More than playing

One way that I played the magnetic tiles with my older kids is the Crossword. We will either randomly build up lines first then use a dry erase marker to fill up with words together, or a more conventional way, build it with answers in mind and give hints. 

Of course, you can do it more casual. For example, build a down "Apple", then ask your kid what words do they come up with these letters. "A" for "Air", go write it down and put them together! It helps practice their spelling, while the action of "building" reinforce their memory and sense of achievement. 

Besides excersizing their creativity and all the fun that comes up with building with the magnetic tiles, they are also a fantastic teaching tool.

One way that we have been using them is that I take a dry erase marker and and I write the numeral written words and a set of dots of the numbers that my four-year-old is working on. He matches them up and it helps him reinforce the number of more recognition that he's working on at school.