I love our local Mastermind Toys store! I come here year round, but especially with the holidays on the way, this is one of my favourite places to shop. They carry a huge selection of thousands of quality toys and books, and every single one is selected with an eye to engage and inspire kids.
Another reason I love shopping at Mastermind Toys is the friendly and knowledgeable staff there. They’re fantastic at suggesting gift ideas for everyone on my list, even when I haven’t the foggiest clue. But if you can’t get into the store in person, then Mastermind Toys has you covered with their annual Holiday Toys Gift Guide. Parents, grandparents, aunties and uncles, gift givers everywhere, rejoice! It’s the next best thing to having your very own toy consultant.
When I’m shopping for kids’ toys, I look for toys that will encourage creativity, imaginative play, and problem-solving; in other words, engage and inspire! That’s why Magformers are one of my top choices every year.
Instead of physically locking together like other building sets, these BPA-free HQABS plastic construction shapes contain rare-earth neodymium magnets that attach all around, not just top and bottom. Neodymium magnets are the strongest type of permanent magnet commercially available, and they allow us to build pretty much anything we want with them. The magnets are securely enclosed in small channels that allow them to freely rotate inside so they always connect and never reject. (These are pieces from another set, but I wanted you to be able to see the magnets inside.)
My girls already have some Magformers which they play with all the time, and I love to add new sets with new kinds of pieces to help them create more intricate builds. All the pieces are compatible with every other set so you don’t need to worry about the pieces not playing well together (unlike my kids, that is).
This Magformers Sweet House 64 Piece Set comes with a selection of specialty pieces designed to let my kids build their dream house. It includes double-sided (pink and white) basic building pieces, faux brick/shingle tiles, columns, single and double arched windows/doors, hinged windows that really open, 2 balconies, a set of stairs, 2 (non-magnetic) trees, and a colour-changing LED box for light-up effects.
The set also comes with a booklet with step-by-step instructions for building 10 different houses and shops to get the kids started on their engineering careers. This is The Vacation Home, just one of a virtually unlimited range of designs that kids can create. I love that little balcony!
Magformers are a fun and creative way to introduce mathematical and scientific reasoning, creativity, deductive reasoning, and spatial awareness. This year, we’re also wrapping up this Magformers My First 30 Piece Set for my 3-year-old nephew. He finds our Magformers fascinating whenever he comes over to our house, and he’s just the right age for his own set!
Tie on Some Goodness
One of the things that I appreciate most about Mastermind Toys is how they give back. Mastermind Toys has partnered with Me to We for the Tie on Some Goodness initiative. A portion of the proceeds from the purchase of select toys featured in the 2016 Mastermind Toys Gift Guide will be directed to local and global initiatives for children’s education through Me to We Charity.
Alternatively, you can buy a Me to We Rafiki or Minga bracelet and/or add a $2.00 donation to your purchase when you check out. Your gift to a kid you know and love will double as a gift of education to kids in your community and around the world!
Connect
Canadian owned and operated, Mastermind Toys is Canada’s largest specialty toy and children’s book retailer. They’ve been operating for over 30 years in the Greater Toronto area and have recently expanded to 48 stores in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia – and still growing!
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Gift It
The Magformers Sweet House 64 Piece Set retails for $99.99, and the Magformers My First 30 Piece Set for $59.99. When you purchase either of these sets, Mastermind Toys will donate $2 to Me to We.
Find the perfect holiday gift at a Mastermind Toys near you or go shopping online anytime day or night. Mastermind Toys offers free gift wrapping in store and free shipping in Canada with the purchase of $60 or more!
Win a $100 Gift Card!
Mastermind Toys is generously giving a $100 gift card to one lucky winner to do some holiday shopping! The gift card may be used towards shipping costs too. This giveaway is open to residents of Canada, 18+. All entries will be verified.
Click here to check out my other open giveaways and be sure to follow me on Facebook!
Disclosure: I received sample items for review. All opinions expressed are completely honest and my own, based on my personal experience. Your experience may differ.
I’d like pick up the LEGO Friends Amusement Park Roller Coaster with my gift card
I would choose two of the Our Generation dolls for my twins.
What an awesome giveaway! I would love to surprise my daughter with a Hatchimals™ Electronic Hatching Friend – Penguala!!!
I would buy the PAW Patroller Transforming Truck Playset for my son
I would choose Melissa and Doug’s Doll House & Family.
One of the products I really like is the Green Toys Farm Pack Up & Go Play Set and I think my nephew would love it
I would get the Hatchimals™ Electronic Hatching Friend – Penguala. That is of course, if they have any as these are very hard to get.
If I won I would get a our generation doll!
I would buy Magformers for my sons.
If I won the giftcard I would get the Lego Classic creative brick box medium, grow your own crystal jewelry kit, and Lego Juniors Batman and Superman.
we love legos so definitely more legos
Those Magformers sets look really fun!!! I might pick up one of those or a Quercetti marble run, and something small like a skip ball (http://www.mastermindtoys.com/Skipper-Confetti-Rope-with-Ball-Purple.aspx). A lot to choose from on that site!
I would likely pick the 3D doodler pen. It’s just so neat! Thanks for the chance to win!
I would get my grandson several of the science kits. There are quite a few to choose from and he absolutely loves that kind of stuff.
I would get my kids the NHL® All-Star Hockey Pinball Game if i won!
I think my niece would love the 3 in 1 tent & tunnel set, pretty cool! .. I would probably hang out in it as well haha
I would choose the Playmobil® NHL® Hockey Advent Calendar and get two of them for my grandsons!
There are so many great options to choose from and I spent waaaayyyy longer than I should have going through the gift guide! I would put the gift card towards the Thames & Kosmos Geckobot 7-in-1 Experiment Kit which I think my 8 year old would LOVE and the Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Illustrated Edition!! (I didn’t even know an illustrated edition existed and I’m very excited about it!!!) Thanks for the fun contest 🙂
Would like to pick up Our Generation® Lorelei Deluxe 18″ Doll and Our Generation® Sweet Stop Play Set for my niece.
I would like the 3-in-1 Tent and Tunnel Set.
I would pick up the Meccano® Micronoid Robots and the Meccano® Outdoor Adventure Set for my grandson if I win this terrific prize.
With my gift card I would pick the 3-in-1 Tent and Tunnel Set. Our grandson would love to play in this
With my gift card I would pick the 3-in-1 Tent and Tunnel Set. Our grandson would love to play in it
I would love to pick the kids up some MAGFORMERS! They discovered this toy at our local library and all love it!
I would love to buy some Magformers or Lego classic sets.
My sons would love the Paw Patrol look out tower!
I’d like to pick up any of the Star Wars Lego sets for my son!
If I won I think we would get the think fun circuit maze game and some Lego!
My girls would love hatchimals!
I would purchase the LEGO® Classic Creative Brick Box – Medium
I would pick up the Senso’ Discovery Car 3-in-1 Walker for my almost-7month old baby girl. She’s starting to crawl now, and I have no doubt she’ll be ready to walk within a few months!
I love the Our Generation Sweet Stop Play Set – I think my girls would have fun with this set and their dolls, and I love the chalkboard that comes with it because I think my girls would also use it to play school with their dolls. Great multi-use item for different pretend play!
The Tent and Tunnel set would be perfect for my child – so fun!
Id pick up the LiteHawk Quattro Neon Quad Helicopter with my gift card!
My niece has Hatchanimals on her Christmas list so I would look at purchasing one.
The gift I would like to get my son is the LEGO Star Wars Krennic’s Imperial Shuttle
I would purchase the hatchimal for my daughter.
If I won I would buy my granddaughter the Magformers™ Sweet House Light-Up 64-piece Building Set because she loves to build and plays with these types of toys.
I would pick up a generation girl for my daughter and magformers for my son.
I would get the hatchimals and/or magformers.
I would use the gift card to purchase the LEGO Friends Horse Vet Trailer for my daughter.
I would get a Hatchimal for my niece who has them on her wish list.
I would love to pick up the Early Years Squeak ‘N’ Stack Blocks for the little one in our life
My daughter wants a Hatchimal but I cant find one, so I would probably buy a boardgame for the family!
I would love to get my son the Camper LEGO set.
the 3-in-1 Tent and Tunnel Set looks fun
If I won, I would buy some lego for my kids.
I would like to get the Magformers™ Sweet House Light-Up 64-piece Building Set – my kids would love it.
With the gift card I would purchase the 4-in-1 tunnel set! It totally reminds me of fun times at the park and I’m sure my daughter would love it too 🙂
With the gift card I would purchase the 3-in-1 tunnel set! It totally reminds me of fun times at the park and I’m sure my daughter would love it too 🙂