The Giant Magnet Board Everyone Asks Me About (We’ve Used It For Years!)
When I was in first grade, I was already learning things at school my mom couldn’t help me with. She hadn’t grown up in America, and education wasn’t part of her story the way it became part of mine. I promised myself that when I had kids, I’d give them every chance to learn.
Fast forward to 2020: newborn twins, a toddler, and a pandemic that turned our apartment into our whole world. With no teachers, playdates, or library trips, I kept wondering: What can a home do to keep kids curious and learning?
I dove in—reading about Montessori setups, watching playroom tours, soaking up anything that might turn our small space into a learning hub. I’d hear designers talk about playroom features with developmental benefits—like how rock walls help with problem-solving and handwriting. Cool stuff. But what really caught my eye was simpler: the giant magnet board.
I kept spotting these sleek panels in every fancy playroom online, always labeled as “custom pieces.” They looked perfect—kids could use the toys they already had, they saved floor space, and they actually looked good on the wall. I didn’t want to believe you had to spend thousands of dollars on a designer to get one.
So I went down the rabbit hole. Buried in an old blog comment, I found them: MagBoards from Diamond Life Gear. The exact panels, plus more in different sizes and finishes. Some even double as dry-erase boards now. And the best part? Ours cost just $253.
We chose the 3’x4’ MagBoard in Bone White with curved edges. It mounted easily and instantly became the most-used thing in our playroom. My twins started at 18 months, and now my 8-year-old still uses it all the time. Just this week, all three worked on a marble run with rubber tracks, then tried to spell their names with Magna-Tiles. (I even joined in and made a bird that totally stole the show—small win, and my little dose of unapologetic self-love.)
What makes it special isn’t just that kids love it—it’s what they’re learning without realizing it. If you want to see it in action, I posted a video on Instagram showing how my kids have used it over the years.
While they’re at it, they’re practicing:
- Cause and effect
- Shape recognition
- Collaboration
- Creating art
- Letter and word play
- Spatial reasoning
- Basic physics
(Important safety note: Always use age-appropriate magnets and supervise younger children. Loose or tiny magnets can be dangerous if swallowed.)
Every time I see my kids discover something new on that board, I think of that first-grade version of me who already knew what a gift learning is. What I didn’t know back then was how much of it can happen through play. No fancy playroom or designer budget required—just a simple magnet board weaving learning and play together like a beautiful tapestry on our wall.