The magnet rings set is one of my very favorite toys that I use in therapy. The kids I work with love it, and the parents are often quite intrigued. Here are the main reasons:
The Magnets
- Strengthen the fingers
- Help with fingertip grasp of objects
- Provide proprioceptive input (add sensation with attraction/repulsion)
- Foster creative exploration (hang magnets from each other, make magnets move without touching them by repulsion, make them move “invisibly” through an opaque surface,…)
The magnets combined with the stand:
- Stimulate problem-solving (how to make magnets attract or repel/float on the stand)
- Encourage creative game play (making magnets fling by repulsion off stand)
- Work on hand-eye coordination, angles, and sense of amount of force used (flinging magnets to arc into a container)
- Teach cumulative effect of adding magnets together, factoring in weight (more magnets on the post creates greater force for flinging off top magnet. More magnets over two rings that are repelling each other narrows the gap according to the cumulative weight above gap)
When used with the cards, it:
- Fosters color recognition
- Works on sequencing skills
- Adds problem-solving to get space/no space between magnets
I particularly like to use this with children who have low tone, strength, or proprioception, or a hard time sitting still with difficulty attending to a tabletop activity for any length of time. It can be part of a take-along bag to entertain kids while on the go (waiting for food to arrive at a restaurant, or waiting in reception areas). For children with behavior challenges, it is best as a toy that comes out only on certain occasions (with adult supervision as necessary, and to inhibit loss of the rings).