Magnetic Phonics & Number Tiles — 60-Piece Reading Set

60 magnetic tiles that turn the fridge door into three-minute reading practice — no chair, no lesson, no arguing. Ages 3+. Free worldwide shipping, 30-day returns.

You can tell they are close. They know most of the letters, they half-guess words off signs and cereal boxes — and then you sit them at the table with a book and it falls apart. Five minutes in they are sliding off the chair, asking how much longer, suddenly desperate for a drink of water. You end up either pushing or giving up, and neither one feels good.

Usually it isn't the reading they are resisting. It's sitting still, being watched, and knowing there is a right answer they might get wrong. The moment it feels like a lesson, they are gone.

So this takes it off the table. Sixty tiles on the fridge door — letters, numbers, and the common combinations — that they move around with their hands. Nothing has to start, nothing has to be finished, and nobody has to sit down. It gives them practice in three-minute bursts while you are already in the room doing something else, which is the only way some children will take it.

An ordinary evening can end up looking like this. You are chopping onions with your back to them. Behind you there is the small click of tiles being pushed across the door, and then their voice sounding something out — wrong the first time, right the second, nobody correcting them. Four minutes later they have wandered off to something else, and that's fine, because tomorrow they will do it again on the way past. No chair. No arguing. And you never once had to ask them to try.

What's included

• 60 magnetic tiles — letters, common phonics combinations, and numbers
• Multiple tile colours, so groups are easy to sort and spot by hand
• Magnets sized to hold on a vertical fridge door
• Tiles pack away small — into a drawer, a box, or a school bag

Good to know

• Ages 3+. Threes sort and match; fours and fives start building words
• Works on fridges, whiteboards, magnetic boards, and baking trays
• Contains small parts — supervise children under 3

How long it takes, and why

Read this before you order, because it is the one thing about us that might not suit you.

These ship direct from the production partner who makes them. There is no warehouse sitting in the middle, which is the reason the set is priced the way it is — and also the reason it is slow. Processing takes 7–14 business days, then 10–20 business days in transit. Ordering today, plan on roughly three to seven weeks. Shipping is free.

We would rather put that here, in front of the buy button, than in a confirmation email you read afterwards.

It matters more for this one than for most things we sell. The almost-reading stage does not wait for a parcel. If you want this in the house for a school term, a summer, or a birthday, count back seven weeks from the date you actually want it working — and if that day has already gone past, today is better than the weekend. The wait doesn't get shorter by starting it later.

If it isn't right

30-day returns, no hoops. You don't have to justify it and you won't be argued with. If they don't touch it, or the set isn't what you pictured, get in touch and we'll sort it out.

We would rather take a set back than have you spend a month wondering whether you should have.

Questions people ask before ordering

Will they stick to my fridge?
The tiles are magnet-backed and intended for a vertical fridge door. Worth checking first, though: some newer fridges have stainless or coated doors that no magnet holds to. Stick a fridge magnet on yours before you order — if that falls off, these will too, and a baking tray or magnetic whiteboard is the answer rather than this being the wrong buy.

My child already knows their letters. Is this too young for them?
Letters are the starting point, not the ceiling. The set also carries the letter combinations that trip children up after single letters — which is usually where the actual stumbling happens — plus numbers. A child who knows their alphabet still has work to do here.

What is the exact breakdown of the 60 tiles?
Letters, common phonics combinations and numbers, in assorted colours. We do not publish an exact piece-by-piece split because we would only be guessing at it, and we would rather under-promise than list something that turns out not to be in the bag.

Are the tiles big enough for small hands?
They are sized to be pushed around a door by a three-year-old rather than picked up with fingertips. They are still small parts, so under-3s need supervision.

Do I have to teach with it?
No, and that is largely the point. It works while you are cooking with your back turned. If you want to join in, the useful move is to say nothing and let them get it wrong twice.

What if a tile goes missing?
With 60 pieces, losing one behind the fridge does not break the set. There is nothing that only works as a complete kit.

A gift for the child who is almost reading and needs one more nudge. Order it while they are still at that stage.