Magnets offer endless fascination to kids and endless opportunities for learning. These magnet activities and ideas will help encourage creativity, teach kids science concepts, and much more. They may even help organize the classroom or home if you’re doing distance learning! (Note: Use care with smaller magnets and magnetized objects, as ingesting them can be dangerous. Younger kids should always be supervised with magnets.) What are your favorite magnet activities? Come and share in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook. In this simple activity, kids move a character through a paper plate maze by guiding it with a magnet from underneath. Drop by the link below for free printables to get started.

iii) Compare and group together a variety of everyday materials on the basis of whether they are attracted to a magnet and identify some magnetic materials.Before they start, ask your students to make predictions about what materials will be attracted to (or repelled by) the magnet. Can they find anything they would expect to be magnetic, that isn’t? Combine ceramic magnets with hardware like nuts and bolts, and see where your imagination takes you! Get tips for this magnetizing art project at the link below. Magnet Maze Game (via Cakies) This inventive game takes a few basic materials like a paper plates and turns them into engaging games. See how long it’ll take for the rabbit to find the carrots! Magnet science is mesmerizing for kids. In this activity, paperclips seem to float in midair, demonstrating the powerful attracting forces of magnets. Get the how-to at the link below. Report on findings from enquiries, including oral and written explanations, displays or presentations of results and conclusions.

Marble runs are tons of fun, but store-bought sets can be pricey. Make your own with cardboard tubes and magnets instead. You can use these resources to base a lesson around the concept of magnetism and treat your class to a fun, interesting and informative lesson, and all you need is a magnet, a small metal object and one or more of these professionally-made resources from Twinkl. Each resource has been specially made to be suitable for all students in the KS1 age range. How brilliant is this? Kids can easily borrow a pencil when they need one, but the magnetic clip attached makes them much more likely to remember to return it. Genius. Magnetic Sculptures (via Babble Dabble Do) Perfect for your little tinkerer, take advantage of basic tools parts and let the kids create awesome magnetic sculptures. It’s time to test your knowledge of magnetic forces in a quiz before setting up your exhibit ready for the science fair. You will need to write some questions to really get visitors thinking and then write your own explanations and answers. Test run each other’s exhibits and discuss possible improvements before all the photos and ideas get sent off to Mr Newton.Here’s another fun classroom game that’s great with magnets. Put it on your whiteboard or use a large cookie tray so a group of kids can gather around it. Magnetism is one of the most interesting practical applications of science that you can teach to young children. Not only are magnets a great way to introduce young children to the wonders of science, as they seemingly have the ability to make metal objects move on their own and defy gravity, but it is also a great way to involve simple and safe practical activities in your class that will delight children in Key Stage 1.

Magnetic Robots (via Real Purdy) The tin can version of Mr. Potato Head, these magnetic robots are cute mix and matched aliens you can make with tons of possibilities.

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Yup, you read that right: a levitating pencil. Sometimes magnets seem more like magic. Demonstrate magnetic fields when you use a few simple supplies to build this experiment with your class. Matching Magnet Game (via Dream A Little Bigger) This cute free printable comes with instructions and quirky characters to make up a fun matching game – with a magnetic twist!