Who doesn’t love magnets?! I think magnets are lots of fun, and my 3½-year-old granddaughter, Zoey, thinks they’re magic. Today, I’m sharing free magnet printables and activities to help make science (and other curriculum areas) fun. I also have my new Montessori-inspired magnet pack (subscriber freebie)!
In addition to our new magnet pack, I have a special instant download from The Montessori Company with a hand-painted magnet culture card!
Montessori-Inspired Magnet Activities Using Free Printables
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links (at no cost to you).
Shelves with Magnet-Themed Activities
My shelves with magnet-themed activities include a free hand-painted printable magnet culture card designed by The Montessori Company. You’ll also find Montessori-inspired magnet numbers and letters (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber)
The books on my top shelf are great for preschoolers through early elementary. They’re What Magnets Can Do by Allan Fowler, What Makes a Magnet by Franklyn M. Branley, and Magnets Push, Magnets Pull by David A. Adler. Zoey loves our themed books each month. She hasn’t gotten to see the magnet books yet, although she tested out a couple of the activities before the books were out. I’m sure she’ll love them and want to try some of the fun magnet activities they tell about.
You could mix your magnet-themed activities among your shelves according to curriculum area. Or you could have a special magnet area something like the one pictured. My shelves this month have a mixture of skill levels. If you’re a homeschooler, just choose the activities that work for your child’s interests and ability levels. If you don’t have room for all the activities you’d like to do, just rotate them.
Magnet Culture Card (on Shelf with Magnets Push, Magnets Pull and More Magnet Books)
I’m happy to share with you an awesome hand-painted magnet culture card from The Montessori Company. You can use it on your shelves to introduce a magnet theme. I’m hosting the free printable as an instant download at Living Montessori Now. You can always access the free magnet culture card here.
The description says: “All magnets have both a negative and positive side which creates a magnetic field and attracts metallic objects.”
Magnet Letter and Object Matching
Free Printables: Magnet Letters for Letter M Object Basket (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber)
I used the “m” sandpaper letter, magnetic letter m’s and magnetic pictures for the/m/ sound. If you’d like ideas for teaching phonics, check out my DIY Beginning Montessori Phonics post.
We used a Montessori mystery bag and have a blindfold available. I got the basket, mystery bag, and blindfold from Montessori Services. I added a magnet, magnetic letters, and magnetic pictures (if you don’t have any, you could make them with magnetic tape and pictures)
Using a Mystery Bag with a Magnet to Find Magnetic Letters and Pictures
Zoey loved this and wanted to do it again right away!
Magnet Writing Tray
Free Printables: Magnet Letters for Magnet Writing Tray (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber)
For the tray, I used the wooden tray from the Melissa & Doug Lace and Trace Shapes. You can use whatever tray or container work best for you, though.
I often color salt with food coloring, but this time I used some colored rice that had gotten broken up from so much use in sensory bins. I added a magnet as the writing tool along with iron filings from our magnet set.
Having Fun Discovering Iron Filings on the Magnet from the Magnet Writing Tray
Zoey loved the texture of the rice, and she was fascinated to find that the iron filings stuck to the magnet after she wrote in the rice!
Beginning Sounds Matching Activity with Magnetic Letters
Free Printable: Alphabet Beginning Sounds Poster from Homeschool Creations
You can do this activity on the refrigerator or cookie sheet, but we’ve always loved the Magnetic Chalk/Dry Erase Board from Melissa & Doug. I chose these magnetic letters when Zoey was a toddler because they were safer without small magnets.
Children can match the beginning sound of the pictured object or do a simple match the lowercase letters.
Magnetic Number Basket 1-20 with Science Activity
Free Printable: Magnet Numbers 1-20 (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber)
For this activity, I used a Montessori Services basket, Bambu condiment cup with 20 large paperclips, and a variety of magnets of different strengths. Most of my magnets are from this set, although I have some from other sources, too.
I just keep one magnet on this tray and we gather up magnets from other trays to do the activity. We simply, line up the cards in order from 1-20 and then test one magnet to see how many paperclips it can lift. Then we count out the paperclips, laying them out a bit like the Montessori teen board. In the end, we place the number next to the layout. I think this is fun even for adults!
We always do our layouts on a Montessori Services rug.
Magnetic and Non-Magnetic Tray
Free Printable: Magnetic/Non-magnetic Title Cards from Montessori for Everyone
For this traditional Montessori activity, I used a Multicraft tray, Montessori Services basket, magnet, 9 magnetic objects, and 9 non-magnetic objects.
Except for the tray, my materials were actually part of a complete Magnetic/Non-Magnetic Activity from Montessori Services. You can obviously prepare your own tray, although it’s super fast and easy if you have the Montessori Services activity.
You can read about Montessori magnetic/non-magnetic activity and see variations of it in my magnetic and non-magnetic activity post.
Tray with Magnet Song and Magnet Task Cards
Free Printable: Magnets Song from First Grade WOW Free Printable: Magnet Task Cards from Fun with Magnets by Have Fun Teaching at Teachers Pay Teachers
For this activity, I used a Multicraft tray with printables and magnets. I didn’t have two bar magnets, so I used one bar magnet and a horseshoe magnet. That worked, although I think I’ll get an extra bar magnet to make some of the activities clearer.
For younger children, you can sing the song with them and do the activities on the task cards together, skipping the recording your observations part.
Free Magnet Printables for Preschoolers-First Graders
Montessori-Inspired Magnet Pack for DIY Cards and Counters, Number or Letter Matching, Number or Letter Basket, Bead Bar Work, Hands-on Math Operations, Number or Letter Salt/Sand Writing Tray, Letter Tracing, DIY Movable Alphabet, and Creative Writing (subscriber freebie, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password – or check your inbox if you’re already a subscriber)
FREE Magnet Do-a-Dot Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
Free Magnet Cutting Strips (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
Fun Magnetic Vehicle STEM Trays and Activity Bags
The links are for free magnet printables for preschoolers through 1st graders. To keep my list manageable, I don’t share coloring pages unless a page has a specific educational purpose related to magnets.
Many printables can be made into magnetic activities simply by adding magnetic strips or sheets for backing. But here are some printables made specifically for magnets:
- Magnet Pack (emember free level) from Wise Owl Factory
- Magnet Sorting Mat from PreKinders
- Magnetic/Not Magnetic Sort from First Grade A La Carte
- Magnetic/Not Magnetic Sort from Pre-K Pages
- Magnetic Objects Recording Sheet from The Measured Mom
- Magnet Printables from Kelly’s Kindergarten
- Beginning Numbers and Math Pom Pom Sheets from Fab n’ Free
- Alphabetic Magnetic Pom Pom Sheets from Fab n’ Free
- 5 Ways to Use Magnetic Letters with Free Printables from No Time for Flash Cards
- Magnetic Tile Printables from Totschooling
- Magnetic Alphabet Build-a-Word from This Reading Mama
- Magnetic Printables from Mother’s Niche
- Magnet Pages from Making Learning Fun
- Fun with Magnets from The Curriculum Corner
- 3 DIY Ways to Play with Magnets with Printables from Picklebums
- Pioneer Dress-up-Doll for Magnetic Sheets from Adventure in a Box
- Funny Face Magnets from Moms & Crafters
- Minecraft Magnets from Unskinny Boppy
- Magnetic Unit Book (elementary) from Layers of Learning
- Magnet Lapbook Templates by Jimmie at Homeschool Share
- Magnet Printables from Teachers Pay Teachers
Learn more about my eBook Montessori at Home or School: How to. Teach Grace and Courtesy!
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