While especially great for tots, ALL of my kids LOVE using the Puff Ball Magnets. Also know as magnetic pom poms, they are great to use for fine motor skills and as it turns out, they are very easy to make!
To make your own magnetic pom poms you will need:
1) Puff balls {aka pom poms}
2) Circle magnets (you can buy these at craft store or at Walmart)
3) Glue
Directions: Simply glue the magnets to the pompoms and dry overnight. If you are overzealous like me, you could use a glue gun to speed up the drying process! 🙂
There are TONS of ways that your tot can use magnetic puff balls. Count them, sort them, use them as manipulatives…the ideas are endless!
Aside from free-lance playing, there are also some great printables that you could use with the puff ball magnets! Check out the links below:
Letter Magnet Pages from COAH’s Letter of the Week Curriculum
Do-A-Dot Pages from Homeschool Creations
Alphabet Pages from Making Learning Fun
Number Pages from Making Learning Fun
Mosaic Pages from Making Learning Fun
Just print a page, place it on a cookie sheet (I found some at the Dollar Tree) and have fun!
The older kids like to use the our puff ball magnets too. We use them quite often to play Spelling BINGO!!
Like I said, tons of possibilities!
A big thank you to Erin at Home Grown Hearts for providing a wonderful tutorial on how to make your own magnetic pompoms!
