We were sent a Basic 20 set of Stick-O by Magformers for the purpose of this review. For full disclaimer, please see the end of this post.
Keeping kids amused during lockdown is hard work. Keeping toddlers amused is a whole different league of difficult! They don’t have the slightest idea as to what is going on. Suddenly they’re not being dragged on school runs. Trips to the playground have ceased, and older siblings are always at home. Space in the family home has changed too as mum and dad turn dining tables into home-office spaces. Playgroup doesn’t happen any more and mum and dad seem shorter of patience than ever before.
Parents can be forgiven for trying to find miracle toys that will keep them amused and entertained whilst they desperately try to get other things done. In our household it was the perfect time to be sent a set of Stick-O by Magformers to review. I’d seen these demonstrated at the Toy Fair back in January and thought they would be perfect for my youngest who is now 17 months old. Little did I expect to reviewing them in the middle of a pandemic!
Introducing Magformers
If you have older kids you may well be already familiar with Magformers. They produce brilliant magnetic construction toys that children seem to love. They are brilliant for 3D brain development as they make it easy for children to turn 2D shapes into 3D objects. Add wheels and other features and they’re a brilliant route into STEM.
Introducing Stick-O
Stick-O came from a challenge to make Magformers suitable for younger children. Using chunky shapes and bright colours toddlers and pre-schoolers are instantly attracted to them and The tactile ridges and smooth surfaces mean they love touching them and holding them in their hands. The internal magnets mean the pieces snap together and the magnets have the fine balance between being strong enough to hold large pieces together, but also not too strong, so young hands can pull them apart too.
We were sent the Basic 20 Set of Stick-O and our daughter was fascinated just as soon as we took them out of the box. We showed her how they stuck together and she was instantly off playing with them and trying to build towers and other shapes with them.
The set’s bright colours make Stick-O very attractive for children and even with a basic set like this they’re great for to get creative with and start role-playing with. The way the magnets are designed means that they will always connect, rather than repelling one way and connecting another.
Range of Stick-O Sets
There are also themed Stick-O sets available. The basic sets (both 10 piece and 20 piece sets are available) are aimed at children aged 18 months +, as are a Cooking set and a Forest Friends set. The Cooking set features food shaped Stick-O pieces, whilst the Forest Friends set contains faces and other shaped pieces to form different body parts. For children aged 36 months + there is a fifth set – the 16-piece City Set. This contains wings, accessories and wheels to enable children to make all different vehicles, including ones with pull-back-and-go propulsion. Brilliant for adding motion to children’s Stick-O creations.
What we thought of Stick-O
Having loved Stick-O when I saw them at the Toy Fair, I was delighted to see that my daughter loved them as much as I did. She’s always been fascinated by the fridge magnets that we have in the kitchen, so Stick-O provides her with a safe, fun way of playing further with magnets. As a child that is determined to put everything in her mouth still we did remove a couple of pieces from the set unless she is playing under direct supervision, but that really is just an example of knowing your child and being sensible with what toys are suitable for them and which need a bit more supervision.
Buying Stick-O
You can buy Stick-O from the Magformers website (direct product links above), or they are also available on *Amazon, although at the time of writing the prices on the Magformers website are far more favourable!
Disclaimer: We were sent a Basic 20 Set of Stick-O from Magformers for the purposes of this review. All opinions remain my own. Links in the above article marked * are affiliate links and if you purchase through them I receive a small amount of commission, but the price you pay is no different to what you would pay if you went to Amazon on your own. Thank you for any commission that I do get on any purchases you make. It is very much appreciated. For more toy and game reviews please take a look here.
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