Making Magnets for Your Kids

Kids are very curious by nature. They want to touch, smell and most of the time eat anything they can get their little hands on. They are fascinated by colors and shapes as well, so help stimulate their little brains by making your very own magnets.

I wanted to come up with a fun and interactive way to teach my son about colors, numbers, shapes, animals, trucks and more so I decided making my own magnets and magnet board was the best way to go. I took apart an old filing cabinet that I no longer used and used the sides for my magnetic boards. I cleaned the board and then secured it to one of the walls in our home with nails and made sure it was hung right at my sons height so he could walk up to it and play.

Next I went to the store and bought a bunch of the puzzles like Melissa & Doug Farm Wooden Chunky Puzzle because those puzzles are adorable and the pieces are large and colorful so I didn't have to worry about him swallowing any small pieces. Then I took strips of magnets and cut them to fit the back of the puzzle piece. After that I super glued the piece to the magnet and made sure that they dried for a few hours before my son was allowed to use them to ensure there was no wet super glue residue.

Once everything was dry, I brought him over to the board and we placed the new magnets on the board one by one as we learned what they were. He had a blast doing this and plays with it every day reciting the image. He has learned his colors, numbers, shapes and animals quickly and it wasn't a chore teaching him since we made it fun.

Visit One Stop Shop for Kids for everything you need to make fun tools to teach your children including Melissa and Doug puzzles!

Author of A Humorous Guide to Being a First Time Mom and Bright and White Brushing Your Teeth Can Be Fun! Both books are available on Amazon.com and One Stop Shop for Kids! They make great baby shower and first birthday gifts!