Magna Tiles aren’t cheap, so it’s normal to wonder how many do you really need for your kids to actually play with.
If you’re like me, you’re a parent who doesn’t love spending extra money on toys you don’t need.
I consulted my kindergarten teaching wife, who has seen Magna Tiles and toys galore get played with by little ones.
She had some pro tips which are below.
How many Magna Tiles do you need?
We do recommend the starter pack of 100, but most kids can play with 40-50 Magna Tiles easily.
If you’re going to buy a set for your kid (or kids), you’ll get the most variety of shapes and more than enough for one or two kids to play with.
If you only have one child playing with them, you really don’t need more than 40 or 50 tiles for them to be creative and come up with things to build. They’ll be smaller creations, but they’re still buildable and can be fun the same way.
What we don’t recommend is getting the expansion packs and animals that come with them.
The point of Magna Tiles is to be creative and for kids to come up with builds based on their imagination. The expansion packs do come with magnetic animals, but they’re really not cheap.
And with them being fairly expensive, and them not really helping kids be more creative, you’re mainly paying extra for the magnetic animals that come in the set.
We have other suggestions at the end of this post on other toys to incorporate that make Magna Tiles more fun and you might already have some around the house.
Cheaper Magna Tiles Alternatives
Thankfully there are a couple brands that are much cheaper than Magna Tiles, they have a good number of tiles in them, and they’re arguably just as good (or better) a Magna Tiles
(If you already have Magna Tiles and are looking for to buy more, we check the guide on which magnetic toys are compatible with Magna Tiles.)
Picasso Tiles – 100 Piece Set
Picasso Tiles seem to be the second most popular tile set behind Magna Tiles. With Magna Tiles, you’re paying a premium for the brand, but the Picasso Tiles also come in a package of 100 and are about half as expensive.
AFUNX Amazon Brand – 130 Tile Set
If you want to go with an alternative that gets you the most tiles in one set for the cheapest price, AFUNX is the best option.
They have a 130 piece set and are also about half as expensive as a set of 100 Magna Tiles.
Gemmicc Magnetic Tiles – 63 Piece Set
Gemmicc Tiles work just the same as the other tiles and also have a set of 100 pieces you can go with, but their 63 piece set is a good option if you’d like a slightly cheaper choice and don’t need a ton of tiles for just one kid.
Where to buy Magna Tiles cheaper
If you’d still like Magna Tiles (or the other brands) but don’t want to pay full price, it’s worth taking a look on reselling apps and websites.
We recommend searching for sets on eBay, Mercari, OfferUp, LetGo, or Craigslist. Pre-owned sets will work the same as any new tiles, with likely a few scratches or marks on them from the previous owners.
Just make sure you clean them before handing them to your little one so they aren’t full of germs.
There’s also occasional sets that go on sale on Zulily, so it’s worth checking there, but it’s often not much cheaper than the normal prices for Picasso, AFUNX, or Gemmicc sets.
How many come in the other sets?
Still want to go with a smaller set of Magna Tiles? There’s a few to choose from.
You can go with rectangles, polygons, Magna-Qubix (cube-styled tiles), building, houses, animals, and different color variations.
Depending on the set, they come in anywhere from 8 in a set to 50.
It’ll list the tile quantity on the box and you can find most set variations on Amazon or at Target.
Toys to Add to Magna Tile Play
Before you spend an arm and a leg on more sets, you might want to check around the house for other toys to incorporate that can put a different spin on the creations.
You can add Lincoln Logs, blocks, fridge magnets, stuffed animals, dolls, or pretty much anything else your kids already enjoy.
You can also stick ’em to a garage door or any magnetic whiteboard to change things up.
Go with one of the cheaper brands
You don’t actually need a hundred tiles per kid. So if you don’t care about the name brand, we’d recommend going with Playmags or Picasso Tiles.
And when you inevitably end up sinking them in the tub, here’s instructions for drying soaked Magna Tiles.
Good Dad Help (and this page specifically) includes affiliate links as part of the Amazon Affiliates Program and we may earn a small commission if you purchase through this page. (No cost to you of course. It it does help us buy a few more tiles ourselves!)
