Note: While we use the term "Magna-Tiles" often throughout this article, most of these Magna-Tiles games, activities, building ideas, and more are compatible with any brand and type of magnetic tiles.

Play fun matching games with your Magna-Tiles. Photo courtesy of Magna-Tiles

Magna-Tiles Games and Learning Activities

1. Matching Magna-Tiles Games

These fun and educational matching games require kids to find matching pairs of tiles and to find the odd pair out. For little ones, you can simply have them match up tiles of the same color.

2. Tic Tac Toe

Create a square Tic Tac Toe grid out of nine magnetic tiles, and use colored bottle caps or any other small items as markers. Play again and again without wasting paper!

3. Magnetic Tile Pattern Cards

These handy cards help kids learn how to make patterns using magnetic tiles.

4. Guess the Shape

Arrange Magna-Tiles into shapes on a whiteboard (they stick!) and have little ones guess the shape. Then have the kids create the shapes themselves. They'll have so much fun, they won't even realize they're learning! 

5. Sorting Game

Have toddlers and preschoolers sort magnetic tiles by color, shape, and/or size.

6. Marble Maze

Use Magna-Tiles to form the walls of a marble maze, then drop a marble and watch it fall. Move the tiles around to adjust the maze as many times as your kiddo likes.

7. Pom-Pom Ball Run

For another fun take on a maze, make a fun pom-pom ball run on the fridge (if it's magnetic) or on a whiteboard.

RELATED: 100 Classic Toys for Kids: Favorite Classic Toys, Retro Toys, and Vintage Toys

Give your magnetic tiles emotions with these fun stickers! Photo courtesy of Jack and Zoe Play

8. Magnetic Tile Stickers

These removable magnetic-tile face stickers are not only a fun way to decorate tiles, they help little ones to recognize different emotions.

9. Magna-Tiles Dominoes

No dominoes? No problem. Just use Magna-Tiles instead, knock one down, and watch them all fall!

10. Math Magna-Tiles Games

Break out a magnetic surface to do these four fun math activities, which including counting and addition practice.

11. Magnetic Tile Ten Frames

Make math fun by creating ten frames using magnetic tiles.

12. Coding Magna-Tiles Games

Teach kids the basics of coding—including sequencing, algorithms, and debugging—using a grid of magnetic tiles and blocks.

13. Magna-Tile Sight Word Activity

Write letters on Magna-Tiles with a a dry-erase marker. Then have kids combine them to make sight words.

14. Sensory Table

Use colored rice, magnetic tiles, and a magnetic wand to make a fun sensory table that can teach little ones how magnets work.

15. Primary and Secondary Colors Experiment

This experiment shows you how to mix blue, red, and yellow (primary colors) Magna-Tiles into different combinations to make secondary colors like violet/purple, green, and orange.

16. Colorful Shadows

Shine a flashlight through magnetic tiles to project a rainbow of colors. Overlap different colors to explore color mixing.

17. Exploring Symmetry

Place a mirror perpendicular to the floor or table. Arrange magnetic tiles into a shape against the base of the mirror. Show kids how the shape is perfectly reflected in the mirror, with the base of the mirror as the line of symmetry.

18. Magnetic Tile Fishing

Create a fishing rod out of a stick, some string, and a magnet. Arrange magnetic files on the floor and go fishing!

RELATED: 75 Indoor Activities for Kids on a Rainy Day

Kids can get creative and build their own custom monster.

Magna-Tiles Building Ideas

19. Monster

Design your own Magna-Tiles monster, like the one created by my 8-year-old. Start by making a large cube using 24 square tiles. Then, place triangle pieces to form ears, eyes, and “arms.” Use one last square tile for the mouth—and done!

20. Race Car Track

Create a race car track out of magnetic tiles using your imagination, or buy a set made specifically for that purpose. Then get out the toy cars and wheel them around to your hearts' content!

21. Ramp

If a flat track isn't cool enough, try building this awesome ramp. Since this might be tough for little ones, it's a great way to get older kids in on the fun—and to score some sibling playtime.

22. Hot Wheels bridge

If you have a lot of Magna-Tiles, add this bridge to the mix to create the ultimate course for Hot Wheels and other toy cars.

RELATED: "I'm Bored, What Should I Do?" 100 Things To Do When Kids Are Bored

Kids won't want to take their magnetic tile robot apart.

23. Robot

This video provides a step-by-step tutorial on how to create a cool robot out of Magna-Tiles. If only it could move!

24. 3-D Rainbow

Use square and triangle Magna-Tiles in a variety of colors to create a beautiful 3-D rainbow.

25. Castle

No instructions are needed to make this classic Magna-Tiles design—only your imagination. Even my 2-year-old niece loves building magnetic-tile castles!

26. Ostrich

If you've got PicassoTiles of various shapes—including the narrower tubes—use them to build this awesome ostrich.

27. Strawberry

This magnetic-tile strawberry is just the sweetest, and makes a great project for an elementary-schooler to tackle.

RELATED: Simple and Fun Light Experiments for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Use magnetic tiles to create a unique floral arrangement.

28. Flowers

Use magnetic tiles to create flowers in all colors, shapes, and sizes—green(or not) for the stems and leaves, various other colors for the petals!

29. Ice Cream Cone

Use tall orange triangles to make the cone, and smaller triangles to put different flavors on top.

30. Ball

Learn how to form a ball—though not one you can throw—out of magnetic tiles.

31. Christmas Tree

Use green magnetic tiles and and small jingle bells to make jingly, jangly Christmas trees to add to your holiday decor.

32. Star

You'll need 28 equilateral triangles, four squares, and two right-angled triangles to make this sparkling, shining star.

RELATED: Toddler Activities to Keep Little Ones Busy (and Happy) at Home

Printable templates help little ones form magnetic tiles into fun shapes.

Magna-Tiles Printables

33. Free Magnetic Tile Printables from Totschooling

These printables help kids arrange magnetic tiles into 11 shapes, including a duck, a cat, and an airplane. Each shape comes in two levels of difficulty.

34. Numbers Magna-Tiles Printables

Kids can piece together Magna-Tiles tangram-style to form the numbers 0 through 9.

35. Letters Magna-Tiles Printables

These printables will help kids form the entire alphabet—both uppercase and lowercase—out of Magna-Tiles.

36. Magnetic Tile Puzzle Printables

These printable tangram-style puzzles are perfect for preschoolers.

37. Magnetic Tile People Printables

Print out these templates of diverse people, then use magnetic tiles to create outfits for them.

38. Lunar New Year Magna-Tile Printables

Create a firecracker, a lantern, and a lucky coin out of Magna-Tiles with these fun Lunar New Year printables.

RELATED: Car Games, Podcasts, and More to Keep Kids Busy on Road Trips

Dino lovers will roar over dinosaur Magna-Tiles printables. Photo courtesy of Magna-Tiles

Dinosaur Magna-Tiles Activities

39. Brachiosaurus and Stegosaurus Magna-Tiles Printables

Follow the patterns on these printables to make a Brachiosaurus and a Stegosaurus out of Magna-Tiles.

40. Design-Your-Own Dinosaurs

Or, break out the kraft paper to create your own dinosaur outlines for the kiddos to fill in with magnetic tiles.

41. Tyrannosaurus Rex

You'll need a big set of Magna-Tiles—71, to be exact—to make this T-Rex, a perfect project for older kids.

42. Brontosaurus

Budding paleontologists will love building a Brontosaurus out of magnetic tiles.

43. Magna-Tiles Dinos Collection

These specialized Magna-Tiles dinosaur sets will have little dino lovers roaring with delight!

44. Free Magnetic Tile Dinosaur Templates

These free printable templates will help kids arrange magnetic tiles into a Pterodactyl, a Stegosaurus, and an Apatosaurus.

RELATED: Rainbow Crafts for Kids

Can your kiddo build a tower that's taller than they are?

More Fun Magna-Tiles Ideas

45. How High Can You Go?

Stack up those tiles to see how high you can get them before they all fall down—or your kiddo knocks them down!

46. Flower Pressing

Flowers look especially beautiful when pressed between colorful magnetic tiles.

47. Magnetic Tile Task Cards

Put these 22 fun cards in a pile face-down. Have kids choose a card and then do what it says with magnetic tiles. The cards challenge kids to design and build something that flies, something they might see in outer space, something you can ride on, and more.

48. Color-On Magna-Tiles

Some Magna-Tiles sets—including a Sesame Street-themed set and a Crayola Creativity Bus set—allow kids to color and draw on the tiles with washable markers.

49. Garage-Door Decorating

Use magnetic tiles to create fun designs on your garage door. Just don't forget to take them off before opening the door!

50. Custom Photo Magna-Tiles

CreateOn.com allows you to customize your own set of Magna-Tiles with up to 32 images. Imagine how much fun your kid will have building things out of family photos!

Unless noted, photos by the author

This article contains some affiliate links, which means we might earn a small commission if you make a purchase. There is no extra cost to the reader. We only recommend products and services that we have personally used or have thoroughly researched.