Magnetic tiles — 32 pieces, letters and numbers included

Thirty-two translucent tiles that click together on their edges — squares, triangles, windows and doors, plus printed panels carrying letters, numbers and pictures. Lay them flat into a shape, then lift the sides and the whole thing stands up as a building.

What it builds

• Spatial reasoning, the flat-to-standing kind: working out which shapes fold up into a box and which collapse
• Planning ahead, because a tower that is wrong at the bottom falls over at the top
• Shape and colour language — square, triangle, the panels with letters and numbers on them
• Building with another person, which is a negotiation as much as a construction

Why we stock it

Magnetic tiles are the rare toy that works at three and still works at eight. At three it is stacking and knocking down. Later it is a castle with a door that opens, then a cube, then something with a roof that needed planning. Nothing has to be built in a set order and there are no instructions to lose, so the box comes out on its own rather than when an adult suggests it. Ours adds printed letter and number panels that the premium brands leave out — good for a child who is starting to notice letters, and a plain building tile the rest of the time.

The details

Age

3 and up

Contents

32 pieces

Shapes

Squares, triangles, windows, doors

Printed panels

Letters, numbers and pictures

Material

Translucent moulded plastic, rounded edges

Joins

Magnets in every edge

Power

None. No batteries, no sound.

In the box

Thirty-two tiles in the printed carton. Nothing to assemble and no instruction booklet — the pieces are the instructions. Keep the carton; it is what stops the set spreading through the house.

Care

Wipe them with a barely damp cloth and dry them straight away. Do not soak or wash them — water gets inside the tile and the magnets rust, which is how these sets die. Keep the printed panels out of direct sun, since print fades faster than the plastic behind it.