The Magic of Magnet Tape

I am a big fan of novelty when it comes to children, especially when practicing skills like letters or numbers. I have seen first hand the excitement students get when provided a new and engaging learning activity. Often, it is practicing the same skills as past activities, but the novelty of a new game or even new clipart seems to get their excitement going nearly every time. Which is exactly why here at AlliKat, we have so many products that practice the same skill, but with different themes, to help children feel excited to continue to practice math and literacy skills regularly.

Today, I want to tell you about a way to refresh activities you may already have at home or in the classroom with magnet tape. Magnet tape comes in a roll with a peel-off backing. Simply cut the amount you need, peel off the back, and stick it to your laminated activity. Suddenly you have added a whole new element of fun and novelty for your kids!

Magnets also help children strengthen their coordination and increase fine motor skills. Have children use those magnets on a vertical surface, such as a whiteboard or the refrigerator and you see even more benefits!

When a child is working on a vertical surface, they are working on:

• Wrist extension
• Shoulder and elbow stability
• Core strength
• Posture
• Spatial awareness
• Hand-eye coordination
• Midline crossing
• Bilateral coordination

A bit crazy that your little one could be working on so many skills just by moving a magnet around the refrigerator right!?

In the classroom, I had a magnet station as one of my literacy work stations. I happened to have a large desk with a metal front where the magnet magic happened. If you don't have a magnetic wall or desk, cookie trays are a great way to add magnet work to your classroom or home too. Hang them on the wall to get the added benefits of vertical surface play.

At home, I pulled out the magnet tape and added it to our ABC Apple cards for my oldest toddler. I only gave him about 10 letter matches that I felt confident he knew and asked him to match them by sticking them on the dishwasher. (Anyone else have a refrigerator that's not magnetic?) He was more interested in sorting them by uppercase and lowercase letters, which I was totally okay with! This kept him busy while I made dinner and I call that a win!

When he was over the activity and walked away to something else leaving our newly turned magnet letters on the dishwasher, my one year old decided to come over and play. He was happy to pull the cards off the dishwasher and throw them on the floor. Magnet play is a great activity for your little ones, just make sure they are not small enough to cause a choking hazard, and please always supervise.

You can add magnet tape to just about anything, to keep novelty in the home or classroom! Another one of my favorite activities is to add it to the back of photos of family members, especially during this strange pandemic time when we aren't seeing extended family near as much. This is a fun activity with classmates photos at the beginning of the school year too. The possibilities are truly endless!