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3 ways to have fun with magnets

February 26, 2013 by Katie 18 Comments

This post may contain affiliate ads at no cost to you. See my disclosures for more information.

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Experiencing magnets for the first time can be an almost magical experience for kids.

“What is going on with this object that so many things stick to it?”

“What happens if I touch this magnet to this object?”

“Why does this object stick but this one does not?”

There are truly so many questions to explore with magnets, which is part of what makes discovering them so exciting!

In this post I share three hands-on, play-based, activities I have done with my kids to help them learn about magnets.

Note: Find more hands-on science activities for young children on my Science Activities for Kids page!

Learning and playing with magnets: Great hands-on science, sensory, and art ideas using magnets. I love these ideas for preschoolers! || Gift of Curiosity

Magnet sensory bin

Our day started with a magnet sensory bin. (I LOVE sensory bins!) I used white rice as the base and then put in in some magnets from our Fun with Magnets kit. Then, I tossed in a variety of magnetic and non-magnetic objects for the kids to explore.

Magnet sensory bin: One of three fun and hands-on science, sensory, and art ideas using magnets. I love these ideas for preschoolers! || Gift of Curiosity

Both of the kids picked up a magnet and started exploring with it.

Magnet sensory bin: One of three fun and hands-on science, sensory, and art ideas using magnets. I love these ideas for preschoolers! || Gift of Curiosity
Magnet sensory bin: One of three fun and hands-on science, sensory, and art ideas using magnets. I love these ideas for preschoolers! || Gift of Curiosity

They liked to see what objects would stick to the magnet.

Magnet sensory bin: One of three fun and hands-on science, sensory, and art ideas using magnets. I love these ideas for preschoolers! || Gift of Curiosity
Magnet sensory bin: One of three fun and hands-on science, sensory, and art ideas using magnets. I love these ideas for preschoolers! || Gift of Curiosity

Using a magnet to remove a paperclip from a bottle

After they had explored the contents of the sensory bin for a while, I showed the kids how they could use a magnet to get a paperclip out of a bottle. QBoy and XGirl took turns doing this several times each.

Using a magnet to get a paperclip out of a bottle: One of three fun and hands-on science, sensory, and art ideas using magnets. I love these ideas for preschoolers! || Gift of Curiosity

Painting with magnets

Then I introduced them to magnet painting.

I had the kids squirt globs of paint onto a paper plate.

Painting with magnets: One of three fun and hands-on science, sensory, and art ideas using magnets. I love these ideas for preschoolers! || Gift of Curiosity

Then, they dropped a paperclip and a metal nut onto their plates.

Painting with magnets: One of three fun and hands-on science, sensory, and art ideas using magnets. I love these ideas for preschoolers! || Gift of Curiosity

Then they used a magnet beneath the plate to move the paperclip and metal nut through the paint. This was a bit more challenging then I had anticipated as the items on the plate did not seem to stick to the magnet as well as I had thought they would. But it worked well enough.

Painting with magnets: One of three fun and hands-on science, sensory, and art ideas using magnets. I love these ideas for preschoolers! || Gift of Curiosity
Painting with magnets: One of three fun and hands-on science, sensory, and art ideas using magnets. I love these ideas for preschoolers! || Gift of Curiosity

The kids loved this activity, and asked to do it more than once. Here is the end result!

Painting with magnets: One of three fun and hands-on science, sensory, and art ideas using magnets. I love these ideas for preschoolers! || Gift of Curiosity

Do you have other ideas for learning about magnets we should try? If so, please leave me a note in the comments. I’d love to hear your ideas!

 
STEAM Kids book

Looking for more hands-on activities that incorporate Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM)? Then you’ll love STEAM Kids! This book features 52 hands-on activities are helpfully identified by category (science / technology / engineering / art / math) so you know exactly what skills your kids are developing.

Grab a copy of the e-book delivered as a PDF download (or this e-book for EU residents) and in print at Amazon.

 

More science activities for kids

More science posts from Gift of Curiosity:

  • Dancing raisins
  • Candy experiments
  • Jumping colors science activity
  • Make your own glycerin soap
  • Crystallized snowflakes
  • Dissecting an apple
  • What do ants like to eat?
  • Make your own telescope
  • The great baking soda and vinegar experiment
  • Magic inflating balloons

Find more great science activities on my Science Activities for Kids page and my Science Activities Pinterest board. 

Don't miss out!

18 Comments

Comments

  1. Jeff Stokes says

    February 27, 2013 at 12:39 am

    Great activity! Can’t wait to make a trip back down soon and see how QBoy and XGirl are doing! Miss you all sis!

    Reply
  2. Tulip says

    February 27, 2013 at 3:35 pm

    Love that magnet painting idea. Thanks for sharing at Mom’s Library!

    Reply
  3. Judy says

    February 28, 2013 at 11:21 am

    I love the paper plate idea…I will have to try that with my boys!

    Reply
  4. Angela @ Teaching Mama says

    March 1, 2013 at 10:16 am

    Wow what a neat activity! I will have to try this with my 3 year old.

    Reply
  5. Ashley says

    March 3, 2013 at 5:09 am

    Great magnetic ideas! I will have to pin them for later. Thanks for sharing at Mom’s Library!

    Reply
  6. Emily says

    March 4, 2013 at 6:11 am

    I love the magnetic sensory tub! I have a basket of magnets like that in my classroom…LOVE Magnatiles!

    Reply
    • Katie says

      March 4, 2013 at 6:47 am

      Magnatiles are the best! We get so much use out of them at our house.

      Reply
  7. Isabel Rea says

    March 4, 2013 at 5:58 pm

    Great activity! I love tha magnet painting.:)

    Reply
  8. Deb @ Living Montessori Now says

    March 4, 2013 at 6:10 pm

    What awesome magnet activities! Thanks so much for linking up with Montessori Monday. I featured your post at the Living Montessori Now Facebook page and pinned it to my Kids’ Science Activities Pinterest Board at http://pinterest.com/debchitwood/kids-science-activities/

    Reply
  9. chelle says

    March 4, 2013 at 7:46 pm

    Fun ideas…we have magnet painting on our to-do list 🙂

    Thanks for sharing at Sharing Saturday!

    Reply
  10. Heather {Upside Down Homeschooling} says

    March 5, 2013 at 4:47 pm

    I LOVE this magnet and paint idea. We will be trying it soon!

    Thanks for linking up to the Hearts for Home Blog Hop! Blessings!!

    Reply
  11. Ticia says

    March 9, 2013 at 5:44 pm

    I like the challenge of getting the paper clip out with a magnet.

    Thanks for linking up to Science Sunday!

    Reply
  12. Genny Upton @ In Lieu of Preschool says

    March 11, 2013 at 10:11 pm

    Thanks for linking up to Tuesday Tots! I’m featuring your post this week on In Lieu of Preschool. Please feel free to stop by and grab a featured button! Off to pin your post. Thanks again for sharing! 🙂 ~Genny

    Reply
  13. Valerie @ Glittering Muffins says

    March 12, 2013 at 7:18 am

    Great post! Have to get a magnet wand.
    I like the posts so much I featured it on our “The Kid’s Co-op” post!

    Reply
    • Katie says

      March 12, 2013 at 8:34 am

      Thanks for featuring our fun with magnets post!

      Reply
  14. Deb @ Living Montessori Now says

    October 28, 2013 at 6:58 am

    I featured your post and magnet sensory bin photo in my post today at Living Montessori Now.

    Reply
    • Katie says

      October 28, 2013 at 2:17 pm

      Thanks Deb!

      Reply
  15. Kathryn @ Big Kids says

    November 13, 2013 at 11:50 am

    Magnet bins are awesome to play with & I love the challenge of moving a paperclip through the rice! The following is an easy & fun activity that’s heavy on problem-solving & critical thinking. Use recyclable plastic water bottles to make 5 Discovery Bottles. Fill one with colored water & oil, one with rice, one with popcorn kernels, one with store-bought sand, and one with corn syrup. Inside each bottle add different little items that are magnetized and others that are not (small plastic letters, glitter, coins, shells, glass beads, screws, paperclips, pony beads, nuts & bolts, etc). If you have magnet paddles, they’re perfect to manipulate the items inside. If not, get a child size pair of thin winter gloves & hot glue heavy duty magnets to a couple of the fingertips. The sensation of feeling the “pull” of the magnets is pretty cool, too.

    Reply

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