Review on 🧲 Unleash Your Imagination with MindWare 44204W Imagination Magnets by Scott King

My son is just over 3 1/2 years old now and he really likes this puzzle set. He can understand the drawings on the cards (up to drawings of medium complexity) and reproduce them accurately. He also plays with the details to create his own designs, albeit to a lesser extent. I did quite a bit of shopping before purchasing this puzzle so I know there are many different brands/models to compare. After a few months, here are some pros and cons of this particular toy: PROS: 1. Case. Nice to deal with to pick up the pieces. The case closes easily even when full (it doesn't require much rearranging of the contents) and appears to be of good quality.2. Magnetic. I like that the pieces on the magnetic boards stay in place in the carrying case. At the moment the magnets seem to be sticking well to the parts and none of them have fallen apart. card design. Various designs are included, from very simple (5-6 pieces) to fairly complex (using most or all of the puzzle pieces). There is enough included to keep the child interested and challenged for a while. CONS: 1. Coverage. The case is heavy and a little big for kids (and it will definitely hurt if it falls on a toe). The handle is rope, which I think was an unfortunate choice given the weight of the case. I try not to let my son carry it around.2. Magnetic. All magnets pose some hazard if swallowed and some of the smaller round pieces ended up in my youngest son's mouth (and of course were removed immediately - which is why I always keep a close eye on them). This hasn't stopped me from using the toy, but it is a potential problem.3. card design. The cards are small, about the size of UNO playing cards. Therefore you cannot use them as real templates, you can only use them as a visual guide. This is a plus in the sense that it is more complex and indeed my son has shown increasing ability to follow the patterns. However, his first exposure to pattern games was with kindergarten napkin size pattern cards (the kind you play on) and I think they are better suited for a child's first introduction to this type of puzzle. Overall I would buy this again but am still interested in finding a napkin size template card. Additionally, you can get a lot of value by buying puzzle pieces and cards with no carrying case and no magnetic feature, which is nice but not necessarily critical.