Maggy-The magnetic dress up doll

Maggy - The magnetic dress up doll

This week, I visited a daycare to present Maggy, the magnetic doll, to a group of children. The youngest children were 18 months old and the oldest ones were 4 years old.

This toy can be purchased on the educatall.com online store.

Description of Maggy-The magnetic dress up doll

Manufacturer: Melissa & Doug
Price: $19.99
Age: 3 years old and older

Package contents
This toy includes a wooden doll and 27 magnetic pieces. These include 7 pairs of shoes, 13 clothing items, a stand that holds the doll in a vertical position, and a wooden storage box.

Purpose of the toy
Children are to place the doll on the wooden stand and use the magnetic accessories (clothing and shoes) to dress the doll.

Level of interest
A four-year-old girl in the group was especially interested in this toy. She had a lot of fun creating several different combinations and outfits with the magnetic accessories. However, the other children (18 months, 2 years old, 2 ½ years old) did not show much of an interest for this toy.

Best age group for this toy
The manufacturer created this toy for children who are 3 years old or older. I did notice that the shoes represent small pieces that could easily be swallowed. However, it is possible to simply remove the shoes to make the toy safe for younger children. During the test, we noticed that children under three years of age did not seem very interested in this toy. We can therefore conclude that the age suggested by the manufacturer is appropriate.

Our personal appreciation

Positive points:
When I first presented the toy to the early childhood educator, she immediately thought it was very cute. In fact, the game is colourful and therefore quite attractive. The doll is pretty and her facial expression makes her seem friendly. All pieces are made out of wood and appear to be very sturdy. Once the doll is positioned on the stand, it is quite stable. The magnetic clothing items easily adhere to the doll.

Negative points:
Unfortunately, the toy's box has no lid. This makes using it for storage purposes difficult, especially since the toy contains several tiny pieces that could easily be lost. Using another container for storage is necessary or, at the very least, the tiny pieces should be placed in a Ziploc bag when they are not being used. The only other negative point I could find is that the toy does not contain any hats. In my opinion, hats would have been a nice addition to complete the outfits.

Other magnetic dolls are also available on the educatall.com online store (Joey, Nina, Elise)

The toy vs themes
I believe this toy can be used to accompany a clothing or autonomy (I can get dressed) theme.

A simple activity
After giving children the opportunity to explore the magnetic doll, they may enjoy a simple dress up craft. Why not create hats with the children in your group? You will need strips of construction paper that can be wrapped around children's head, crayons, party streamers, and other decorative accessories. Simply measure each child's head so their strip of construction paper is the right length and let them decorate it as they wish. When they are done, staple or glue both ends of their strip of paper together. If you choose to use a stapler, use heavy adhesive tape to cover the staples for safety purposes.

Thank you
Educatall.com was kind enough to let France Lacombe's daycare group keep the magnetic doll to thank them for welcoming me in their daycare.

Chantal Millette
Early childhood educator