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DIY Magnetic Popsicle Sticks

I was browsing Amazon one day looking for magnetic building blocks for my boys when I came across what looked like magnetic popsicle sticks. I thought they were such a neat idea, and I knew my youngest, especially, would have a blast playing with them.

I spent the entire day making my own set and couldn’t wait to show the boys. When I went back to Amazon to find the original product again, though, it was gone! I searched online and, to my disappointment, discovered that lots of other creative people had come up with the same idea.

Even so, I was pretty proud of how our magnetic popsicle sticks turned out. The boys loved building with them, and they ended up being a fun, inexpensive DIY activity that kept them busy for hours.

Materials Needed

✔️ Acrylic paint and paintbrushes
✔️ Jumbo wooden craft sticks
✔️ Magnetic tape
✔️ Scissors

Directions

Grab a handful of jumbo wooden craft sticks and paint them a variety of colors and patterns. Let them dry completely.

Cut strips of magnetic tape slightly shorter than each craft stick. Attach one strip of magnetic tape to the back of each stick.

💡 Tip: If you don’t have—or don’t want to buy—magnetic tape, save those advertising magnets that come in the mail! Cut them into strips and glue them to the back of the craft sticks. I always keep a few on hand for projects like this.

Once the magnets are attached, grab a cookie sheet or head to the refrigerator and start building!

My boys spent a long time experimenting with these. Sometimes they made patterns, other times they created pictures or challenged each other to make letters and shapes. It quickly became one of those simple activities that they came back to again and again.

More Magnetic Craft Stick Activities

One of the things I love most about these magnetic craft sticks is how many different ways there are to use them.

💡 Copy a Pattern: Create a simple color pattern and have your child recreate it.

💡 Build Letters: Form uppercase and lowercase letters, then spell simple words.

💡 Create Color Patterns: Challenge kids to make patterns using only three or four colors.

💡 Guess the Shape: Arrange the sticks to make a shape and see if someone else can identify it.

💡 Practice Tally Marks: Use the sticks to make groups of five while practicing tally marks.

💡 Create Picture Frames: Design colorful frames for artwork, family photos, or notes on the refrigerator.

💡 Design Pictures: Arrange the sticks to create houses, flowers, robots, stars, or other simple pictures.

💡 Make Mazes: Arrange the sticks to create simple mazes for toy cars, marbles (with supervision), or small figures.

💡 Measure Objects: Estimate and measure household items using craft sticks as a nonstandard unit of measurement.

💡 Create Symmetrical Designs: Make one half of a design and challenge someone else to complete the other half.

I love projects like this because there isn’t just one “right” way to play. My boys always came up with ideas I never would have thought of, and that’s part of what made these magnetic craft sticks so much fun.