magnet experiment for kindergarten

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10 Fantastic Magnet Experiments for Kids

July 14, 2015 By Emma Vanstone 7 Comments

Our magnet wands are one of our most used pieces of science kit and are perfect for all kinds of magnet experiments and investigations. When my children were little, they wandered around the house “testing” things to see if they were magnetic, and then we went through a phase of magnet-powered cars , boats and anything else we could make move.

Magnets are great for experiments and investigative activities as children can feel the force between them but can’t see it, which can feel almost magical!

If you like these, don’t forget we’ve got 100s more free science experiments and activities to try.

Magnet Experiments for Preschoolers

Magnet maze.

Magnet mazes are fantastic as they are super easy to make and can be themed to the child’s interest. We’ve had lots of fun with mini magnet mazes over the years, but there’s nothing to stop you from making a giant version!

LEGO magnet mazes are great fun too!

Crazy Pipe Cleaner Hair

Draw a head of a person and give them a new hairstyle using a magnet wand and some pipe cleaners.

Magnet Scavenger Hunt

We love this magnetic scavenger hunt from Inspiration Laboratories.

Another idea is to hide magnetic items and add clues or codes for children to break, leading them to the next thing.

Magnet Sensory Bottle

Sensory bottles are great fun for little ones, and these magnet sensory bottles are extra special. Move the magnet wand up and down, and the objects that are attracted to the magnet also move up and down!

How strong is a magnet?

Find out how strong your magnet is using felt squares. Investigate how many felt squares it takes to stop two magnet wands from being attracted to each other.

Another idea is to set up an investigation using different types of magnets and materials.

Ice and Magnet Experiments

This ice and magnet activity from Little Bins for Little Hands looks great fun.

Car Track Magnet Game

This car track magnet game is brilliant fun for young children. Print the track and cut out the cars to make it super easy, or draw your own track.

Find a story to recreate

We recently watched an episode of The Clangers where the Iron Chicken gets trapped in a pile of space rubbish. Straight away, my little girls disappeared to recreate the scene with our magnets and a stash of toys.

They created a magnet fishing rod using a stick and some string. Used plastic toys for space rubbish and made an ‘Iron chicken’ using kitchen foil with a magnet inside. It wasn’t entirely accurate to the story, but they did very well with the resources they had.

During the episode, Small and Tiny first use nets to clear the space junk to free the Iron Chicken, but their nets break. We used the opportunity to discuss materials that might have strengthened the nets. Major Clanger then uses a magnet to collect the space rubbish. The girls predicted correctly that the space rubbish would weigh down the flying music boat!

Magnet Experiments for Older Children

This magnetic slime and electromagnetic train Frugal Fun for Boys looks AMAZING!!

Extract iron from breakfast cereal . Remember to be very careful using strong magnets.

Babble Dabble Do has some incredible magnet tricks that are like magic!

Did you know you can use magnets to defy gravity ? Can you see how the cardboard and paperclip seem to be floating?

If you’re looking for a great magnet set, this one from Learning Resources is our absolute favourite!

Can you think of any more magnet experiments for us?

Last Updated on October 17, 2023 by Emma Vanstone

Safety Notice

Science Sparks ( Wild Sparks Enterprises Ltd ) are not liable for the actions of activity of any person who uses the information in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources. Science Sparks assume no liability with regard to injuries or damage to property that may occur as a result of using the information and carrying out the practical activities contained in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources.

These activities are designed to be carried out by children working with a parent, guardian or other appropriate adult. The adult involved is fully responsible for ensuring that the activities are carried out safely.

Reader Interactions

July 15, 2015 at 9:22 am

Great set of ideas for magnetism – do you have any recommendations of where to get good magnets for kids from that allow open-ended exploration?

July 18, 2015 at 10:43 am

Wow! I just discovered your site…so much great science stuff! My 3yo says that he is a science kid (like Sid!) so thank you for all of the great ideas even for the little ones!

July 23, 2015 at 6:17 am

I read your tips to learning about magnetism is very helpful to connect two magnetism each other Also read your baby picture made so cute in television

October 29, 2015 at 2:10 am

😀 that idea of moving picture is nice. Amazing article. Enjoyed reading.

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Magnet Experiments for Kids

Did you know that one of the great inspirations for Albert Einstein’s curiosity as a child was his discovery of the magnetic forces that control a compass? Today we want to embrace our own passion for learning and discovery, and foster that all important curiosity, as we explore magnet experiments and science.

Magnet Science for Kids

What you will discover in this article!

Disclaimer: This article may contain commission or affiliate links. As an Amazon Influencer I earn from qualifying purchases. Not seeing our videos? Turn off any adblockers to ensure our video feed can be seen. Or visit our YouTube channel to see if the video has been uploaded there. We are slowly uploading our archives. Thanks!

Why did the magnet go to school?

Because it wanted to attract some knowledge!

What is Magnetism? What are Magnets?

Magnets are really cool objects that have a special power called magnetism. It allows them to stick to certain things and even make things move without touching them!

A magnet is usually made of a material called iron. Iron has special properties that make it magnetic. A magnet has two ends called poles. One end is called the North pole, and the other is called the South pole… just like the Earth !

When you bring two magnets close together, something interesting happens. If you try to put the North pole of one magnet close to the North pole of another magnet, they push each other away. Another way to say this is that they repel each other, known as repulsion. But if you put the North pole of one magnet close to the South pole of another magnet, they pull towards each other and stick together, this is called attraction.

Magnets can also stick to certain things like metal objects. This is because there are tiny invisible things called electrons inside those objects. When a magnet gets close to a metal object, it can make the electrons inside the object move a little bit. This makes the metal object act like a magnet allowing them to attract.

You can find magnets in lots of places. You might have magnets on your fridge that hold up your artwork or pictures. Magnets are also used in some toys. Our favourite magnet toy is Magna Tiles !

Quick Fun Magnet Game:  Grab a magnet wand and have your kids run around home or the classroom and look for magnetic items. How many different objects can they find that have magnetic properties?

Magnets are special objects that can stick to certain things, attract and repel each other, and even make things move. They’re like a magical force that can do some really cool things!

What is Earth’s Magnetic Field?

Did you know Earth is a big magnet? Just like a regular magnet, Earth also has a magnetic field. This magnetic force is invisible, but it’s all around us. Think of it like a big bubble that covers Earth. It stretches from deep inside our planet and goes all the way up into space.

You know how magnets have a north pole and a south pole? Well, Earth’s magnetic field is just like that. It has a north pole and a south pole too.

The magnetic field is important because it protects us from some harmful things in space. The Sun sends out lots of things called solar winds, which are like a stream of particles. These solar winds carry electrically charged particles called cosmic radiation, and if they reached Earth’s surface, they could be dangerous. You can see incredible displays of our protective bubble at work when you look at the Northern Lights .

Thanks to the magnetic field, it acts like a shield and stops most of these particles from coming down to Earth. It keeps us safe by diverting those particles around our planet. It’s like wearing a strong armor that protects us from harm.

Not only does the magnetic field protect us, but it also helps animals like birds and turtles find their way during long journeys. Some of them have a special ability to sense the magnetic field, kind of like having a built-in compass.

Magnet Lesson Vocabulary Review

Magnet: A magnet is an object that has the ability to attract and repel. It has two ends called the north pole and the south pole. When two magnets come close together, opposite poles attract each other, while similar poles repel each other. Magnets can be either natural, like lodestone, or man-made, like the magnets on your refrigerator.

North Pole/South Pole : The ends of a magnet. Like attracts like, while opposites repel.

Magnetic: The definition of “magnetic” is something that has the properties or characteristics of a magnet. It can describe objects or materials that are capable of being attracted to or influenced by magnets. Magnetic materials, such as iron have the ability to be magnetized or interact with magnetic fields. Additionally, “magnetic” can be used to describe the behavior or effects associated with magnetism, such as magnetic forces or fields.

Attraction:  When magnets attract, they want to stick together. Magnetic attraction is when like fields are brought together. 

Repulsion:  When magnets repel, they push each other away. This occurs when opposite fields, or different polarities, are brought close together.

Magnet Experiments

So now we have learned about magnets, let’s explore magnetism in science and do some experiments and projects. These are always great fun and students always find experiments with magnets really exciting. We love a project that gets kids excited to learn!

WARNING: Magnets are very dangerous if swallowed. Never, ever place magnets in your mouth, and don’t allow any young children to use magnets that can not do so safely. Small magnets in particular are very dangerous and easy to swallow. Strong magnets can also pinch fingers as they can attract strongly and suddenly. Always use caution and adult supervision.

Magnetic compass

Channel your inner Einstein and learn how to make a simple magnetic compass . This is a fun way to explore the magnetic forces by making your own compass.

Wingardium Leviosa

Is your kid waiting for their owl? Why not start with a charms class now and practice Wingardium Leviosa with this experiment that plays with paper clips and magnetic forces.

Flying Ghosts is a spooky twist on the Wingardium Leviosa experiment.

Jitter Bugs

This is a wonderful project that allows students to really play with magnetic forces as they try to get perpetual motion as their bugs jitter and dance around thanks to magnet science! It is also a wonderful STEM project where students can build their STEM mastery in Engineering and Math.

We love our lady bugs so much, we also decided to make a Spider magnetic science STEM Project , with the spider that dances and swings on a web.

Make It Move

This is a fun challenge for kids called Make it Move, that includes a magnetism component . The goal is to figure out how to move toy cars down a track without touching them. One option is to use magnets!

Electromagnetic Crane

For your more advanced students, including middle grade and high school students, challenge them to take magnetism to the next level with electromagnetic circuits. Then turn it into an incredible Electromagnet Crane Project .

Magnetic Painting

Another idea like Make it Move is to put little pile of paint (do a few piles of different colours for extra fun!) on a paper plate or sheet of cardstock. Then place a magnet on top of the plate between the paint. Using a magnet wand, move the top magnet through the paint to create a special piece of art. Another version is magnet marble painting .

Troll Bogey’s Magnetic Slime

We love to have fun with our science around here, and in this project we couldn’t make a normal magnetic slime, nope, we turned ours into a Harry Potter inspired project with Troll Bogey magnetic slime ! So grossly awesome!

Simple Magnet Experiment

One of the best ways to learn about magnets is to explore with them! We mentioned earlier a great game where you give kids a magnet wand and send them around to find all the things they can that are magnetic.

Another simple project is to gather some metal filings and place them in a bottle. Using a magnet or magnet wand, drag it around the outside of the bottle and see what happens to the filings. Now what happens if you try using two magnets? For an extra twist try adding some water to the bottle and see what happens when you put the magnet on the outside of the bottle. If you have a magnet that fits inside a straw, try sliding the magnet into the straw then into the bottle. What happens?

More magnet activity ideas from some of our STEM friends!

Build an Electromagnet – Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls

Magnetic Magic – Spinning Pen – Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls

Magnetic Train – Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls

Magnet Maze – Pacman Game – Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls

Magnet Pendulum – Teach Beside Me

Bouncing Magnets – Babble Dabble Do

Magnetic Sculptures – Babble Dabble Do

Heavy Metal Art with magnets and iron filings – Babble Dabble Do

Looking for More Easy Science Experiments?

5 Days of Smart STEM Ideas for Kids

Get started in STEM with easy, engaging activities.

40 Fun Magnet Experiments and Play Ideas

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FUN Magnet Science Experiments and Activities

Magnetic Marble Mazes : For this activity you need magnet wands and magnetic marbles , plus my printable mazes !

Animal Magnet Face Drawings : These are reminiscent of the old funny face magnet toy I had as a kid. It’s fun & easy to make, plus kids love it!

The Magnet Bell Game : We used our magnet wands for this one, too, as well as some small colored bells . This does NOT have to be a Christmas game. 🙂

This Cow Magnet in a Bottle Experiment was loads of fun! My kids LOVED this magnet experiment.

Stacking Levitating Magnets : this magnet experiment uses  ring magnets , a wooden skewer and play dough.

Milk Cap Magnet Boats : Save your milk and bottle caps for this playful magnet experiment in water.

This  Magnet Pendulum : another great use for the magnet wands! This experiment tests to see which direction the wand swings when you move the magnets around. The magnetic force makes the wand swing in different patterns. It’s so fun to watch and to play with! Watch it in action:

Magnet Science Fun for Kids – The magnet bottle experiment is an easy one to put together with things you may already have in your house You just need an empty plastic bottle, pipe cleaners, and a strong magnet that will attract the pipe cleaners. The attractive force of the magnet will pick up the pipe cleaners through the bottle!

Simple Machines Gear & Magnet Play for Kids : Use magnets to attach gears to a white board.

My kids like to collect small household objects and see which ones stick to the magnets.  You could chart them in two columns.

You can have them try to put the same poles of the magnets together and see what happens.  Then try with opposite poles- what’s the difference? Teach them the terms repel & attract.

See if they can make them move things with magnets. There is a fun experiment to get cars moving with magnets on this website.

Here are directions to make your own compass out of a magnet.

More Awesome Magnet Teaching and Play Ideas:

Former school teacher turned homeschool mom of 4 kids. Loves creating awesome hands-on creative learning ideas to make learning engaging and memorable for all kids!

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New follower from the Friday Blog Hop! 🙂 Jen @ My Secret Home

Thanks for linking up to the NOBH:). My kids love magnets too. Going to check out the site on making your own compass my 2 would love that:)

Magnets are alot of fun and love your ideas! Thanks for linking up to NOBH! Happy Mother’s Day!

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20 Fun Magnet Activities, Ideas, and Experiments for Kids

April 20, 2023 //  by  Sophie Hurford

For many kids, their first encounter with magnetism comes in the form of fridge magnets. It often sparks their curiosity and provides you with a perfect opportunity to kickstart learning about magnetism. Magnets and their uses are fascinating, and for students the learning opportunities are vast.

So, to help you navigate your way through a topic on magnets, we have put together a list of magnet activities, ideas, and experiments guaranteed to magnetize young minds. Whatever age or stage your students, the list is sure to include activities that will attract their attention and repel any magnetic misconceptions.

1. Magnetic Treasure Hunt

Armed with a magnetic wand, send your students out to the sand tray and see what treasures they can find buried in the sand. You can hide various metal objects such as toy cars, coins, or even magnetic letters and numbers.

Learn More: Happy Toddler Playtime

2. Magnetic Materials in the Environment

Explore magnetic materials around your learning environment. With a magnetic wand in hand, students can investigate which surfaces their magnets stick to. It provides hours of fun, and it’s a great way to highlight common misconceptions. Will your students discover any metallic surfaces to which their magnet is not attracted too?

Learn More: Arbor Scientific

3. Mystery Magnets

Create a mystery box filled with magnetic objects. Students can lower their magnet into the box, and pull out a magnetic object. They might be surprised by the objects that appear. Once some items have been revealed, can your students spot any properties that they have in common?

4. Magical Magnetics

This activity explores the magic of magnets and illustrates how they are used in the entertainment industry. Don your magician’s cloak and perform a magnetic magic trick for your students. It could be a classic such as jumping beans or an object mysteriously moving across a surface unaided. Once you’ve divulged your secrets, your students can then have a turn at creating their own incredible magnet tricks.

Learn More: YouTube

5. Magnetic or Not

Important scientific skills include prediction and investigation. This activity practices both. Give your students a selection of objects and ask them to predict which they think are magnetic or not. Their investigation might throw up a few surprises.

Learn More: Inventors of Tomorrow

6. Environmental Clear-up  

If you’re lucky enough to live close to a beach or a river, why not team up with a local environmental charity. Take part in beachcombing or riverbed clearance. Metal detectors and large magnets are used to retrieve metal waste from these environments. And seeing this in action gives students a real-life application of magnets and a purpose for learning.

7. Wire up your own Electromagnet

This activity is great for older students who are learning about electromagnets. They can build their own electromagnet and explore different variables that affect their magnetic field and the orientation of its poles.

Learn More: Science Bob

8. Make your own Fridge Magnet

Making your own fridge magnets is a great introduction to the topic, and they’ll look great too! Once your students have decorated their kitchen appliances, encourage them to think of other ways in which magnets are used and start to explore how they work.

Learn More: Fabulessly Frugal

9. Compass Navigation

Lose yourselves in a compass navigation activity. Explore the science behind how a compass works and use it to navigate out in the wild. It’s great fun and your students can learn a life skill along the way.

Learn More: Tinkergarten

10. Lego Magnet Mazes

All you’ll need for this activity is some Lego, some magnet marbles, and a magnet wand. Build a magnet maze using the Lego and challenge your students to guide the magnetic marbles around the maze. This type of activity is great for developing motor skills in young children. You can build a mini magnet maze, for fine motor development, or a large maze to encourage gross movements.

Learn More: Little Bins for Little Hands

11. Magnetic Fishing

For this activity, you will need to make your own magnet fishing rod, and a ‘fishing lake’ (or classroom tray) filled with your choice of magnetic items. Magnet letters or numbers are a fun place to start. Get your kids to lower their magnetic rods into the lake and pull out to reveal their catch.

Learn More: Busy Toddler

12. DIY Compass

Another fun way to learn about compasses and magnetism is to make your own compass. This activity walks you through the steps to ensure you don’t get lost.

Learn More: British Broadcasting Corporation

13. Magnet Mark Making

Mark making is an important activity for children as they’re learning to draw, write and hold a pen . This magnet painting activity introduces the concept of magnetism and encourages mark-making.

Learn More: Left Brain, Craft Brain

14. Magnet Marble Painting 

Here’s another fun magnet painting activity to tap into your kids’ creative sides whilst learning about science. Get your hands on a magnetic marble, a piece of paper, a few drops of paint and a magnet, and you’ll be ready to go!

Learn More: Kitchen Floor Crafts

15. Iron Filing Art

Iron filings are often used in science lessons to illustrate magnet fields. When a magnet is placed amongst the iron filings, patterns will form showing where the magnetic forces are at work. Different types of magnets will create different patterns, and strong magnets will produce more vivid effects. Have a go at creating a piece of art and explore the properties of magnets at the same time.

Learn More: Babble Dabble Do

16. Sensory Bottles

Sensory bottles are a common tool in classrooms to help calm students . You can create a magnet sensory bottles to use for mindfulness activities and that also teaches children about magnetism. Simply fill a plastic bottle with some magnetic objects and follow these instructions. Kids can then use a magnet to attract different objects that are hiding in the bottle.

Learn More: Twinkl

17. More Magnetic Magic

This activity will keep kids entertained for hours. Show them how to set it up and provide them with a set of magnets that vary in strength. They can then experiment to see how many paper clips they can levitate.

Learn More: Mom Brite

18. Magnetics Sculptures

Another magnet craft activity that teaches science and taps into kids’ creativity. Use a magnet as the base and build upwards. It’s a fun activity that you can use to introduce a lesson on magnetism.

19. Magnet Cars

Spark your little brainiacs’ curiosity with this activity that’s based on the principle of attraction and repulsion. Challenge them to build and customize toy cars with a few bar magnets before encouraging them to test out their designs by racing them around a homemade track.

20. A Magical Spinning Pencil 

This is a great STEAM project. Engineering the set-up of this project is a challenge of its own. Your kids will be forced to use a wide range of thinking skills and then apply their knowledge of magnetism to get the pencil spinning.

Learn More: Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls

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Science Experiments with Magnets: 33 Fun Ideas for Powerful Learning

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Science experiments with magnets are excellent ways to enjoy powerful learning fun with your kids.

If you're looking for simple yet super cool ways to boost your science activities, these experiments are the way to go.

Get 33 cool ideas for science fun with magnets and fantastic tips for making the most of these experiences.

Learning About Magnets Can Be FUN!

Take a second to think about magnets? 

Did you imagine a red, horseshoe-shaped magnet? 🧲️

Or maybe you thought back to when a younger version of you playing with two magnets — fascinated by their dual ability to both repel and attract. 

But when you dig even deeper into the science of magnets, you’ll learn that magnets actually play a really big role in our daily lives!

When I think about using strong magnets (or magnets of any strength), I imagine how they "magically" make paper clips , jingle bells, and other magnetic materials move. As a child, I was fascinated by the invisible force that different types of magnets had.

​Recently, my boys have been chatting about magnetic experiments. I thought adding a simple experiment or two would be a great way to boost our homeschool fun . When I started researching easy magnet experiments, I was blown away by all of the magnet activities out there!

Interesting Facts About Magnetism

• Scientists have been studying magnetism since as early as 13 A.D. 
• Magnetism has strong ties to the science of electricity. Up until the 19th century, they were believed to be completely separate forces. But, in 1905, Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity established that they’re actually two aspects of one common phenomenon.
• The magnetic compass (which was invented in China) was actually not initially used for navigation. Instead, it was likely used to order and harmonize buildings according to the principles of feng shui. 
• The belief that Earth is one giant magnet is based on the scientific theory that the planet’s core is composed primarily of iron ore.
• A magnet has 2 magnetic poles - a north pole and a south pole. 
• Magnetic Field Therapy is based on the thought that we can restore our bodies to optimal health by balancing the body’s electrical and electromagnetic fields by placing magnets on different parts of the body. It’s used to treat pain and insomnia, as well as to help the body heal wounds. 
• Some everyday items that use magnets include refrigerator magnets, dart boards, CDs, computer chips and motherboards, button or snap replacements, and wrecking cranes.
• Scientists believe birds use Earth’s magnetic fields to guide them when they migrate. 
• Veterinarians sometimes use magnets to pull pieces of metal out of the bodies of animals. 

Below, you'll find a list of over 30 science experiments with magnets that your kids (and you) can enjoy. The experiments included can be completed using materials that are easily found either in your home or at local stores.

33 Science Experiments with Magnets

1. make a mini magnet maze.

Have you ever been to a pediatrician’s office that had one of those cool magnet mazes in the waiting room where kids could use a magnet to steer a toy through a maze? With this experiment , you and your kids can use a handful of simple supplies to create something similar. It’s part art project, part science activity, but all fun.

2. Gravity-Defying Magnet Trick

Here’s another art + science combo where kids can use magnetism to make a paper clip appear to float in mid-air ! You'll also find two extension activities you can use to build on the initial activity. 

3. LEGO Magnet Maze

If your kids have a bunch of LEGOS laying around, try building a maze out of them and then use a magnet to direct something (like a LEGO car, ship, or even person) through it.

4. Easy Magnetic Cars

Speaking of cars, this activity walks you through using glue and magnets to transform toy vehicles into magnet-powered vehicles . 

5. Magnetic Scavenger Hunt

Magnets are all around us! Put this idea to the test by arming your kids with a magnet (it doesn’t even have to be a particularly powerful one) and ask them to walk around the house and find as many magnetic objects as possible. (Note: Make sure they don’t test the magnetism of pacemakers, defibrillators, hearing aids, television sets, computers, or expensive watches.)

6. Magnetic Ice

This hands-on activity can be really fun for young kids and help them explore the concept of magnetism on a very basic level. 

7. Magnetic Slime

Magnets and slime can both be fun to play with on their own. So imagine how much joy your kids will get from making their own magnetic slime ! They can do just that by adding iron oxide powder to slime and using a Neodymium Barr magnet . 

8. Build an Electromagnetic Train

Here’s a fun project where kids can explore electricity and magnetism by building a simple electromagnetic train  and seeing how these two forces interact with each other. 

9. Extract Iron from Breakfast Cereal

Some cereal (such as Honey Bunches of Oats, Cheerios, Rice Chex, Corn Flakes, Grape Nuts, and Frosted Mini Wheats) claim to be high in iron. Test these claims out with this experiment!

10. Floating Magnet

In this activity , kids can use what they know about the poles of magnets as well as how two magnets interact with each other to build a stack of magnets that seem to float. 

11. Make a Simple Compass

After teaching kids about the Earth’s magnetic field , you can help them put it to use by helping them build a simple compass using some common household items and tools. 

12. Magnets and Extreme Temperatures

In this experiment , you’ll explore what happens to magnets and their magnetism when put under extreme temperature condtions - namely freezing and boiling. 

13. Make an Electromagnet and Test its Strength

Electromagnets (like the ones in many electronic devices) are devices whose magnetism can be turned on and off. In this activity , kids build their own electromagnet and test which factors impact the electromagnet’s strength. 

14. Build a Gauss Rifle for Fun Science Experiments with Magnets

A Gauss Rifle is an electromagnet-powered device that can launch balls at high speeds. In this physics experiment , you and your kids can build a Gauss Rifle and then test out how the different magnetic acceleration stages affect the velocity of the metal balls. 

15. Build a Floating Maglev Train

Maglev Bullet Trains are retlatively new transportation technology that use two sets of electromagnets - one set to to push the train upwards off the tracks and another set to push the train forward along the tracks.

In this experiment , your family can build a floating maglev train. To extend the experiment, you can also explore how much weight you need to add to the train to make it heavy enough to sink down and touch the tracks.

16. Build a Recycling Sorting Machine

In this activity , you’ll help your kids explore one of the many uses of magnetism as you set up a recycling machine that sorts out metal using magnets. Great for Earth Day fun and more!

17. Levitating Magnets with Eddy Currents

Speaking of maglev trains, learn more about eddy currents and Lenz’s Law in this in-depth experiment where you’ll demonstrate eddy currents and induced magnetic fields.

18. Measuring Magnetic Fields

It can be fascinating watching how the magnetic force of magnets gets stronger the closer they get to each other. In this activity , your familiar can explore the relationship between the strength of a magnetic field and distance. 

19. Magnetic Fluids

Ferrofluids are fluids that can be shaped (and reshaped) by magnetic fields. In this series of experiments , kids are challenged to create their own ferrofluids, make magnetic ink out of ferrofluids, and use a permanent magnet to change the shape of something written with their magnetic ink.

20. Magnet Pendulum

This activity combines science with engineering as you work together to build a magnetic pendulum and use magnetic force to make a magnetic wand swing in different patterns. 

21. Build a Paper Speaker

In this experiment , your family will learn how to build a functional speaker out of paper, magnets, and a coil of wire. In fact, you can make TWO types of paper speakers and compare them to one another. 

22. Build a Simple Electric Motor

Several items in your home operate because of a motor of some sort - including your washing machine and refrigerator. In this activity , kids can build a simple electric motor and explore which changes impact the motor’s rotation. 

23. Wingardium Leviosa

In this Harry Potter-inspired science activity , kids will get the chance to recreate a special Charms lesson where students make a feather levitate in mid-air. Part arts and crafts activity, they will make a magnetic “magic wand” to perform the “spell”. And remember: “It’s LeviOsa, not LevioSA!” SO much fun for your Potterheads!

24. Flying Ghosts for Fun Science Experiments with Magnets

This is a fun activity to do around Halloween that follows the same general steps as the Wingardium Leviosa activity above. Kids will create rods they can use to make tissue paper ghosts fly and have fun figuring out the right technique to get them to glide along perfectly. 

25. Dancing Jitter Bugs

If you’re looking for something educational and adorable, this activity ticks both boxes! Your kids will enjoy piecing together cute jitter bugs, a fun pyramid home for them, and then watching as the jitterbugs dance fro flower to flower. 

26. Science Experiments with Magnets - Spinning Spider

This activity can be a combination of animal science and magnet science as you and your kids build cute spiders, a “creepy” web, and then use magnets to help the spider dance around the web. 

27. Make it Move Challenge

This one can be a really fun solo activity or one that you do as teams or as a lighthearted competition. The goal is to get your race car to the end of the track using whatever magnetic mechanism you want. 

28. Cardboard Box Magnetic Pac-Man

If you have gamers in your family, they’re probably familiar with the classic game of Pac-Man. Here’s their chance to make their own DIY version made from things you either already have around the house OR that you can easily find at just about any general store. 

29. Crazy Magnetic Hair Activity

With a magnet wand (or a magnet glued onto the end of a wood craft stick), googly eyes, and pipe cleaner pieces, your kids can have some fun with making silly characters with this activity .

30. Bouncing Magnets

This fun experiment can be used for preschoolers and above. Your kids will enjoy watching as the repelling property of magnets cause them to bounce against each other. 

31. Magnetic Sculptures

This activity is perfect for kids who love building things with their hands as well as creating art. With the use of ceramic magnets, nuts and bolts, and lids (plus a little optional paint), your kids can get wildly creative and spend hours building magnetic sculptures. 

32. Heavy Metal Art Boxes

In this combination science and art activity , you can use magnets and iron filings as a medium for your kids to make all kinds of abstract art. And since the art boxes are reusable, your kids can have fun for a long time!

33. Magnetic Painting

If your kids love the idea of blending science and art, here’s another activity they may love where they can create art by using magnets to drag various objects through paint. See how many different designs and patterns they can come up with!

Do you and your kids have science experiments with magnets that you've enjoyed but aren't mentioned in this article? Please share it with us in the comments below!

More Fun Science Experiments for Kids

As a homeschool soccer mom to 5 boys (with 2 graduates!) with over 13 years experience, Amy loves to use all that she learned as a mental health therapist to positively make life + learning fun. She shares easy-to-use and creative resources, tips, and tools so you can make the most of this special time with your kids.

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4 Easy Magnet Experiments That Will Amaze Your Kids

January 30, 2015 by Ana Dziengel 16 Comments

This super simple set up yields 4 easy magnet experiments that kids will absolutely love! And it just so happens these project are a great tie into Valentine’s Day though honestly they are fun any time of year! So what does magnet science have to do with Valentine’s Day? Well….

This project was originally part of the sensory series Playful Hearts: Valentine’s Inspired Play & Learning. For more projects in the series scroll to the end of the post.

Have you ever noticed that some of the common sayings people use to describe love and attraction are based on the scientific phenomenon of magnetism? Here are some examples:  They had a magnetic attraction.  He exudes animal magnetism.  They are polar opposites.  I was drawn to her.  She has a magnetic personality.

It makes sense that love and magnetism are synonymous. Love is that indescribable feeling you get with certain people that makes you feel all warm and gushy. In the case of romantic love perhaps it makes your heart race, your palms sweat and you can’t help but feel its strong force.

Magnets have a similar effect. Magnets are objects that exude a strong force field around them that causes them to attract ferromagnetic materials and other magnets themselves. Strong magnets are drawn immediately together when placed in close proximity. And did I mention that this magnetic field is invisible, just like love? You can’t see it but you can certain feel it, and it’s a fun sensory experience for kids to try and “touch” an invisible force. For our post today we made a simple pyramid structure that will give you the chance to explore the invisible and strong attractive force called magnetism.

This post contains affiliate links to products I recommend to my readers.

Magnet Magic: Easy Magnet Experiments

Tips before starting: .

• One of the ways we have fine tuned this project over the years is to substitute modeling clay for the loom bands. It’s MUCH easier for kids to put together on their own.
• We also made our own wands with a pencil and ceramic disc magnet hot glued to the end.
• Ceramic Donut Magnet
• 12″ Bamboo Skewers
• Rectangular Ceramic Magnets
• Magnetic Wands  OR use a pencil with a ceramic disc magnet hot glued to the end
• Small rubber bands (loom bands )  OR Substitute modeling clay or play dough!
• String or yarn

Instructions

• Step One Cut a piece of string about 8” long and thread through a donut magnet. Tie tightly.
• Step Two Connect the ends of two skewers by overlapping them and wrapping a loom band around the joint.
• Step Three Repeat Step Two to connect a third skewer and form a triangle base.
• Step Four Connect two additional skewers first to each other and then to the base to form one side of a pyramid. Before forming a full pyramid with the last skewer wrap the top connection with the loose end of your string. The goal is to have the donut magnet hang from the center point of the skewer pyramid. You want it to hang about 1 ½” from the base
• Step Five Add your last skewer to complete the pyramid shape. Wrap the joint tightly with a loom band.

The Modeling Clay Version:

To make the clay version:.

• Give each child (2) strips of modeling clay. Ask them to tear each strip in half and the roll the halves in a clay sphere. They will need (4) spheres in total.
• Construct the triangular base with a clay sphere at each joint.
• Once the base is complete, add a skewer to the top of each sphere and collect at the center point to form a pyramid. Use the last clay sphere to connect the top three skewers.
• The magnet on a string may be pressed into the top clay sphere to hold in place at the desired height.

The Easy Magnet Experiments

This little DIY pyramid structure can be used to make several different observations about magnets. I loosely divided them into 4 mini experiments you can first watch in this video and then read about below.

Easy Magnet Experiment #1: Follow That Force

Can you move something without even touching it? Magnetic force is very strong when magnets are placed in close proximity to each other. To see just how strong it is try this: Take two rectangular magnets and place them under the center point of the hanging donut magnet. Gently slide the rectangular magnets around and watch as your donut magnet follows the magnetic force. Twists and turn the donut magnet by twisting and turning the rectangular magnets beneath. Seemingly defy gravity by suspending your donut magnet at an angle!

Easy Magnet Experiment #2:   The Indecisive Magnet

Magnets have a north and a south pole. This means that one end of a magnet attracts and the other side repels if placed next to another magnet. This is a fun observation to make with magnets of any kind. To see how this repelling and attracting can drive a magnet crazy try this: Place one ceramic magnet under the center point of each bottom chord of your triangle base. Now gently lift your donut magnet and let it swing. It will bounce back and forth between the three magnets’ fields as it encounters the different polarities. It will look like a wildly indecisive magnet that has no idea where to go! Move the rectangular magnets around to see what happens to the center magnet and how it swings based on its proximity to the different magnetic fields.

Easy Magnet Experiment #3: An Invisible Dance Partner

This is my favorite experiment. Let the donut magnet rest as still as possible at the center of the pyramid. Now take a magnetic wand (or a strong magnet) and begin gently waving it near the donut magnet (don’t get too close or the magnets will stick together). Watch as the donut magnet begins to sway and twirl. You can really make that donut magnet shake it’s groove thing simply by moving your wand nearby! Because our donut magnet is suspended by a string it amplifies the twirling action. And for any doubters who think that the slight breeze generated by waving your hands is causing the magnet to dance, try waving your hand nearby without the wand. The donut stays put.

Easy Magnet Experiment #4: The Jitters

Place two rectangular magnets underneath the donut magnet. Gently pull on the donut magnet to release it from the magnetic field then let it drop and swing over the rectangular magnets. It will quickly be caught right back in the magnetic field and move quickly back and forth in a jitterbug dance.

Leon Theremin .  How many of you know and are fascinated by the musical instrument known as the Theremin? If you don’t know what I am talking about please go watch this video RIGHT NOW  of the most well know Theremin performer Clara Rockmore.

The Theremin is the only musical instrument that is played without physical contact. It was invented in the 1920s by Leon Theremin and is based on the phenomenon that interrupting an electromagnetic field can produce audible frequency changes. Essentially the Theremin has two antennae that broadcast a signal to each other and when you wave your hands between the antennae you interrupt the magnet field between them causing the signal to change. Here is a great little video demonstrating it .

Leon Theremin was a Russian scientist who discovered this phenomenon when working on proximity sensors for the Russian government. He went on to patent this electronic musical instrument and it’s eerie sound can be found in many a sci-fi movie soundtrack from the 1950’s. Though it became associated with campy film soundtracks in the 1950’s it was actually used in some classic films like Spellbound and The Lost Weekend and is most famous in popular music in the song Good Vibrations from the Beach Boys.

Magnets are one of my favorite materials to work with and these easy magnet e xperiments are simple to set up and kids  love to watch them in action! Magnetic attraction is seemingly magical and I haven’t met someone yet who isn’t momentarily mesmerized by it’s power and behavior, just like love.

Ready for more Valentines Inspired sensory fun?

Check out my fellow bloggers posts related to sensory play and discovery for Valentines Day:

The impossibly sweet  Hanging Hearts Creative Threading Activity  from Childhood 101.

An awesomely touchy feely Textured Heart Sensory Bin from Toddler Approved 

A smart Valentine’s Math Station from NutureStore.

Spread Creativity like Wildfire: Pin this!

Meri cherry says

January 30, 2015 at 7:37 am

That video is AWESOME Ana!!!!!Cant wait to share it!

Ana Dziengel says

February 4, 2015 at 4:11 am

Love you mama!

March 9, 2016 at 11:40 am

Love you too! <3

Sonya Shulga says

October 12, 2016 at 7:55 pm

That’s cool i am going to do that for the science fair!

January 30, 2015 at 11:22 am

Ev loves the video!

Jeanette Nyberg says

January 31, 2015 at 6:20 am

Awesome! I love the magnets and love tie-in. And the video is amazing! It brings the whole thing to life and makes me want to run home and set this up. I *think* we have the magnets and skewers, but this is totally worth a trip to the store.

Thank you so much Jeanette!

February 10, 2015 at 2:25 pm

Very cool, Ana

August 10, 2015 at 10:08 am

I would like to do the same magnetic experiment with my little students. But, I failed. Would you mind give me some hints? Or advice me the dimension of the rectangular magnet and donut magnet?

September 8, 2016 at 11:21 am

I work for a hands-on exploring museum in MN, and I was scrambling for an alternative project. The one I had planned on using just wasn’t as fun, easy or amazing as I had hoped. Then I found your post!

We already had all the materials on hand, so I jumped in and had a camp full of kids try this. I was a little anxious, since a lot of the campers were upper elementary aged, and I worried they might be “too old” for a magnet game.

I let each camper choose if they would make the pyramid out skewers (like your example), regular plastic straws (colorful of course!) or giant bubble-tea straws. Then each figured out how to hang their magnet from the peak using string, and how they would like to attach or control the side magnets.

I was so pleased that everyone had fun designing and building this project, and then playing with it! (*Playing with something just created is always the test for how awesome it was!)

Thanks so much for sharing this fabulous idea! I love your blog and suggest it to everyone who asks for ideas. You are the BEST!

September 8, 2016 at 12:09 pm

Oh Sonia I am so happy to hear this!!! Woo hoo! Do you have pics? I’d love to see some of the camper’s work! Thank you so much for the kind words 🙂

October 12, 2016 at 7:58 pm

That’s cool i am doing that for the science fair at my school with my friend Alexa

October 12, 2016 at 7:59 pm

Its so FUN!!!!!!!!

November 26, 2016 at 8:54 pm

I’m surely gonna chose this as my science experiment. It’s really good!

December 9, 2016 at 5:39 am

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