I remember going to the Toy Fair this year and stealing glances at Trucky 3, a logic game/toy. An enthusiastic explainer at the Smart Toys and Games booth showed some of the games to me but then my eyes wandered off to a tall magnetic structure and it was hard to look at anything else.

I asked how much the magnetic toy set was and when they told me, I had to let it simmer in my head before having an opinion about it. It's hard to compare magnetic toys and their prices. They are all so different. Still I kept on staring since I can stare for free. And truthfully, after our fantastic experience with Tegu blocks, I have become very open to magnetic sets and this one had wheels and ramps and propellers and flowers and .. oh.. I'm getting ahead of myself.

Is an Investment Considered an Expense?

Let's just stick to the balls and rods for now. But before that, let's get the money part out of the way: Yes, the price of this particular set is more than what I normally spend for a toy and no, I didn't buy this set. It was submitted to Toys are Tools for review. But wait! Ask me if I think this toy is worth the money?

My answer? You betcha! And wait until you hear my ideas for a strategic growth plan (in your toybox) for toys like these - it's coming soon! In fact, whenever I look at it, I am reminded of all the "quickly-forgottens" I bought when my kids were younger and even now. I then start to compute the dollars wasted and before computing how many SmartMax sets I could be owning instead, I have to stop myself to prevent depression. Now, as I look ahead, I try to think about how I should save my money and just invest on a high-quality toy that will grow as my children's minds grow. SmartMax looked like a good candidate for this category.

When I look at a toy like SmartMax, I have to ask an expert for help and David Wells, the Curriculum Developer at the New York Hall of Science (NYSCI), a children's science museum, is perfect for this job. David is a multi-media artist, a museum educator, a former preschool teacher, and a musician too! Soon after we started talking about SmartMax, our conversation naturally led to discussion about toys that could grow with a child. David explained how that can happen from a learning perspective.

Good Building Toys Grow as Your Child Grows

We talked about how a 1-year-old might experience SmartMax. David had actually brought them to a friend's home. They had a 1-year-old and a 4-year-old. He talked about how sturdy the magnetic rods were since the littlest one was sort of rough with them. Soon, he spoke of how a 1-year-old might take two pieces and see that they connect and then you might see him do it again on purpose.


"This is why I’m a such an advocate for building toys. They are intuitive, but they are constantly challenging you." - David Wells


"Once they do get that, then they are seeking it out and that sets them up on their next stage as they develop a little bit more and make consecutive connections," David said. "That’s something that I thought is successful with toys -when they can span different developmental ages successfully," he continued. "It doesn’t mean that a 3-year-old is getting the same out of it that a 1-year-old is but what’s important is that the 1-year-old is getting something out of it and the 3-year-old is getting something out of it and the 5-year-old is. And so on and so forth."

I wish I met David Wells when my kids were 3 years old. I would have different toys and they would probably still be here. DavI remember going to the Toy Fair this year and stealing glances at Trucky 3, a logic game/toy. An enthusiastic explainer at the Smart Toys and Games booth showed some of the games to me but then my eyes wandered off to a tall magnetic structure and it was hard to look at anything else.

I asked how much the magnetic toy set was and when they told me, I had to let it simmer in my head before having an opinion about it. It's hard to compare magnetic toys and their prices. They are all so different. Still I kept on staring since I can stare for free. And truthfully, after our fantastic experience with Tegu blocks, I have become very open to magnetic sets and this one had wheels and ramps and propellers and flowers and .. oh.. I'm getting ahead of myself.

Is an Investment Considered an Expense?

Let's just stick to the balls and rods for now. But before that, let's get the money part out of the way: Yes, the price of this particular set is more than what I normally spend for a toy and no, I didn't buy this set. It was submitted to Toys are Tools for review. But wait! Ask me if I think this toy is worth the money?

My answer? You betcha! And wait until you hear my ideas for a strategic growth plan (in your toybox) for toys like these - it's coming soon! In fact, whenever I look at it, I am reminded of all the "quickly-forgottens" I bought when my kids were younger and even now. I then start to compute the dollars wasted and before computing how many SmartMax sets I could be owning instead, I have to stop myself to prevent depression. Now, as I look ahead, I try to think about how I should save my money and just invest on a high-quality toy that will grow as my children's minds grow. SmartMax looked like a good candidate for this category.

When I look at a toy like SmartMax, I have to ask an expert for help and David Wells, the Curriculum Developer at the New York Hall of Science (NYSCI), a children's science museum, is perfect for this job. David is a multi-media artist, a museum educator, a former preschool teacher, and a musician too! Soon after we started talking about SmartMax, our conversation naturally led to discussion about toys that could grow with a child. David explained how that can happen from a learning perspective.

Good Building Toys Grow as Your Child Grows

We talked about how a 1-year-old might experience SmartMax. David had actually brought them to a friend's home. They had a 1-year-old and a 4-year-old. He talked about how sturdy the magnetic rods were since the littlest one was sort of rough with them. Soon, he spoke of how a 1-year-old might take two pieces and see that they connect and then you might see him do it again on purpose.


"This is why I’m a such an advocate for building toys. They are intuitive, but they are constantly challenging you." - David Wells


"Once they do get that, then they are seeking it out and that sets them up on their next stage as they develop a little bit more and make consecutive connections," David said. "That’s something that I thought is successful with toys -when they can span different developmental ages successfully," he continued. "It doesn’t mean that a 3-year-old is getting the same out of it that a 1-year-old is but what’s important is that the 1-year-old is getting something out of it and the 3-year-old is getting something out of it and the 5-year-old is. And so on and so forth."

I wish I met David Wells when my kids were 3 years old. I would have different toys and they would probably still be here. David also gave me another reason to like this toy. Magnetic toys can be a toy with other things. If you can make it stick to something (ie. refrigerator) then you made a new connection. When David played with his friend's 4-year-old son, David took a rod and stuck it onto a metal outdoor patio table. He then described the children's awe, "You know this whole door opened up. They could combine this toy with something metal and that not only expands their creativity and the kind of perspective or the potential of the toy, so, it shows them the concept of magnetism without necessarily being able to explain it."id also gave me another reason to like this toy. Magnetic toys can be a toy with other things. If you can make it stick to something (ie. refrigerator) then you made a new connection. When David played with his friend's 4-year-old son, David took a rod and stuck it onto a metal outdoor patio table. He then described the children's awe, "You know this whole door opened up. They could combine this toy with something metal and that not only expands their creativity and the kind of perspective or the potential of the toy, so, it shows them the concept of magnetism without necessarily being able to explain it."