Magnets do more than just hold up your grocery list.
They are magical tools for STEM learning, sensory exploration, and artistic expression. Magnetic play offers kids a unique way to understand the invisible forces that shape our world.
We rounded up twelve engaging magnetic activities for every age group and interest level. Whether you have a budding scientist or a crafty creator, you will find a project here. We also cover the developmental benefits and essential safety guidelines you need to know.
Key Takeaways
- Magnetic play builds fine motor skills, encourages scientific thinking, and sparks creativity.
- Top activities include magnetic fishing, DIY compasses, sensory bottles, and alphabet games.
- Safety is paramount: Never leave children unsupervised with magnets due to swallowing risks.
- Avoid high-powered rare earth magnets; stick to child-safe ceramic or plastic-encased options.
Magnetic Activities for Kids
We curated this list to cover a spectrum of skills, including scientific inquiry, literacy, art, and physical coordination.
Here are our favorite ways to play with physics:
Magnetic Scavenger Hunt
Recommended Age Range: 18 months and up (with close supervision).
Materials:
- Magnetic wand
- Various household objects (keys, spoons, plastic toys, paper clips)
Instructions:
- Spread the objects out on a table or the floor and hand your child the magnetic wand.
- Ask them to wave the wand slowly over each item.
- Sort the items into two piles: “Sticks” and “Doesn’t Stick.”
- discuss why some metal items (like aluminum foil) might not stick while others do.
Simple Fishing Game
This classic game is fantastic for refining hand-eye coordination and patience.
Recommended Age Range: 2 to 5 years
Materials:
- Paint sample cards or construction paper
- Googly eyes
- Metal paper clips or safety pins
- Glue
- Wooden spoon or stick
- String or twine
- Magnet (ring or horseshoe style)
Instructions:
- Cut fish shapes out of the paper.
- Glue an eye on the front and secure a paper clip or safety pin to the “mouth” area.
- Tie one end of the string to the magnet and the other to the wooden spoon.
- Scatter the fish on the floor and challenge your child to catch them all.
Invisible Driver
Recommended Age Range: 3 to 6 years
Materials:
- Small toy cars
- Magnetic wand
- Rectangular bar magnet
- Tape
- Road PlayTape or masking tape
Instructions:
- Create a track on a table or poster board using the tape.
- Tape a rectangular magnet to the roof of a toy car.
- Use the magnetic wand to push or pull the car without touching it.
This is a great lesson in polarity. Show your child how one side of the wand pulls the car forward (attraction), while the other side pushes it away (repulsion).
Recycled Scrap Robots
This open-ended art project encourages creativity and repurposing materials.
Recommended Age Range: 4 to 6 years
Materials:
- Clean tin cans (ensure no sharp edges)
- Metal odds and ends: springs, nuts, bolts, clips, washers
- Googly eyes
- Small button magnets
- Strong glue
Instructions:
- Glue a small magnet to the back of each loose metal part and the googly eyes.
- Set out the clean tin cans as the robot “bodies.”
- Let your child mix and match the magnetic parts to build faces, arms, and accessories on the cans.
- Create a story about what the robot does and how it helps people.
DIY Clay Alphabet Magnets
Tactile learning helps reinforce letter recognition for preschoolers.
Recommended Age Range: 3 years and up
Materials:
- Air-dry clay
- Small magnets
- Strong craft glue
Instructions:
- Roll the clay into snakes and form them into letters.
- Press a magnet gently into the back of each letter while the clay is wet, then pop it out to dry separately (this creates an indent for gluing later).
- Once dry, glue the magnets into the indents.
- Use the fridge or a baking sheet to practice spelling names and simple words.
Interactive Storytelling
Bring your child’s favorite books to life with moving characters.
Recommended Age Range: 3 to 5 years
Materials:
- “Let’s Play!” by Hervé Tullet (or similar interactive book)
- Dowel rods
- Wooden craft circles
- Ceramic magnets
- Glue and paint
- Cardboard or poster board
Instructions:
- Paint the wooden circles to match the characters or dots in the book.
- Glue a magnet to the back of each circle and another to the tip of a dowel rod. Important: Check the polarity so the wand attracts the circle.
- Draw a path or scene from the book onto the poster board.
- Place the circle on top of the board and use the dowel wand underneath to make the character move along the path.
Mag-LED-tic Constellations
Recommended Age Range: 6 years and up
Materials:
- LED pin lights (10mm or 5mm)
- Ceramic disc magnets
- CR2032 coin cell batteries
- Electrical tape
Instructions:
- Straddle the “legs” of the LED bulb over the edge of the coin battery (long leg to positive side).
- Once it lights up, tape the legs firmly to the battery.
- Tape a magnet to the back of the battery pack.
- Stick the lights onto a baking sheet to form constellations, or use them as glowing eyes for your scrap robots.
Safety Warning
Coin cell batteries are extremely dangerous if swallowed (1). They can burn through tissue in hours. Keep this activity strictly for older children and supervise constantly. Store batteries in a locked drawer.
Magnetic Field Sensory Bottle
Recommended Age Range: 4 to 8 years
Materials:
- Iron filings
- Plastic test tube with stopper
- Cow magnet (cylindrical)
- Clear plastic water bottle
- Mineral oil (baby oil)
- Super glue
Instructions:
- Place the cow magnet inside the test tube, fill the empty space with oil to prevent rattling, and glue the stopper shut.
- Fill the water bottle about 3/4 full with mineral oil.
- Add roughly 1.5 tablespoons of iron filings to the bottle.
- Insert the test tube (with the magnet inside) into the bottle.
- Top off with oil if needed and super glue the bottle cap shut.
- Shake the bottle and watch the 3D magnetic fields spike and dance around the center tube.
Caution
Cow magnets are strong. Ensure the magnet stays sealed inside the test tube and the bottle remains glued shut.
Magnetic Slime
Recommended Age Range: 7 years and up
Materials:
- Liquid starch
- White PVA glue
- Iron oxide powder
- Neodymium or cow magnets
Instructions:
- Mix 1/4 cup of glue with 2 tablespoons of iron oxide powder in a disposable bowl.
- Slowly stir in 1/4 cup of liquid starch.
- Knead the mixture with your hands until it forms a slime consistency. If it is too sticky, add a drop more starch; if it is too brittle, add a drop more glue.
- Use a strong magnet to pull the slime into tentacles or watch it “swallow” the magnet.
You can also buy pre-made Magnetic Putty if you want to skip the mess.
Caution
Iron oxide creates a mess and stains easily. Use an old tray or disposable tablecloth. Keep powerful magnets away from electronics and pacemakers.
Floating Compass
Recommended Age Range: 5 years and up
Materials:
- Sewing needle
- Bar magnet
- Cork disc or foam piece
- Bowl of water
Instructions:
- Stroke the magnet along the length of the needle 50 times in one direction only (lift at the end of each stroke).
- Repeat with the other end of the needle using the other pole of the magnet.
- Push the needle through the cork disc or glue it on top so it floats horizontally.
- Place it in the water bowl. It will slowly rotate until it points North-South.
- Use another magnet near the bowl to interfere with the field and watch the compass react.
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Tree
Combine engineering and literacy with this fun book tie-in.
Recommended Age Range: 1 to 4 years
Materials:
- “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom” by Bill Martin Jr.
- Magnetic wooden letters
- 3 metal coffee cans (painted brown)
- Green construction paper (for leaves)
- Hot glue (for parent use)
Instructions:
- Stack the three cans and glue them together to form a trunk.
- Cut large leaves from the green paper and attach them to the top can.
- Read the story aloud.
- Have your child stick the magnetic letters onto the “trunk” as they appear in the book.
- Knock them all down when you get to “Boom Boom!”
Magnetic Tile Builds
Recommended Age Range: 2 years and up
Materials:
- Tegu wooden blocks or
- Plastic magnetic tiles
- Garage door, fridge, or baking sheets
Instructions:
- Take the tiles off the floor and build vertically on a garage door or refrigerator.
- Place tiles inside a sock or mitten and try to build structures, this tests sensory perception.
- Set up a light source behind the tiles to create “stained glass” projections on the wall.
Benefits of Magnetic Play
Playing with magnets offers developmental rewards far beyond just learning physics concepts.
Fine Motor Development
Manipulating magnets requires precision. When a child separates two strong magnets or guides a magnetic wand along a path, they are strengthening the small muscles in their hands. This builds the foundation for writing, buttoning clothes, and using utensils.
Scientific Inquiry
Magnetic play is a perfect introduction to the scientific method. Kids naturally observe a phenomenon (“It sticks!”), form a hypothesis (“Will it stick to the plastic cup?”), and test their theory. It teaches cause and effect in a tangible way.
Sparking Curiosity
Curiosity drives learning. Magnets behave in ways that seem like magic to a child. This “magic” prompts questions and encourages them to explore the environment to find out what else interacts with their magnet.
Creative Expression
Open-ended magnetic play, like the scrap robot activity, allows children to experiment with aesthetics and form. They learn how to assemble disparate parts into a cohesive whole, boosting their artistic confidence.
Important Safety Guidelines
Magnets are incredibly fun, but they pose significant risks if mishandled. Swallowing a magnet is a life-threatening medical emergency.
If a child swallows more than one magnet (or a magnet and a piece of metal), they can attract each other through the intestinal walls. This pinches the tissue, cutting off blood supply and potentially causing perforations (2).
Safety First
Teach your child early: Magnets are tools, not food. They never go in the mouth, nose, or ears.
Inventory Control
- Count them out: Know exactly how many magnets are in the play set. Count them before you start and recount them when you finish.
- Scan the area: Ensure no small magnets have rolled under the couch or into carpet fibers where a younger sibling or pet could find them.
- Watch for wear: If a magnetic toy breaks and releases the small internal magnet, throw it away immediately.
Rare Earth Magnets
Avoid neodymium (rare earth) magnets for general play. They are significantly stronger than standard ceramic or ferrite magnets (3).
Two rare earth magnets can snap together with enough force to pinch skin, cause blood blisters, or even break a finger. If they shatter upon impact, sharp shards can fly into eyes. Stick to larger, plastic-encased magnets for children.
FAQs
How Do I Explain Magnets To A Child?
Start simple: tell them magnets have invisible hands that can push or pull certain metals. Explain that every magnet has a North and South pole. Like poles push each other away (repel), and opposite poles pull together (attract).
Are Magnetic Tiles Safe For Toddlers?
Yes, most high-quality magnetic tiles are sonically welded to keep the magnets safely inside. However, you should inspect them regularly for cracks. If a tile breaks, discard it immediately to prevent access to the small internal magnets.
Can Magnets Damage Electronics?
Yes, strong magnets can damage hard drives, credit cards, and older tube TVs. While most modern screens (phones and tablets) are less susceptible to permanent damage from weak magnets, it is best to keep strong magnets and magnetic slime away from all electronic devices.
What Metal Objects Are Magnetic?
Iron, nickel, and cobalt are magnetic. Steel is also magnetic because it contains iron. Aluminum, brass, copper, gold, and silver are not magnetic. A fun experiment is testing different coins to see which ones stick.
