Toy Review Tuesday: Magna Doodle

A classic. These days magna doodles are fancier-looking with so many variations available. Smaller sizes are more portable. Some even sport carry handles. Some have additional accessories like stampers. We have a small plain one in our bag of toys in the car.

However, I found that most of them do not have magnets on the back to allow mounting on a vertical surface such as a metal refrigerator door. So I modified ours by adhering a dozen 1-inch square magnets on the back. (I needed that many magnets for this large magna doodle to stay put.)

Matthew and Elizabeth think it makes a great refrigerator toy. I think it's great because writing or drawing on a vertical surface will help them improve their wrist and hand strength and stability.

Other reasons why using a vertical surface is good include:
- it motivates Matthew and Elizabeth to be upright, instead of possibly slouching when seated in a chair or on the floor;
- it encourages head control;
- it strengthens the arm and shoulder muscles;
- it promotes hand-eye coordination.

Please read "Improving Your Child's Hand Skills Using Vertical Surfaces" (.pdf file) for specific benefits on writing or drawing on a vertical surface.