DIY Pompom Magnets

What do you get when you glue pompoms to magnets? Pompom magnets, of course!

But what do you do with them, you ask? Well, they are an excellent sensory manipulative for little ones. Toddlers and preschoolers love to match colors, count them, cover do-a-dot pages with them, make patterns on the fridge or a cookie sheet, and use them as game pieces (bingo, tic-tac-toe, etc.). And if your toddler is like mine, they will enjoy knocking them off of the fridge and throwing them too.

I had seen these before over at Mama Jenn's (she calls them puff balls), but didn't get the urge to make them until last week. Boy, am I glad I did! M2 and LJ love them!

They are super simple to make, especially if you use a hot glue gun. I purchased a large bag of multi-colored pompoms in a variety of sizes at Hobby Lobby for less than $4 (with 40% off coupon) and a package of 52 3/4" round magnets from WalMart for $5.97. So, for about $10, we got 52 pompom magnets and a LOT of extra pompoms for crafts and toddler activities, like transferring, matching, sorting, counting, and patterning.

To make your own pompom magnets, you will need:

• pompoms that are slightly bigger than your magnets (about 1")
• 3/4" round magnets
• hot glue gun or other strong, non-toxic glue

Hold a magnet in one hand and cover it with a zigzag of glue, then very quickly...

squish the magnet onto a pompom and hold for a couple of seconds.

 That's it!

If you use a different kind of glue, you'll have to wait for them to dry, so keep them out of sight of your kids. They will want to play with them!

Of course, they are good for keeping artwork on the fridge, too! :)