Veronika is finally old enough that I’m comfortable letting her play with magnets; I hesitated even to give her large ones, previously, since she liked to put everything in her mouth. Now, it’s her hands that are busy, and this is a classic toddler activity that will entertain your little one for ages!

I set out a round cookie sheet and gave Veronika an assortment of magnets. These included a set of letter magnets as well as some chunky fruit-and-vegetable magnets we have.

Picking up the magnets is great for exercising little finger muscles. Then there’s that element of magic for kids when they feel the pull of the metal cookie sheet attracting the magnets back on.

She had fun simply taking the magnets on and off for a while. You can also make things a little educational by spelling out a few simple words, or sorting magnets by color.

But mostly, I just let Veronika have free reign with this one.

Big brother jumped in to helpfully spell out some words, too!

How do you like to play with magnets at home? Please share in the comments!