Thursday, November 4, 2010

2 DIY Magnetic Play Boards in 5 Easy Steps

As I take down our Halloween decor, I am reminded of our frugal solution for a magnetic play board:  our front door! 

Yes, I just peeled a variety of black cats, pumpkins and bats of the back of the door which the kids have been using for magnetic dramatic play scenarios.

And, in the past, I have had all manner of magnetic play and learning objects stuck to the back of the door.  So, I thought I would share the idea in case you, like me, don't have the extra funds for a fancy magnetic play set nor the time to paint one of those cool magnetic walls.  Here's a frugal alternative:
  1. Check to see if your door holds magnets.
  2. If it does, have the kids practice some fine motor skills by cutting out shapes, letters and pictures from greeting cards, magazines, etc. and taping bits of magnets to the back.  (We recycle those thin calendar magnets that businesses hand out for this purpose.)  Alternately, print felt stories, magnet stories, etc. on card stock and use these.
  3. For greater durability, laminate (for real or with the el-cheapo-for-now-solution clear contact paper version of laminating we use).
  4. Then, play and learn away!
And for travel - Step 5: Transfer your magnetic playing pieces to a cookie sheet for car-ride fun!

It's as simple as that.

Need some felt board printables to get started on your magnet boards, check back tomorrow for a round-up!


This post is being shared at Life as Mom's Frugal Friday.

2 comments:

Patty said...

The cookie sheet for transfer is a brilliant idea!

Lynn said...

What a great idea, especially to have your kids cut out stuff and make their own magnets. I never thought to recycle those magnets you get from businesses. I'll bet your kids have all kinds of fun doing this. Great suggestion :)

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