My solution was to buy them another 62-piece set with a slightly different variation of shapes (but still plenty of the basic shapes), and a completely different project book, which I knew they would enjoy. This is a great educational tool for spatial organization and perception, sequencing skills, fine motor skills, and even teaching colors and shapes to the little ones. Another plus is that there are many additional sets, including higher level sets with wheels and pre-robotics type pieces that can be added as my grandkids get older.

This is our second set of Magformers and they are a family favorite! After the first one was gifted to us and our daughters (2 & 5) played with them for over a year I decided we needed to expand our set. I saw so many options of off-brand magnet toys and I was so tempted to purchase those sets as their per-piece price was roughly half of the Magformers' cost (I made a spreadsheet-my husband rolled his eyes ). Bottom line: I simply couldn't get over the idea that when you get the Magformers you are getting the highest quality product. We have never had one break (which is so important with those little hands and mouths that play with them) and the product is exacting in quality. I wish the price was about 20% lower, but excellent quality is King. This particular set is the best value of the Magformers sets and has a great variety of pieces for hours of imaginative play.