Using Magnet Pages

One of the things I have been using a lot with B has been magnet pages, even to the extent of creating some of our own for lower case letters where we couldn't find others on the web.  My OH, who keeps up with what his children are doing whilst he is at work by reading the blog, sat there the other day and said "What is a magnet page?"  I don't know who first came up with the idea but I first came across magnet pages on the Make Learning Fun website when I was looking at colouring pages for the alphabet last year for B.  From there you know how it goes, once you see it for the first time you start seeing them everywhere!
Magnet pages are pictures of letters, numbers, or shapes that have circular blank spaces.

e.g.
The idea is that the child can fill in these blanks.  The original idea (and why they are called magnet pages) was to use a cookie sheet under the paper and the round magnets that you get for magnetic memo boards like the ones in the Amazon ad to the left but here are the things we have used with them:

• circular magnets (I have to admit ours were from a much cheaper source; Euroland!)
• fridge magnets
• paint dauber
• paint and brush
• pom poms
• plastic bottle tops
• coins
• small stickers
• sequins and beads (glued on)
• counters

Basically anything that is small enough to fit in the circle works, the idea is to introduce your child to the shape of the letter/number/shape without actually writing it.  One of the cutest things I have seen used with them is magnetic pom poms.  These were invented by Erin over on Home Grown Hearts- a fantastic blog which seems to have died a death as it has not been updated since last summer.  Whilst I would love a set of these for B I know that A, even though he is 7, would put them in his mouth as he does everything else; so not a good idea unless your little one is over this stage.  If you would like to see which magnet pages I have created or used check out the label on the right - it gets updated often!