Lovely childcare

Handmade toys with magnets! A collection of fun, playable ideas

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked for 10 years as a kindergarten teacher and for 7 years as an after-school childcare instructor, then took a post as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I also engaged in activities that shared Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational play, working with many children. Afterwards, through freelance writing, planning, and editing work at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and conveying ideas. Leveraging the perspective cultivated in educational settings and my experience as an editor, I aim to deliver practical information—focusing on fields related to music and children—that values both input and output. Hobbies include instruments, singing, handcrafts, toys, drawing, traditional play, the outdoors, books, DIY, and crafts. Special skill: spinning-top tricks.
9 years of experience as a nursery school teacherShibata Risa
I am an active nursery school teacher with 9 years of experience. After graduating from university, I worked at a daycare center. The time I spent happily with children—playing piano, singing songs, and doing finger-play—are priceless memories to me. Currently, while raising three children of my own, I work at an after-school day service, engaging with children and providing individualized developmental support. Drawing on my diverse experiences as a childcare worker and as a mother, I hope to express and convey my thoughts through writing.

Here are some fun, handmade toy ideas that use magnets! There are plenty of ideas that both adults and kids can enjoy casually.

Try making them with everyday materials, adjusting the design to suit your child’s age.

As you experience the mysterious power of magnets together, help draw out your children’s creativity.

You’ll create memories filled with smiles for both kids and adults, along with the time you spend making them.

Why not have a great time by getting excited together, playing with the toys you made, and coming up with creative ways to play?

Handmade Magnet Toys! A Collection of Fun, Playable Ideas (21–30)

sticker burr

Super easy! Make a sticky bug with chenille stems and magnets

sticker burr

How about making a simple yet strangely addictive and fun toy called the Clingy Bug? It’s really easy to make: cut pipe cleaners into pieces about 1 centimeter long and put them into a clear plastic jar or similar container.

When you hold a magnet against the outside of the jar… the tiny pipe-cleaner pieces will swarm and stick to the magnet.

They wriggle and crawl around like real little bugs, and it’s so fun you’ll want to try all kinds of different magnets! If you add pipe cleaners in lots of colors, it’s even more fun to look at!

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Magnet Puzzle

[Handmade Toy] Magnet Puzzle [100-yen Shop] [Upcycling]

Magnet Puzzle

A magnet puzzle made by repurposing calendar or planner covers.

It’s a toy you can make together with children and play with over and over by rearranging the pieces.

First, cut the calendar or planner cover to match the size of the magnetic sheet.

Next, stick it onto the sheet and apply clear tape over the top.

Remove any excess, then cut it into pieces of your preferred size to finish.

How about making a magnet-based toy that lets you stick the completed puzzle pieces on and play to your heart’s content?

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Coin slider

[DIY Dollar-Store Educational Toy] Make a Coin Slider with a Whiteboard! [Montessori] #shorts

Coin slider

A coin slider where you watch coins drop from top to bottom.

Arrange magnet bars and buttons to create a mechanism that lets the coins roll smoothly.

Decorating the magnet bars with masking tape will make it an even more colorful toy.

Building it while repeatedly checking whether the coins fall properly helps train children’s thinking and imagination.

It’s a toy that offers not only the fun of making it, but also a sense of accomplishment when you watch the finished slider in action.

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Picture matching

Work No. 031 Matching Picture Magnets [Handmade Toy by a Nursery Teacher]

Picture matching

This is a game where you can experience the sensation of magnets sticking together and the satisfaction of matching pictures.

Let’s make a picture-matching toy that also supports children’s development.

First, divide the inside of a tablet-shaped candy container into three sections, insert magnets, and put on the lid.

Next, attach the illustrations for matching onto the tablet.

The key is to attach two of the same illustration.

After sticking illustrations on both the front and back, secure them with packing tape.

Then draw a frame on a whiteboard and add markers, and you’re done.

Try making this toy that lets you enjoy the sound of the magnets moving.

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The Wonders of Magnets

[For Ages 4–5] Try and Discover! The Wonders of Magnets

The Wonders of Magnets

Let’s make “sticky bugs” and play by using the properties of magnets! First, draw children’s favorite insects—like ladybugs or rhinoceros beetles—on construction paper and cut them out.

Attach a magnet to each one, and in no time your sticky bugs are ready.

Explore the room with your sticky bugs and see what they can stick to.

Try them on various items such as scissors, paper clips, stuffed animals, and blocks.

Review what sticks and what doesn’t, and ask questions like “Why does it stick?” to deepen children’s curiosity and interest in magnets.

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spinning doll

[Craft] Let's Make a Spinning Figure Doll [Magnet]

spinning doll

This is a doll inspired by a figure skater gliding freely across the ice.

First, use colored pencils or similar tools to draw a full-body illustration of a figure skater.

Fold the paper in half and cut it out.

Next, attach a paper clip to the skates in the illustration and secure it with tape.

Place a plastic sheet or similar item in between, then put a magnet underneath to move the figure.

You can also prepare a large board and move multiple dolls at once for more fun.

Try making this magnet-powered doll that moves smoothly!

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Fishing for fish

I made a felt fishing toy / handmade / hand-crafted / educational toy

Fishing for fish

Fishing is one of the most popular pastimes for children.

So why not try making various sea creatures out of felt? In addition to fish, kids might be delighted to have creatures you wouldn’t normally catch when fishing, like sharks, dolphins, and turtles.

If you put a material inside that sticks to a magnet, they can enjoy “catching” them with a rod that has a magnet on the end.

You can make them by layering and gluing felt, or stuff them with cotton to give them a three-dimensional shape—both are recommended.

Since they’re toys, be sure to make them colorful!

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