Tinkering, playing and experimenting with magnets - fun for children and adults

We know magnets and their useful properties from many different areas of application, primarily from technology. Depending on the polarization, they attract or repel materials such as iron, cobalt, and nickel. Precisely for this reason, magnets for handicrafts offer ideal conditions for implementing creative play ideas together with children.
And the best thing about it is: that the little ones learn something too!
In the following, we'll reveal some handicraft tips that promise fun for young and old.

Our craft tip: Make impressive crown cap magnets yourself

DIY bottle cap magnets, which you can easily make yourself with your children, are not only beautiful to look at, but also reduce waste. Simple black or silver-colored magnets (e.g., discmagnets) for refrigerators, bulletin boards etc. are practical, but often look boring without a colorful outfit. But they are ideal as magnets for handicrafts.
With crown caps, you can then give them a personal touch in no time at all and use the closures of your beverage bottles sensibly.

If you or your children like the imprint on a cork, you can glue it to a magnet with hot glue. However, if you want your new fridge magnets to be a little more individual, you also have the option of taking the design into your own hands.
For this you need:

bottle caps
discmagnets (Ø 25.0 x 3.0 mm)
scissors or cutting compasses
craft glue or hot glue
individual prints (the diameter of the motif should not be more than 25.0 mm)

Cut out the kids' favorite printed motifs together in a circle. The easiest way to do this is with a cutting compass. Set this to a span of about 1.25 mm. When the motif is finished, you can glue the circle you have cut out to the inside of the crown cap. Then attach a magnet to the back. Once everything is dry, your personalized super magnets are ready.
But not only crown caps are suitable for crafting with magnets. You can use small magnets for crafting together with your children to create individual pieces for the fridge.
The craft magnets also look great on a magnetic board for the children's room.

Make your own magnets - This is how it works

You can have a lot of fun with magnets for crafting - There are almost no limits to your imagination. For example, they are suitable as decorative items for your four walls:

Coin magnets
You can easily make coin magnets by connecting a coin to a discmagnet - it is best to put a washer between them so that the coin gets not damaged.
Shell magnets
Recently went on a beach vacation and brought home some seashells? Then simply attach them to any place in your home with the help of our magnets for handicrafts.

Toy magnets
With self-adhesive craft magnets, you can also easily attach old toys to walls or cabinets in the children's room. So you can easily make your children happy.

More magnet craft ideas: Have a magnet boat race

A fun magnet craft game that you can do not only with older children, but also wonderfully with smaller children, is the magnet boat race. What is special about it is that all players move small boats across the water – Not with their hands, however, but with the help of magnetism.
You need the following utensils to make little magnet boats with your children:

styrofoam plates (approx. 20.0 mm thick)
discmagnets (from Ø 20.0 x 6.0 mm)
knife
adhesive
large bowl or tub
string
small wooden boards (approx. 20.0 mm thick)
small wooden boards (approx. 30.0 mm thick)

First cut out the desired shapes in the appropriate size for your future racing ships from the Styrofoam plates. Of course, there are no limits to your and your children's handicraft fantasies. How about, for example, a sail or a flag at the stern made of fabric, felt or foam rubber? Implementing this is entirely up to you.

The boats are driven by two magnets that repel each other. Glue a disc craft magnet to the bottom of the Styrofoam ships. Then you must glue another one to the front of one of the small wooden boards. The magnets you use for crafting will become your control boards, which you will later use to set the boats in motion. You and the kids must make sure that the control magnet has a different polarization than the ship magnet. In the dry test, the boat and wooden board should therefore repel each other and not attract.

The game board can consist of a bowl or a tub with a not too thick wall. You have to place the improvised board on two wooden boards (30.0 mm) or blocks at each end, so that there is some space between the table and the bowl. Fill the bowl with water and use string to mark the start and finish lines. Now it can start.

Place all the boats at the starting point and have your steering boards ready. On your marks, get set, go! Now it comes down to sensitivity. Steer your ship forward with the help of counteracting mini crafting magnets. Whoever crosses the finish line first with their Styrofoam boat wins!

Tired of crafting magnets? Our magnet experiments for children

If your kids prefer experimenting to crafting with magnets, we also have a few good ideas for you. For example, explore the impressive properties of ferrofluid together. But please be careful when doing this, as the liquid leaves stains on skin, clothing, and surfaces. You should observe the handling instructions.

Ferrofluid is an oily liquid peppered with the finest iron particles. Without a strong magnet nearby, it behaves like normal water. However, if you bring a horseshoe magnet (often used as school magnets, among other things) close to the liquid, it will come to life. Several peaks form, which react to the adhesive force of the magnet and stretch towards it. If this is moved, the liquid even begins to dance. Try it out with your children - An exciting experiment is waiting for you!