Keeping kids occupied and entertained can be a full-time job, especially when you want to limit screen time. One great way to keep their minds active and engaged, especially during these formative years, is to play games with them. Magnetic tiles are the perfect tool for creating fun and engaging games for kids of all ages.
Magnetic tiles let kids organize and build structures while improving their problem-solving and spatial awareness skills. And because they’re so versatile, the possibilities for games are endless.
In this blog post, I will share 5 of our favorite DIY magnetic tile games. So get your magnetic tiles ready and have some fun!
1. Pom Pom Race
Instruction:
- Draw two characters on cardstock paper (we used a sharpie and Posca paint markers).
- Cut a hole on the bottom to make the goal. Make sure the paper is landscape.
- Build the game board using magnetic tiles (I used Connetix Tiles).
- Use two tiles to secure the paper on each side, and place it on the game board.
- Use the straw to blow the Pom poms into the goal.
- If two players, add the second goal on the opposite side and see who can get the Pom poms in the opponent’s goal first.
If drawing isn’t your thing, you can always print something in landscape mode.
2. Corn Hole
Take turns throwing fabric bean bags (or rolled up socks). The goal of the game is to score points by either landing a bag/sock on the board or make it through the hole.
You need:
❤️4 large squares
🤍35 small squares
💙10 right triangles
❤️10 isosceles triangles
3. Ball Drop
The game is simple:
1. Build a ramp
2. Cut a legal size paper in half and put it at the bottom of the ramp (it fits perfectly)
3. Use open door frames to secure the paper
4. Assign points to the different boxes (optional: we used our Chameleon Reader for my 3 year old as she doesn’t recognize numbers yet)
5. Use a light weight ball to roll down the slide
6. Take turn rolling the ball
7. Tally up the points
4. Skee Ball
We created this classic arcade game using the Connetix 64pc Pastel Starter Pack. Assign points using a chalk marker on the right triangles and try to get the balls into the holes. Tally up the points to see who wins.
5. Bowling
The game is simple:
1. Build the bowling lane and return (as shown)
2 Setup some small items to knock down (we used some miniature bowling pins). You can also make some mini cones out of paper.
3. Take turns rolling the ball down the lane and see how many pins each person can knock down.
4. We also raced 2 balls to see who makes it to the end first (or into the open door frame tile)
5. Have fun!
Play Benefits
Playing with magnetic tiles provide children endless hours of fun and learning. The games I shared in this post will help kids with their cognitive development, problem-solving skills, and more. With so many benefits, it’s no wonder magnetic tiles are becoming increasingly popular among parents and educators.
Do you have game ideas you want me to try out? If so, leave me a comment and let me know.