DIY Magnetic Play Boards

My son – who’s going into his last year of preschool – is showing a lot of interest in magnets lately. I don’t keep many magnets on the fridge (the clutter drives me crazy), so he’ll be occupied for a few minutes each day playing with what we do have.

When I was walking through the Dollar Store the other day some cookie sheets caught my eye and I remembered this idea to create a magnet board for my son! Since they were only $1 a piece, I grabbed two so each of my boys could have one to play with.

I can’t even begin to tell you how simple this project is! I actually had everything except the cookie sheets on hand already … so it literally cost me $2. Here’s what you need to do to make your own magnetic play boards:

– Use a screwdriver and hammer (or a drill if you’re fancy like that) to punch two holes in one of the handles.
– Cut a ribbon to the length you want; thread it through the holes, and knot it. If you want to “seal” the ribbon, use a lighter to lightly melt the ends – just be careful not to burn yourself!
– I opted to label each board with vinyl names using my Silhouette Cameo. If you don’t have a vinyl cutter, you can trace letters onto vinyl with a marker and cut it out with scissors; alternately, you could use a permanent marker to draw your children’s names on their boards.

That’s literally all you have to do for your very own magnetic play board! We have this Leap Frog spelling toy which I love because it is educational, but there are so many other magnetic toys that would be perfect to use with these individual magnet boards!

What are your favorite magnet play ideas?

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