Mom Review: What they don’t tell you about Magna-Tiles

“Magtile!” Screams my almost two year old.

“Magna-tiles!!” Shouts my three year old.

“Where are the rest?” Chimes in my 5 year old.

And I know my game is over; it’s time to pull them out of the garage, where I had them so nicely hidden. And I can’t help but wonder how the stray one showed up in the kitchen.

Because the truth is, I hate magna-tiles.

There, I said it.

Magna-tiles drive me crazy.

“Buy them!” shouted every toy advertisement. “Most amazing toy! You need them!” Said every friend or relative. “Best toy ever!” said every magazine. 

And then they were on sale. Cheap enough to invest in without going into debt. So I bought them. And then they were on sale again. And then I bought some more. And then they were on sale again. And then I bought even more. And then I hated them more. Because here is what they didn’t say in the advertisements and what friends and family didn’t warn about. It’s true that it is a fantastic, amazing toy to develop all of your senses and your brain, but it is only good for a household with one child. Or perhaps with two children, if they are at least 10 years apart, but I would say at least 12 to be safe. Because it turns out that there are two ways that kids can play with magna-tiles. One is for the enjoyment of building so easily, and the other is for the enjoyment of destroying so easily.

And these two kids play together.

One is building to destroy and one is building to build. This causes three things to happen; lots and lots of tears and words that are not allowed, hands get used in ways that are not appropriate and also not allowed and then there’s the deafening sound of magnet-tiles crashing to a tile floor, which is something that is not for the faint of heart.

So I (begrudgingly) take the magna-tiles out of the garage and listen to the gleeful shouts and excited ttalk and wait patiently as the builder and destroyer start playing together. Sure enough, as predicted, there are tears. I breathe, I wait it out, and then, when everyone gets bored and moves on, I pack quietly pack up the tiles and go look for the best spot in the garage to store (hide) them . Although I know already that the better the hiding place, the more likely I’ll forget where they are, and the more likely they will find them quicker. Because they can only find things that are hidden well, not the things in plain sight. Like their shoes on the shoe shelf.

So you now can shop as an educated consumer as you look to buy the magical toys that’ll make your Pesach preparation go smoother. And really, it will. Because kids love playing with them, and they develop their brain and senses while they’re at it. And they’re so easy to clean up because they stack so well. So definitely buy them! As long as you don’t mind lots of tears and you don’t mind the brain numbing sound of tiles crashing on your floors.

Oh, and tripping on one is just about the best way to slide across any room. Keep that in mind too!