磁性拼字拼图 Chinese Characters Magnetic Spelling Game

磁性拼字拼图 Chinese Characters Magnetic Spelling Puzzle

I am always looking for fun ways to teach my kids Chinese, and I love the 磁性拼字拼图 Chinese Characters Magnetic Spelling Game. We have had this educational Chinese toy for almost 2 years, and my kids really enjoy it.

Update: This set has been discontinued, but you can have fun building Chinese characters with the versatile LEGO DOTS message board kit.

磁性拼字拼图 Chinese Characters Magnetic Puzzle

What’s included with the Chinese Characters Magnetic Spelling Game?

  • 6 different colors of magnetic Chinese radical pieces (pink, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple)
  • Magnetic board with 2 grids
  • Chinese characters booklet in simplified Chinese and Pinyin

Although the quality isn’t the greatest, I still recommend this set because it teaches the spatial relationship of the strokes and how to center it in the grid. I was so impressed that my daughter was able to notice that some strokes were too long and others too short for a character, even though the differences were only a few millimeters.

Chinese character puzzle - magnetic spelling puzzle from Taobao

The 40-page booklet serves as a guide for 804 simplified Chinese characters that you can build with the colorful pieces.

Read this: 5 Basic Tips for Memorizing Chinese Characters

Benefits of 磁性拼字拼图 Chinese Characters Magnetic Spelling Game!

I believe this set is beneficial for improving:

  • Eye-hand coordination
  • Fine-motor skills
  • Visual discrimination
  • Independence
  • Enjoyment!!! This puzzle is like a toy!
  • Reading and writing through tactile learning of each stroke

Younger kids can learn pre-writing Chinese skills with the help of parents/teachers while older kids can work on this activity independently. The colors are also very pretty and attractive!

Since we have a Montessori-inspired home, I keep the materials in an open tray so that my daughter can choose to work on this on her own.  The magnet keeps the strokes and characters in place so they don’t accidentally move or fall off the board.

Chinese character puzzle - magnetic spelling game from Taobao

Downsides of 磁性拼字拼图 Chinese Characters Magnetic Spelling Game

Small parts

Since there are very small parts, it’s easy to lose pieces if they are not stored properly. Also, please keep the pieces out of reach from infants and toddlers.  This is a choking hazard risk.  I always this on a table so my 4-year-old daughter can see it but my 21-month-old son cannot reach it.

Mediocre quality

The quality of the cardboard is mediocre.  You can see in the pictures that there are some creases on some characters.  The cardboard is thick but can tear if removed hastily.  Notice how the 春 character and 犭radical are broken in the photos below. You have to remove the pieces slowly and carefully so that the longer strokes do not break.

During the first use, your child might need help removing the pieces until they become loose with use.  Also, because some of the Chinese strokes were not cut properly, I had to cut 2 or three of the pieces out with an X-acto knife.

Sometimes the magnet backing sheds at the edge of the character.

Broken Chinese Magnetic Spelling Puzzle

Random color system

The color system for the pieces are totally random.  The order of the characters in the booklet is also completely random.  It’s not easy to find the word that you want.

Montessori purists may consider this Chinese magnetic spelling set to be too colorful.  In our experience, my daughter and I have no trouble reading the whole character despite the different colors.

While it would be preferable to see the Chinese character in a single neutral color, I think it would be difficult to find the correct piece.

What I would suggest is providing a “control” for your child, such as a print out of a Chinese character in the standard black Kaiti font.

Chinese character puzzle - magnetic spelling puzzle from Taobao

Disorganized booklet

The Chinese characters are totally random, and finding a desired character is not easy. Instead of searching for particular characters, I just encourage my daughter to scan each page and find some characters she wants to create.

Error in Chinese character reference booklet

One stroke was the wrong color in the 季 character below.

Chinese character puzzle - magnetic spelling puzzle from Taobao

No traditional Chinese language version available

I have only seen this available in simplified Chinese.  The closest thing I have seen are Zhuyin magnets such as this and this.

If you know of any products like this in traditional Chinese, please share in the comments below this post!

Benefits outweigh shortcomings

Whew! That was a lot of complaining which I only do if absolutely necessary! But I am sharing all of these honest details so you are not surprised by the drawbacks.

Despite the many shortcomings, I think this educational toy has far more pros than cons!  Both of my children love it, and many of my friends who have since purchased the set also rave about it.

Chinese character puzzle - magnetic spelling puzzle from Taobao
Chinese character puzzle - magnetic spelling puzzle from Taobao

Tips for using 磁性拼字拼图 Chinese Characters game

Demonstrate to your child how to remove the pieces carefully and place each colored stroke on the magnet board. The color coding helps with finding the piece that you need.

After forming the desired Chinese words, put the pieces back in the matching colored board immediately to keep things organized. If you take too many pieces out, it will be difficult to find the piece that you need.  It will also be easy to lose a piece.

Chinese character puzzle - magnetic spelling puzzle from Taobao

Matching games with Chinese Characters puzzle

You can create simple Chinese character matching games in 2 ways:

1. Trace the Chinese characters and fill in the outline

磁性拼字拼图 Chinese Characters Magnetic Puzzle - trace and match activity

2. Stamp Chinese characters in play dough

The imprinted play dough serves as an opportunity to practice matching and re-matching for hands-on Chinese character review!

磁性拼字拼图 Chinese Characters Magnetic Puzzle - play dough stamping activity

Try this: 7 Fun Ways to Teach Chinese with Play Dough (VIDEO + Easy Recipe)

Where to buy the Chinese Characters puzzle

Update: This set has been discontinued, but you can have fun building Chinese characters with the versatile LEGO DOTS message board kit.

Have you used these Chinese Characters magnets?

If you try this activity, please let us know in the comments below! What age(s) are your kid(s), and how did it go? We’d love to hear about your learning experience!

Happy learning, friends!

11 Comments

  1. Isabel Mendoza says:

    buen día, soy ISABEL MENDZA de Lima Perú. Me gustaría adquirir este hermoso juego de caracteres chinos, como puedo comprarlos?

  2. I bought a set recently, still struggle how to use it to teach my son. I feel that I am so lucky to found your blog!! Thank you very much for the detailed review of the magnetic Chinese characters!

    1. Thank you for taking the time to write! Happy to share ideas! 🙂

  3. I found your blog recently. I’ve been struggling to keep my kids interested in Traditional Chinese language, and not being able to read it myself has made it extra challenging to raise bilingual kids.

    I love the ideas you share, and the progression with your children is so inspiring. Thank you! There’s hope for me!

    1. Thank you so much for your kind words! Yes there is hope! I hope the ideas can help your family! 🙂

  4. Wow! it looks amazing.

  5. Thank you for the detailed review of the magnetic Chinese characters. I like this better than the sandpaper characters (which is what drew me to your site in the first place). Your blog is full of inspiring ideas!

    1. You’re welcome, Lillian! So glad to hear it’s helpful! Thank you for taking the time to write!

  6. Alexandria says:

    Love your blog! Thank you so much for this invaluable resource!

    1. Thank you very for stopping by! Appreciate the kind message! 🙂

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