Smartmax My First Magnetic Safari Animals Reviewed
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Is your little one crazy about animals? The SmartMax My First Safari Animals are toys that are suitable for children from 1 year.
The toys ensure that kids discover the magic of magnets in a safe and super fun way while playing with their favorite animals.
They have been with us for a long time, from baby (putting a little in the mouth) to toddler. Now they are often allowed to participate in fantasy play.
- Nice soft animals, big and easy to grab for the little ones
- Magnets click easily but a little one can also get them loose
- Some magnetic bars repel each other and that can be frustrating
Let's take a look at the specs first:
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Specifications
- Construction method: Magnetic
- Recommended age: Between 1 and 5 years
- Number of pieces: 18
- 6 Magnetic bars
- 12 animal bodies
- Material: Plastic
What are the Smartmax Safari animals?
This is a set with 12 animal bodies (each animal consists of 2 body parts) and 6 rods. You can place the magnetic rods between the animal bodies to make the animal.
The bodies click into place with the magnet and are quite sturdy, but can also be easily detached, even by a toddler.
It includes:
- giraffe
- olifant
- krokodil
- lion
- Rhino
- hippopotamus
What makes Smartmax Safari animals fun?
The parts are extra large and soft and simply click on the bars.
The magnets are strong enough to hold the particles together, but it doesn't take a lot of force to take them apart again.
The toys are therefore completely tailored to children's hands.
You can use the set of 18 parts six different Safari animals (here more safari toys) to create.
Or come up with your own animal by combining parts of different animals for crazy combinations!
At a slightly later age, the animals are probably also allowed to participate in fantasy games so that they are still useful and they do not grow out of it too quickly.
My son also really enjoyed running around the house with all the bars on top of each other making sure they didn't fall as the magnets are just strong enough to stick together but you have to balance them properly .
Good for creativity and fine motor skills!
Best Magnetic Toy Animals for Toddlers
Suitable from 1 year old to discover the magic of magnets in a safe and super fun way while playing with their favorite animals.
For what age are the Smartmax Safari animals?
They are made of a kind of rubber-like plastic that feels very pleasant to the touch. It is material that you see in many baby toys.
It is therefore also fine for your baby to put them in their mouth. That has happened to us regularly. They keep their shape well, can get wet (drool) and don't even have a scratch on them.
It is also best to buy them for your baby, or maybe with 1 or 2 years. Then they can grow along for a while.
At 3 years old, they are no longer used that often to make creations, although the rods do fit on other Smartmax, so they certainly still serve us.
But then you have to buy extra Smartmax again. From 3 years to about 5 years, they can often participate in fantasy play.
With us, for example, they are regularly put in the tractor for transport and they are allowed to play on the farm.
Smartmax Safari animal alternatives
Smartmax Rods Start Try Me
Best magnetic rods to build with
Clicking these together is a lot easier than the tiles from Magformers. This makes the toy really suitable from 1 year old as SmartMax says.
The animals are the cutest for babies, but if your child is a bit older I would recommend buying them together with this starter set from Smartmax (reviewed here).
Otherwise, it is better to only choose these building bars from Smartmax. They get more years of fun out of that in my experience.
With the Starter Set you can create structures and learn about spatial awareness and creative STEM play. The animals are very nice, but in the end you can only do one thing with them. A group of animals.
Stick-O magnetic fishing game
Best magnetic toys for your baby
The toy set consists of 26 molds with which your little one can build the nicest characters, all in an underwater theme with magnetic fishing rod.
There are also animals in the same age category as these safari animals Stick-O with a Fishing Game (reviewed here).
The Stick-O set is a bit more extensive with a game element incorporated into it.
Where the safari animals are just a few rods with bodies, with Stick-O they are more separate elements.
This also allows you to make more different creations and it stays fun a little longer.
The disadvantage of this set-up may be that they participate less in fantasy play at a later age, because you really have to make something of it yourself first.
They also fit on both these Smartmax animals and the Starter set so it is also a nice addition.
Conclusion
The safari animals are a very nice introduction to magnetic toys.
They can last a long time and are very durable, but as a construction toy there is not much to do with them.
Always something to do for the holidays or rainy day?
Play Choice now has the ultimate activity book collection, with over 60 pages of fun coloring pages and educational puzzles.
Joost Nusselder, the founder of Speelkeuze.nl is a content marketer, father and loves trying out new toys. As a child he came into contact with everything related to games when his mother started the Tinnen Soldaat in Ede. Now he and his team create helpful blog articles to help loyal readers with fun play ideas.