50+ Connetix Magnetic Tile Play Ideas

Are you looking for the perfect open ended toy for children of all different ages? Maybe you already have magnetic tiles and want to know just how many ways you can play with them. In this post I'll show you why Connetix magnetic tiles are an amazing open ended resource you need in your house or classroom. With over 50 different play ideas, that work on numerous cognitive and physical developmental skills, you'll find play activities for children of all ages and abilities.

Although we have a deep seeded love for wooden toys in this household, there are a few plastic toys that I would never part with because they're just so valuable to play. Magnetic tiles are well loved in this house and will be here to stay for many years because they're a toy that continues to grow with your child. 

As their imagination, physical and cognitive skills develop the way children play with toys will change, however magnetic tiles are one of those rare unicorn toys that are fantastic for children of all different ages. 

If you have a big age gap between your kids like I do, they're one of the best investments ever, because both kids can play with the one toy in many different ways. There's no need to have different toys for each age group as they can both play with them at the same time. They also wont get bored with them because the play possibilities are endless, continue reading for over 50 different ways to play with magnetic tiles.

CONNETIX MAGNETIC TILES

Connetix are an Australian brand of magnetic tiles launched in July 2019. Connetix are the brain child of two Australian families who came together to create a stronger, more scratch resistant and transparent magnetic tile than the other brands that were already available on the market. Since their debut in 2019 Connetix have quickly become one of the most popular magnetic tile brands worldwide.

Connetix magnetic tiles are made from non-toxic food grade ABS plastic that is BPA and Phthalate free. Each tile includes ultrasonically welded rivets for extra safety and peace of mind. They also have a unique bevelled design which not only makes them stronger, but also allows more light to shine through creating clearer colour refractions. 

Currently Connetix tiles are available in many countries all over the world in 25 different pack sizes including rainbow tiles, pastel tiles, clear tiles, ball runs, base plates and more.

Photo credit: Sam @thewondersofplay

CONNETIX VS KMART & OTHER MAGNETIC TILE BRANDS

One of the main questions I see asked in forums a lot is are Connetix tiles worth the investment compared to cheaper brands? I totally get people being wary about investing in certain brands of products when there's cheaper versions around, we even started out with the Kmart magnetic tiles in our house because of this. While they were ok for the price, now that we have both options, I can confidently say that Connetix are 1000 times better. Let me show you a comparison. 

Connetix tiles have thicker, longer, and much stronger magnets which makes building with them a lot easier for younger children. They also have individual rivets in each corner of the tile, which gives me much more peace of mind that the magnets are safely encased. I've heard horror stories of Kmart tiles cracking and magnets coming loose, however none of ours ever have, but it's important to always inspect your magnetic tiles to look for possible cracks just in case.

The bevelled design of Connetix is also absolutely genius compared to any other magnetic tile I've seen. It makes them much clearer to see through allowing for better colour refractions and makes all of the colour activities mentioned further below a lot more satisfying. 

They're also definitely more scratch resistant in the center of the tiles than our Kmart tiles. My girls are pretty heavy handed and love nothing more than watching their huge magnetic towers come crashing down onto our tiled floors, despite this the Connetix have held up really well {although they do have little scratches right on the edges the same as the Kmart ones}

The great news is if you already have the Kmart tiles and just want to upgrade to a better quality set, the Connetix tiles are compatible with them. Although the magnets are a slightly bigger size, they're in the same position and the tiles themselves are the same size, so they can still connect together to create massive builds. 

Connetix are also compatible with other magnetic tile brands like Learn & Grow, Magblox, Magbrix, Playmags and Magna Tiles {for a visual comparison with Playmags and Magna Tiles watch this video}

STEM LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES WITH CONNETIX

Connetix are a stem toy {that provide science, technology, engineering and math learning opportunities} for toddlers right through to school aged children. By playing with magnetic tiles children will be exploring light, magnetic forces, balance, height, measurement, shape and colours, as well as developing cognitive skills. These are just some of the learning opportunities Connetix provide:

• Fine motor skills
• Gross motor skills
• Hand/eye co-ordination
• Spatial awareness
• Hypothesising
• Problem solving
• Lateral thinking
• Concentration
• Cause & effect
• Teamwork & co-operation 
• Balance & height
• Magnetic force
• Colour recognition
• One to one correspondence
• Patterns & sequencing
• Shape recognition

MORE THAN 50 CREATIVE WAYS TO PLAY WITH CONNETIX TILES

As an open ended toy there is no right or wrong way to play with Connetix tiles, in fact every single time children play with them it will look different and the outcome will never be the same {unless they're following a building template}. For this reason technically there are endless possibilities when it comes to play ideas with Connetix tiles, and magnetic tiles in general, however I've put together a list of over 50 ways to play with Connetix to get you started. 

I've broken them down into colour, shape, numeracy, literacy, fine motor and building play ideas. I've also added in some fun ways to play with magnetic tiles on surfaces that usually aren't for play.

WAYS TO USE CONNETIX MAGNETIC TILES FOR COLOUR RECOGNITION

Colours are one of the earliest cognitive skills children develop and they provide a foundation for learning math, science and language skills later in life. Most children start learning to recognise and differentiate between colours between 18 months and 3 years of age. The toddler years are the perfect time to start actively teaching colours to your children and magnetic tiles are a great way to make learning colours engaging.

Colour Reflections

When connetix tiles are put in the sun they create spectacular colour refractions. The girls currently love exploring shadows and sunlight so they were super excited when they saw that the Connetix created colourful shadows when the sun shines directly on them. They had so much fun putting their hands into the reflections watching them change colours.

Coloured Shadow Drawings

For more colour refraction fun, take some Connetix tiles outside along with some white paper and crayons or pencils. Make a row of tiles and put the white paper behind them so that the colour shadows go across the paper. Use crayons or pencils to draw the shadows {with the correct colours} onto the paper.

Primary & Secondary Colour Tile Equations

To show how primary colours combine to create secondary colours I made some simple colour equations using the square Connetix tiles and some washable marker on a board. You can get kids to point to each tile and say the equations out loud e.g. yellow plus blue equals green. They can also stack the two primary colours on top of each other next to the secondary colour to see that they do make a new colour when combined.

Connetix Cardboard Colour Paddles

My super talented friend Kathryn {@cardboardfolk} created these amazing colour paddles using cardboard and square Connetix tiles. Kids can use the paddles as a colour viewer to see the world in a tinted hue, or overlap two together to make secondary colours. They remind me of the blue and red 3D viewing glasses we had as kids. Kathryn is super creative and makes so many fun things out of cardboard plus she's shared heaps of play ideas with Connetix tiles on her Instagram account.

Connetix Rainbow Colour Sorting Flower

Magnetic tiles can be used to make colour sorting even more fun by creating different shapes or areas to colour sort into. To create this Connetix colour sorting flower I made a rainbow hexagon base and then put the 6 corresponding rainbow cubes around it. The hexagon in the centre serves as a bowl for storing the items to be colour sorted. For this colour sorting activity we used a collection of bear counters, Grapat rings, plugging flowers, Lalaboom beads, coloured peg dolls and some pom poms.

Magnetic Colour Sort

Another fun way to use Connetix for colour sorting is with a magnetic colour sort. Lay different coloured square tiles out flat and get children to colour sort metal loose parts which will stick to the magnets around the edge of the tiles. We used coloured bells, mini bulldog clips and metal rimmed counters. Due to the small size of the loose parts this activity needs to be done under strict supervision, especially with mouthing children.

SHAPE PLAY IDEAS USING CONNETIX

Connetix tiles come in 6 different basic shapes and it seems the most obvious way to use shaped tiles would be to learn about shapes. Like colours, shapes are one of the first foundation skills toddlers learn from approximately 2 years old and Connetix offer a fun, hands on and interactive way to teach shapes to toddlers. Because they can be used both flat and vertically, Connetix can be used to teach basic 2D and 3D shapes using the following ideas.

2 Dimensional Shapes

Connetix tiles come in various 2D shapes including squares, triangles, rectangles and now hexagons. These can also be joined together to make other 2D shapes like a diamond, hexagon, heart, star and larger triangles.

3 Dimensional Shapes

Connetix tiles can also be used to help preschoolers and school children understand 3D shapes. Depending on how many sets you own and how many of each piece you have, you can create cubes, rectangular prisms and different triangular prisms. Ask your children to count how many sides each shape has and then count how many corners they have.

DIY Shape Puzzle

Make a DIY puzzle with Connetix by tracing around the tiles onto a piece of paper. Then place all the magnetic tiles into a pile and present the piece of paper next to them. Children will have to manipulate the tiles to work out which ones go into each outline.

HOW TO TEACH MATH CONCEPTS WITH CONNETIX TILES

Numeracy skills such as number sense, spatial awareness, estimation and problem solving are all important life skills that will be needed throughout school and beyond. As children grow they will develop an understanding of simple math skills like number recognition and counting, through to more complex skills like arithmetic calculations. Connetix tiles are a great hands on way to teach toddlers, preschoolers and school children math skills through play.

Make Magnetic Numbers With Connetix Tiles

One of the most visual way to learn numbers with Connetix is to make the tiles into number shapes. On the Connetix website you can get free number template cards available in A5, A3 and black & white options. The girls were amazed when I started creating real numbers from our tiles. Download the number template here.

Use Magnetic Tiles For Counting

Magnetic tiles can be used for preschoolers to learn basic counting most simply by lining the tiles up in a straight line to count them with their fingers. They could also use numbers to put next to them as they count so they have a symbol to represent how many they've counted. The tiles can also be placed in a tens frame formation to make counting to 10 and 20 easier for school age children.

Using Magnetic Tiles To Teach One To One Correspondence

Magnetic tiles can be used as a hands on way to show one to one correspondence when teamed with some numbers. One to one correspondence is an important foundation math skill where children learn to visually identify groups of objects that represent certain numbers. 

We used ours with some of our Sumblox numbers {similar to these blocks}, however puzzle pieces, magnetic numbers or wooden number pieces would all work fine. I also used different coloured tiles for each group so it was easier for my three year old daughter to recognise that they represented different numbers.

Another fun way to use Connetix tiles to teach one to one correspondence is to use a whiteboard marker or chalkboard marker to write numbers 1-5 on individual tiles. On another 5 tiles draw dots to represent those numbers, the same as they would be presented on a dice. Children can then match the number tile with the corresponding dot tile.

Magnetic Tile Addition & Subtraction Equations

Similar to the previous colour equations in this post, I've used a white board marker and Connetix tiles to create some simple addition and subtraction equations. I deliberately chose primary and secondary colours in these equations so they also represent how different colours can be combined or segmented to create different colours. 

Arithmetic is an important math skill that helps children understand the why behind whole numbers, once they've mastered addition and subtraction children can move onto multiplication and division problems.

Addition Card Chute

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A post shared by TARA • The Littles Learn (@the.littles.learn) on Oct 6, 2019 at 8:30pm PDT

How amazing is this magnetic card chute that Tara {@the.littles.learn} made out of Connetix tiles?! She wrote addition sums on the back of playing cards and when they're put into the chute they flip over to reveal the answer on the card face. Click the arrow to swipe across for the video.

AB & AAB Patterns Using Connetix Tiles

Understanding patterns is an important foundation math skill that helps children to make predictions and problem solve. The simplest patterns to learn are AB patterns which use two different numbers, colours, shapes or objects in a 1:1  repetitive pattern. E.g yellow, green, yellow, green. 

Once children have mastered AB patterns they can move onto AAB {e.g. blue, blue, purple, blue, blue, purple} and other more complex patterns. Connetix tiles can be used to make simple colour or shape patterns.

Learn Symmetry With Magnetic Tile Mandalas

Making mandalas is such a relaxing activity {for adults as well as children} and is a great way to learn about symmetry. Mandalas are generally circular in nature and comprised of many other shapes working outwards from a central point, similar to images viewed through a kaleidoscope. Mandalas can be created from many different loose parts, including Connetix tiles.

Line Of Symmetry Mirror Images

Create half pictures with Connetix tiles and get children to replicate the other side to create the whole picture. Mirror images are a simple and fun way to introduce reflection symmetry to young children.

Have a play around with different symmetrical objects that can be made with Connetix, some easy ones are a square, present, butterfly, heart and tree. Alternatively this could be done with a mirror by creating the half image up against the mirror to reveal the whole object.

Shape Fractions

Make different shapes out of smaller Connetix tiles and use different coloured tiles to show fractions of each shape. A fraction is a part of a whole and it's easy to visually represent them with magnetic tiles. E.g make a hexagon with 5 blue small triangles and 1 small red triangle to show 1/6 & 5/6, or make a rectangle with different coloured squares and each one will represent 1/2.

LITERACY PLAY IDEAS USING CONNETIX TILES

When you look at magnetic tiles and think of all the play possibilities, learning literacy concepts probably doesn't even cross your mind. How on earth can magnetic tiles be used to learn reading and writing? Well you may be surprised to know that Connetix can actually be used to learn many foundation English skills such as sight words, cvc words and digraphs - you'll just need a washable marker and a bit of creativity.

Make The Alphabet Using Connetix Tiles

On the Connetix tile website there is a free magnetic tile alphabet template set available in A3, A5 and black & white options. The templates show exactly which tile shapes to use to create each letter of the alphabet. This is a great tactile way for children to make letters of the alphabet and even spell their name, sight words or family member names if they have enough tiles. Download the alphabet template here.

MATCHING LOWERCASE & UPPERCASE LETTERS

Connetix tiles can also be used as an interactive way to help children recognise and match lowercase and uppercase letters. To do this you'll need to write lowercase and uppercase letters onto square magnetic tiles with a chalkboard marker or washable marker. To make this easier for children just starting to recognise letters, write both versions of each letter on matching colours. You can limit this activity to only a few letters when starting out or extend it to the whole 26 letters of the alphabet.

LEARN SIGHT WORDS WITH CONNETIX

Make a simple interactive sight words game with some Connetix tiles, cardboard and chalkboard markers. To make this game I wrote some common sight words onto the magnetic tiles using white chalkboard marker. I also cut up an old cereal box and wrote the same sight words on individual pieces of card. Put the cards in a pile and kids can pick one at a time then find the matching tile.

MAGNETIC TILE SILLY SENTENCES

When my daughter was first learning sight words in prep they would play a board game called silly sentences. The game had different word puzzle pieces that the kids could connect together to create silly sentences that didn't make sense. I recreated it with magnetic tiles using the same sight word tiles from above and getting my daughter to make silly sentences by joining the tiles together. It's also a fun way to get in some more sight word practice.

CVC & CCV WORDS

It's easy to use Connetix tiles to help children learn CVC words. CVC words are three letter words that have a consonant/vowel/consonant. To make CVC words with Connetix simply use chalkboard or whiteboard markers to write letters onto individual tiles, using one colour for vowels and another colour for the consonants. I used orange marker for the vowels {although it came out a gold colour} and white for the consonants. Get children to use the tiles to see how many different words they can create. You can also create CCV words this way.

PRACTICE DIGRAPHS WITH MAGNETIC TILES

Digraphs are when two letters combine to create one new sound. There are many digraphs, but the most common consonant ones are ch, sh, ph, wh and th. Digraphs can be at the beginning, middle or end of a word {as shown above}. To teach digraphs with Connetix, use chalkboard marker or whiteboard marker to write the diagraph on a single tile and then write individual letters on the other tiles in a different colour. Each week at my daughters school they do spelling words based on a new digraph, so this is a fun way to learn the spelling words for the week as well.

DEMONSTRATE WORD FAMILIES WITH MAGNETIC TILES

Word families are groups of words that all have a common feature, usually the same sound or letters within the words. The easiest word family to learn is /at/ which all have the /at/ sound at the end of the word. In the image above you can see how I've used chalkboard markers and Connetix to show different words in the /at/ family. I wrote at on one tile and used a matching open window tile to connect to it, so as they're moved up and down the other letters they'll show all the different /at/ words. This is by no means a comprehensive list of the /at/ family, I purposefully only chose a few words to demonstrate the concept to my daughter.

COMPOUND WORDS

Compound words are two individual words that connect together to make a single word with a different meaning. Create a fun compound word game with Connetix by writing words that go together on separate tiles and mixing them up. Get the kids to find the correct matches and put them back together to create the compound word. My daughter loved this so much she started making her own word tiles and joining them together {although a fair few had the word bum in them}.

FINE MOTOR ACTIVITIES USING CONNETIX TILES

Playing with Connetix tiles and manipulating them in general is a fine motor workout in itself. Pulling the tiles apart, holding them and clicking them in place involves many fine motor skills like pincer grip and hand strengthening, so they're already a great fine motor tool on their own as they require precise hand movements to build and place the tiles. However, to target fine motor skills even more, try these activities.

POM POM POSTING BOX

Another great colour sorting activity with Connetix tiles that also has a fine motor twist is colourful pom pom posting boxes. To make them build a cube with the basic square tiles, however for the lid use one of the window tiles so it creates four different holes instead of one big opening. Then add in some coloured pom poms and kids can colour sort them by dropping or pushing them through the holes in the correct box. To do this activity children will have to use their pincer grip which is an important pre-writing developmental skill. To make it even trickier you could add in some tongs or tweezers.

MAGNETIC TILE COIN DROP TOWER

A fun way to get children to practice pincer grip is to create a magnetic coin drop. To make a Connetix coin drop you'll need the large square tiles and some right angle triangle tiles. Place the triangles in the opposite corners of a large square tile and then place another large square tile over the top which will create a ball run with a small opening at the top. Build it up as high as you want and then drop plastic play money coins or plastic discs into the opening and watch them drop through and come out the bottom. To make it wide enough to fit grimms building rings or grapat wooden rings just add an extra layer of triangle tiles so that the top opening becomes slightly wider.

CONNETIX 2 PIECE PUZZLES

Connetix can be converted into 2 piece puzzles easily by using stickers that are cut in half. Cut a sticker either horizontally or vertically and place each half onto a different magnetic tile. Give children a selection of different sticker tiles so they can find the correct ones and match them up. Manipulating the puzzle pieces to match up the stickers correctly is a great fine motor activity and is also great for hand/eye co-ordination and problem solving.

BUILDING IDEAS FOR CONNETIX TILES

Now the real fun begins! The first thing my girls did when we got Connetix was to try and build a tower as tall as possible and they managed to get it taller than themselves before it came crashing down. Since then they've come up with so many wonderful building ideas {and many different variations of the ones I've included in this list}. The building possibilities with magnetic tiles are literally endless, there are many more out there that we haven't thought of or tried, but these are heaps of fun ones to get you started. Search #connetixtiles on Instagram for more building ideas. Some of these builds may require pieces from the 100 piece tile set and car pack. We currently have the 62 piece set and 100 piece set and want even more {they're very addictive}.

MAGNETIC DOLL BED

My toddler is obsessed with baby dolls and begged me to make a baby bed for her. To make a Connetix doll bed you'll need 2 large square pieces, 8 square tiles, 2 window pieces and 2 right angle triangles. Use the 8 smaller square tiles to support each end of the larger squares which make the bed base. Add the window tiles and 2 triangles to create the bed head. This size doll bed suits baby dolls that are shorter than 30cm, for bigger dolls add in an extra large square piece and 2 smaller square pieces for support.

MAGNETIC DOLL HOUSE

My 3yr old and I made this two story dolls house together out of Connetix tiles complete with stairs and windows. She decided the bottom left cube was the garage and then added some green tiles in front for the driveway. We also added in some of her wooden dolls furniture upstairs. She spent a good half hour playing with her small barbies and cars in the dolls house before she got a little heavy handed and the stairs turned into a slide after they collapsed.

FARM STABLES

The girls and I created some farm stables using the large square tiles, some small square tiles and some gates. I was going to create an entire barn for all our farm animal figurines, but once this was built my 3yr old took over and wouldn't let me near it for an hr because she was engrossed in imaginary play.

PADDOCK FENCES

Use the Connetix gate pieces from the 100pc set to make paddock fences for animal figurines. We have a huge collection of plastic animals so the first thing my 3yr old thought of when she saw the gate pieces was fences for her animals. There are only 6 gate pieces in each 100pc set so if you want to build bigger paddocks you'll need a few sets, or use the normal square tiles as the fence and use a single gate piece for a gate in the paddock.

CARS, TRUCKS, TRAINS & CRANES

If you have the 24pc car pack you can build cars and trucks using the wheel base and other tiles. Build the back taller with more tiles to create a crane. Join 2 wheel bases together to make a train and add some peg people.

MAGNETIC BOAT

You can make a boat with Connetix by using two square tiles as the base then adding a big triangle to each end of the base rectangle. In between each of them layer the smaller equilateral triangles which will make a curved side for the boat. Obviously this boat isn't water safe so it's best used in imaginary play with blue scarf or blue rice water instead of real water.

ROCKET SHIP

It's easy to build a Connetix rocket ship using square, right angle triangle and equilateral triangle tiles. Build the rocket body with square tiles then add a nose cone using equilateral triangle tiles. Add some fins to the side using right angle triangles. If you have small peg people or dolls you could also add them inside the rocket.

RAINBOW CITYSCAPE

Make a cityscape with Connetix on a flat surface by lining up square tiles vertically at different heights, using a different colour for each building. Add in some window tiles in different buildings to break up the block colours. Add different triangles for the roof tops.

HOUSE OF CARDS PYRAMID

Have you ever made a house of cards using a deck of cards? You can make a house of card tower using magnetic tiles as well. You'll need a bunch of square tiles and lay them in triangle shapes. Start with a square flat on the bottom then two lying diagonally across the top to make a triangular point. Continue building layers until you've created a pyramid.

MINI HOUSES FOR PEG DOLLS & SONNY ANGELS

One of the first things my youngest daughter did with our magnetic tiles was to build houses for all her peg people. She could spend hours lost in imaginary play making them visit each others houses and go on adventures together. She's currently more obsessed with our sonny angel collection rather than peg people so she's moved onto making houses for them. The good part about our Connetix sets is that there are lots of different pieces so she's able to make mini houses in all different shapes.

BRIDGE OVER TRAIN TRACKS

I made a bridge over our train tracks the other morning for my youngest daughter. It's really easy, just make two towers with squares and then add 2 flat squares to make a bridge between the towers and brace them with some right angled triangles for extra stability. Ours held up really well even with trains and cars being driven across it.

WOBBEL BOARD BALL RUN

If you have a wobbel board, kinderboard, or the Kmart balance board {like us} then you can flip them upside down and make a ball run with Connetix. Line the outside edges with square tiles and then put triangles down the centre, alternating each side. I think the wobbel and kinderboards might be a bit wider than our balance board, so you may need the bigger triangles instead of the small ones to create a proper zig zag pattern on them. Use marbles or wooden balls and roll them down either side from the top. Ensure young children are always supervised as the balls may pose a choking risk.

MAGNETIC DOMINO RUN

Create a fun domino run with Connetix by lining up square tiles flat on the ground as long as you want. Then add more square tiles vertically on the far side of the squares {see photo}. Be careful as you're building them because they fall over easily and once one falls they all quickly fall {mine collapsed 4 times before I managed to get a photo and video}. A tip when setting them up is to place every second vertical square at a time so if one falls the whole row doesn't fall down.

VERTICAL BALL RUN TOWERS

There are numerous ways to create a freestanding vertical ball run from Connetix tiles, you simply have to play around with designs until you find one that works. I made ours from small square tiles, the open square door tiles and isosceles triangles. You'll have to play around with what types of balls to use as some might be too heavy and collapse the tower. I've found traditional marbles or small wooden marbles work the best as they're a good size and weight.

CONNETIX ROADS

We used all our purple square Connetix tiles and a chalkboard marker to create some play roads. I put them together with some of our Grimms houses, a wooden tree and mini car to create a little town set up.

SNAKES AND LADDERS GAME

If the kids want to play snakes and ladders but you don't have the game, don't worry, you can create one with Connetix. Make a base with as many square tiles as you want and number them 1 onward with a washable marker. Then use the small rectangle tiles to create slides and the gate tiles to create ladders on the board. Grab a dice and some peg people {we used our grimms friends} and you can start playing. I originally saw a version of Connetix snakes and ladders on Instagram from @a.day.for.play and then decided to make our own for the girls to play.

RAINBOW CAR RAMP

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A post shared by Bea - Creative Ideas (@_simply_bea_) on Apr 15, 2020 at 9:22pm PDT

My long time friend Bea {@_simply_bea_} made this really cool rainbow car ramp using connetix tiles and the Connetix car pack. The ramp is so creative because it also includes a second smaller hill and then triangle tiles which domino onto each other as the car hits them. Click the arrow on the image to see it in action.

CREATIVE WAYS TO USE MAGNETIC TILES ON DIFFERENT SURFACES

Connetix aren't limited to being used on the floor, or in builds, thanks to their magnets they can be used in many other fun ways on many different surface areas. Imagine how excited the kids will be if the window, fridge or garage door suddenly became play spaces instead of inanimate surfaces. Breathe new life into otherwise mundane areas of the house with these beautiful bright rainbow tiles.

MAGNETIC MAZE ON A BAKING TRAY

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A post shared by CONNETIX® (@connetix_tiles) on Apr 19, 2020 at 5:06pm PDT

A super fun way to play with Connetix is to use them on the back of a metal baking tray to create a maze. Stand the tiles vertically or flat creating different paths with only one entry and one exit, but lots of different twists and turns and a few dead ends. Turn the tray on different angles to maneuver marbles, pom poms or wooden balls through the maze. The maze above was created by the talented @life.with.moon.and.co on Instagram. *This idea is best for older children, or done under strict adult supervision with younger kids as there's a choking risk with mouthing children.

CONNETIX TILE STAINED GLASS WINDOWS

It's easy to create colourful, bright stained glass windows with Connetix tiles. Simply build vertically on a window pane and watch the colourful light come streaming in. If you have low windows they make a fun and different play surface for the kids {just make sure they're not too rough on the glass}. We put these up in the kitchen for a couple of days and they made me smile every time I walked into the room.

DECORATE THE FRIDGE

Leave some Connetix tiles on the fridge and watch the kids get creative. My 3yr old loves moving tiles all over the fridge {especially while I'm making dinner}. She's made pathways, rockets and sorted by shape and colours just in the last week.

DECORATE BABY GATES OR METAL RAILS

The girls have had heaps of fun decorating our big baby gate across the kitchen with Connetix tiles. This is another great vertical play surface, which also requires some added problem solving due to the gaps between the rails. In this photo my big girl is making rockets on the baby gate, which she had to redesign a few times as they would slide down if she joined too many tiles together. Connetix tiles are fun to play with on metal baby gates, metal stair rails or balcony rails {be mindful not to let them slip through the gaps though}.

PLAY ON THE GARAGE DOOR

For a change of scenery take Connetix outside and decorate the garage door. The girls loved taking the tiles outside in the afternoon to play. We wrote messages for our neighbours {I'm sure they probably wondered what on earth was going on}. The Connetix stick really well to garage doors because the magnets are really strong so they hold really well.

CREATE A POM POM RUN ON THE FRIDGE DOOR

A great way to entertain the kids during dinner prep is to set up a pom pom run on the fridge door. It's actually a lot harder than it looks as you have to get the magnetic tiles on exactly the right angles for the pom poms to bounce off in the right direction. I also had to trial and error with a few different pom pom sizes as the bigger ones we have were too heavy and made the tiles flip down. It was worth it in the end though and the cat thought it was great entertainment too!

LIGHT TABLE PLAY

If you have a light table or light box, put the Connetix tiles on top and watch how they light up. Similar to using the tiles on a window, the light box allows the light to come streaming through the transparent tiles, however kids can also build 3D shapes on top of a light panel because it's horizontal. We used a cheap light box we got from Kmart a few years ago.

MORE FUN OPEN ENDED TOYS

• Lalaboom Sensory Beads
• Grimms Rainbow Play Ideas

Disclosure - This blog post contains some affiliate links for your convenience, which means I may make a small commission at no cost to you, should you make a purchase. All photos used within this post that aren't my own have been used with express permission.