Drag and Drop Your Kids Into Learning

• What: Lakeshore Learning Magnetic Mazes
• When: 18 months to 5 years
• Why: Build fine motor skills, practice pre-literacy skills
• Where: Lakeshore Learning

Looking for a fun way to keep little ones entertained, while at the same time working on pre-literacy and pre-writing skills? Don’t want little pieces that can be lost or pose a choking hazard? Look no further than Lakeshore Learning’s magnetic mazes.

The magnetic color maze from Lakeshore Learning.

These boards come in a variety of different themes. Each one has a magnetic stick that attaches with a string, so it can’t get lost. The board also has a slot to store the magnetic stick when not in use. Kids use the stick to move pieces around the board covered in clear plastic. The cover prevents the small pieces from falling out and becoming choking hazards.

My son points to the correct letter in Lakeshore Learning’s alphabet maze.

Kids need to hold the pen upright, which gives them practice not only for fine motor skills but also to hold writing materials like pens, pencils, crayons, and markers correctly. Different boards have different goals, depending on what your want your kids to learn. Some boards come with typical mazes to navigate. Others have letters that need to be dropped into the correct place. Don’t worry if your kid doesn’t know the entire alphabet yet. The letters also come color coded to help guide them, so it works great for practicing different colors as well. You can get boards that need to be sorted by color, or work on counting skills by putting the correct number of balls in each numbered area. Kids can also sort by shape.

Kids use the magnetic stylus to drag and drop letters into the correct balloon.

These big boards don’t fit in most cubbies, but unlike standard puzzles, you can store them upright without any of the pieces falling out. You can also get smaller rectangular sizes for easier storage or even for taking along on outings or longer trips. No matter which size and subject you choose, these boards keep kids entertained while learning.