Smartoys

I bought 2 sets for my 3 years old daughter. She is not a builder, and honestly doesn't like any building blocks, but I decided to try this magnetic set... And she loved it so much! She just can't stop playing with those colorful tiles! They go in so many ways, that she hasn't gotten tired of them, so I want to buy more sets, for her creative builds! Also, you can travel with it in a car or plane, as it fit in a small bag. And it's safe for her younger sister to be around. Highly recommend this magnetic set to everybody, I'm pretty sure every child will love it!

I was born in the final years of the Baby Boomer generation (although it seems strange to be in the same classification as my parents) and, when it came to toys with which to construct things, the options were pretty much limited to Lincoln Logs (which you could build a log cabin and that was about all) and Tinker Toys with which you could build just about anything you wanted - although the primary thing you need to build first is a hammer to use on your brother should he try to steal any of your pieces. Does anyone remember that round cardboard tub that they came in?

Since that time (during the past 40-50 years) there have been lots of newer construction toys that have come out on the market including Legos, which are now typically marketed and sold with the pieces needed to create a specific item for younger to mid-range children and the more advanced Knex construction kits for older kids.

Recently something new has become an option for younger to middle-aged children and that is the very colorful and versatile magnetic building blocks by SmartToys. With these you can easily use the magnets located on the corners of the various shaped (usually square or triangle) pieces to create all sorts of objects - obviously depending on how many pieces you have available to use.

My parents have 5 great-grandchildren and, to keep them occupied while the older 3 generations visit, they keep a toy box full of toys. Recently something interesting has started happening however. When the young kids come through the front door my parents have to attempt to get a hug from them as they run right past the toy box and to the large antique dining room table on which sits a large wooden bowl containing a 48-piece set of these magnetic building blocks

Now, to make the math simple & since 4 of the kids belong to my son, lets just focus on them for a moment. When you get 4 children wanting to build something and they are limited to 12 pieces each, there is a limit what you can build with only f 12 pieces - especially when you are talking about a 3D object (a cube for example) which would require 6 magnetic pieces to make up the frame and another 6 for the sides.

So I made the decision, when I decided to purchase some of these for the grandkids to play with here, to purchase the box of 48 pieces as well as the larger collection of 96 pieces which comes in a sturdier tub with a bonus. Do you remember the toy that has different shaped holes & different shaped pieces so very young kids can learn to recognize different shapes? Well the top for the kit containing 96 pieces has those different shaped holes in the top so even my 2 year old grand daughter can play with it.

One easy method to create more complex shapes is to start with a 2D top & sides of an object lain out on the floor and then, simply by picking the top up into the air and letting the outlying pieces swing down and magnetically snap onto the adjoining pieces, you are left with a 3D structure which would otherwise be more difficult to assemble.

Obviously the more pieces you have the more you can create so I combined all the pieces (they will all fit in the tub that the 98 piece set came in) and now they can work together to build some pretty amazing items.