Magnets are small components—please keep them out of reach of children to prevent accidental ingestion!!!

Magnetic building blocks help children better understand three-dimensional space, fostering creativity and hands-on skills.

Introduction

My little one absolutely loves the magnetic building blocks from my niece’s house—and I wanted to surprise her with a set of my own. After a quick search on Taobao, I thought to myself: “It’s just magnets embedded in various geometric shapes, right? Since I already have a 3D printer, why not put it to good use?” So I decided to design and print the pieces myself—not because I was trying to save money, of course 😏—but the results were fantastic: my child couldn’t put the blocks down!

Preparation

All you need to do is prepare square magnets measuring 5mm × 5mm × 5mm. I recommend purchasing them from 1688 (new customers get a 5‑RMB discount): 100 magnets cost around 10 RMB, and you can snag an even better deal with coupons. (I suggest buying 200 magnets—they’ll let you build 25–35 different structures, plenty for kids to experiment with and create all kinds of shapes!)

Design

• I don’t have any transparent or colored filaments, so I wasn’t able to replicate the glossy, translucent effect seen on Taobao. However, I designed the walls to be relatively thin—just slightly thicker than usual—which still delivers a strikingly similar transparent look under strong light.
• To make magnet installation and removal easier, I didn’t rely on the standard print pause feature to embed the magnets directly into the model. Instead, I left open slots that allow me to manually insert the magnets after printing.
• To avoid repulsion between like poles, I made the magnet cavities large enough to give the magnets room to automatically rotate when they encounter opposing magnetic forces, ensuring they align properly and maximize attraction.

Installation

We recommend using PLA for printing. If possible, start by printing a single component to test the appearance and verify the magnet tolerances.

Magnetic Display

Renderings

Real-World Photos

Magnetic building blocks aren’t just for kids—they’re perfect for adults too, and they make for an excellent stress-relief toy. The satisfying “click” as the magnets snap into place is incredibly soothing. If you’re curious, why not give them a try? You—or your kids—will surely discover the joy of 3D printing!