1. Praise for Magna Tiles/Magnetic Toys
Highly valued for long playtime, durability across ages, and easy cleanup as pieces stick together.
"Magnatiles, specifically, were maybe the best value for the dollar we ever got out of toys for our kids." - phantasmish
"Can agree that, though they are somewhat expensive, our kids played with them frequently for the better part of a decade." - sokoloff
"Magna tiles are easy to clean up in the they stick to each other sense." - Tade0
2. Criticism of Modern LEGO
Shift to tiny/specialized pieces reduces play flexibility, makes rebuilding tedious, and increases pain/stepping hazards; preference for classic bricks.
"Big problem with modern LEGO for me is that so many modern sets are almost all teensy-tiny pieces... They use them less than I did." - phantasmish
"LEGO has decided that they want to make mostly high-margin co-branded sets... rather than cool engineering sets with a lot of flexible pieces." - jerkstate
"Our problem with modern lego is that the sets are so cool and complex that the kids don’t want to take them apart after they’re built." - veryfancy
3. Endorsement of Simple Classic Toys (e.g., Wooden Blocks)
Timeless versatility, low cleanup, high creativity without batteries or specialization.
"The set of toys I spent the most time playing with was a big bag of wooden blocks... Plain wooden blocks can represent almost anything." - mrob
"Box of blocks cannot be beat... They're still in the same condition as day 1." - itishappy
"Blocks is the top comment... These toys afford play, they don't direct, restrict, or guide play." - thechao