Travel Toy: Manhattan Toy’s Imagine I Can Review

Once my kids are old enough to know not to stick small toy pieces in their mouths, I feel comfortable letting them play with magnets. They love to use magnetic pieces to create designs.  It’s nice to have an activity that can keep my boys quietly occupied.

The Manhattan Toy Company Imagine I CAN Travel Time set ($25, manhattantoy.com) encourages creative play with magnets. We received the Travel Time set in exchange for our review. The transportation theme caught my 4-year-old son’s attention right away. There are four paper scenery backgrounds: construction site, farm, outer space and water and 104 magnetic pieces that can be used to make endless designs. 

Imagine I CAN sets are created for children ages 3 and up. Other sets in the series include magnetic games Character Mix-Up, Fashion Friends and Travel Time. The Notes N’ Stuff stationary set is hours of fun for kids who love arts and crafts and to write. I really like how each of the sets are self-contained in a latching briefcase.

In our Travel Time set, the magnetic pieces as well as 4 different scene sheets fit in the convenient carrying case. My 4-year-old enjoys playing with it at home and on the go. The magnetic case makes a great design for a travel toy. Since the pieces are magnetic, they stick to the case instead of spilling. The Imagine I CAN case is small enough to fit on a child’s lap so they can enjoy quiet play time in the car.

I will probably end up to laminating our paper background sheets in hopes they will last longer. The colorful magnetic pieces themselves started to show signs of wear around the edges after the first few uses. Our Imagine I CAN carrying case was damaged during shipment and one of the two latches completely broke off. The remaining latch is still working to keep our case closed.

Despite my concerns about durability, I still think the Imagine I CAN Travel Time is a great value for $25. My children enjoy playing with it. As a parent, I appreciate the fact that these toys encourage my kids to use their creative imaginations. We plan to take our Travel Time set on upcoming road trips. I would buy additional sets for variety.

What are your favorite travel toys for young children? Does your child enjoy creative play? What do you think of the Imagine I CAN magnetic sets?

Learn more and buy Imagine I CAN sets when you visit Manhattan Toy