How to make your own magnetic board on a budget!
If you haven’t seen how to make your own magnetic board yet, then you will want to see this one my daughter made for my grandson’s bedroom and then consider making one for your own child’s play room or your classroom…
Gather the Materials
I have shared our use of the magnetic board in my classroom on many occasions only the magnetic board I purchased before came from an auto supply store. This magnetic board (oil pan) came from Walmart and cost about $11.00. I purchased two of the grease pans so I could use one in my classroom and one for my grandson’s bedroom…
The oil pan comes in a very pretty shiny silver which you could leave and use as is. I like painting my oil pan to add some color but if you choose to paint yours, it is important to find a good spray paint that is meant for painting metal surfaces. Once you have selected your paint color, then you are ready to paint…
Painting the Magnetic Board
I started by painting the inside of my boards. My grandson’s is painted with an off-white color and my classroom board is painted with a bright white…
Then I flipped the board over and painted the back of my classroom board a pretty blue. It looks much better once the paint dries. And oh, my board had a few dents in the corner that I never noticed until I brought it home – so be sure to check your board over before purchasing it unless you don’t mind a few dents…
Create Magnets with Everyday Objects
After your paint dries, then you are ready to use your DIY Magnetic Boards for play. My daughter attached her magnetic board to my grandson’s bedroom wall for play. My daughter also made a few of her own magnets to go on his board as well like these foam block magnets. She simply hot glued magnets on the back of a few large foam blocks. (Sorry that the following pictures are a little fuzzy but I took these with my phone)…
And my daughter added two magnets to the back of each of these animal shaped wooden blocks…
Enjoy Exploring the Magnets
And now my grandson has his very own magnetic board in his bedroom for play…
And when he comes over to play at my house, we often stop by my classroom and check out the magnetic board there too!
Safety Considerations
As a side note, be sure to check to make sure any magnets you make yourself will work well if you plan to put them in a toddler environment. We found that magnets hot glued on the back of wooden or foam pieces stay on much better than magnets put on something plastic. And of course, you want to keep an eye on anything you give a toddler to play with!
Available on Amazon
Links to Grow On…
Are Preschoolers Interested in Magnets? from Teach Preschool
DIY Playdough Lid Magnets from Teach Preschool
See more ideas for Magnetic Play on Pinterest
