Creating a home arcade with Nugget + Magna-Tiles

Erin Nti-Addae knew she wanted to add a Nugget (or two… or three!) to her home before her oldest daughter could even walk. She and her husband had seen their nephew playing with his Nugget, and knew it would be a great addition for sparking hours of open-ended play.

Fast forward to life with three kids and three Nuggets, and their home is a haven for imaginative play and creativity. Her kids are constantly coming up with new ways to play with their versatile Nuggets, and she and her husband have fun creating new builds, too. Erin loves her Nugget colors because they blend in well with her neutral home decor — and they double as extra seating when guests come over. 

Erin’s kids also love their Magna-Tiles® collection, which started with a gift set from Grandma. Elia and Alden get so excited with every new set they add — building parks that span the entire living room floor, constructing tall towers to topple over, and creating elaborate cars and tractors with the magnetic car chassis. (And let’s be honest: just like the Nugget, the parents love getting in on the builds too!).

Here, Erin shares a fun new way to combine the Nugget and Magna-Tiles — creating your own playtime arcade game! 

On any given day, you would likely find my two oldest kids playing with Magna-Tiles or creating and tumbling on our Nugget. These open-ended toys are a staple in our household, and today I am sharing just one of many ways the two could be used together to make the ultimate Color Ball Toss!

Step One: Build a multi-level structure with the Nugget. 

Put your base cushion down first. Stack the soft cushion in a stair-step position, and then place the two triangles together on top to create a flat surface.

Step Two: Build your boxes! 

Magna-Tiles come in a variety of colors and shapes, leaving you with lots of room for creativity in how you choose to build. 

Step Three: Gather your tossing balls! 

For these, you are looking for something that is not too big or heavy. You don’t want your Magna-Tiles creations to topple over while playing! Large pom-poms would be great, or crumpled leftover construction paper. Even small plush toys or bean bags would be great.

Step Four: Start tossing!!! 

Take turns or toss side by side with a friend. See how many balls you can get in the corresponding colored boxes. 

There are lots of variations to play around with as well:

• Add a point system! Mark 10 points, 20 points, and 50 points on a piece of folded paper and set it up on each box to keep track.
• Is your child learning to add and subtract? Have them keep score so they can practice their math!
• If your little one is younger, encourage them to recite the colors as they play.
• Step farther away each round to increase the difficulty.
• Build smaller boxes to make it more competitive.

Try out this build and let us know what you think! And if you think of new twists and ways to play, share your ideas on social and tag us @nuggetcomfort.

Erin Nti-Addae is a Magna-Tiles Ambassador and former wedding and portrait photographer, as well as an all-around busy mom of three little ones. She and her husband prioritize open-ended toys and creative play in their home and says it’s fun to see her kids’ imaginations working in real time — plus, she says her kids actually seem like they want to play together because of it! You can find her on Instagram @erin.ntiaddae.