Word magnets for kids - any recommendations?

Early Learning Early Learning General Discussions
1

Hi, I am currently looking into word magnets - anybody got any recommendations? Starting in Amazon, I found these: http://magneticpoetry.com/product/storymaker/ (270 magnetic word and phrase tiles in different colours for nouns/verb etc.) and the plain white one that actually offerst 50 words more: http://magneticpoetry.com/product/kids-kit/
Anybody got them? Are the white ones appealing enough to kids and allow them to make lots of sentences? Without having seen one close up yet, I´d prefer to buy a well researched magnetic word kit based on the Dolch or Fry list rather than a colourful, fancy marketing product, so I am asking for guideance from the experts in this forum :wink: Many thanks in advance!

2

About the word magnets. A few years ago I found magnet words in the dollar store. I just saw them again the other day. I don’t know if you have dollar stores by you. I love the item. one sheet contains about 25-30 words and could buy at least 2-3 different kind. Its the “teaching tree” brand. They also have the same thing with numbers and alphabet. I love dollar store (since everything is$1) !!!

3

I don’t have any experience with those magnets but the size is what would be more important for me.
The size of those magnets is only .375". If you look at a ruler, you’ll see that that is pretty small (especially if children will be reading or making words with them on the refrigerator).

But that is just my 2 cents

John

4

Word magnets are pretty simple to make. Wal-mart sells magnet sheets but so does amazon. You might also check with your local printer you may get them cheaper. All you do is make a table is microsoft word the height you want your words. So I would go at least an inch high for little kids. Then type the words you want to use in the blocks. M erge cells for words that don’t fit in your cells. Then print on card stock use spray adhesive to attach to the magnet sheets. I have used both clear contact paper to cover the top and also a fast drying spray type polyurethane. I like the clear contact paper best as it makes the magnets thicker. I used a paper cutter to cut them. They come out with very clean straignt edges. The other reason I like making my own is that little hands put thing in mouths and generally destroy things. I can replace at will. Plus, you pick the words. You can decide which words to work on based on the word list you are using.

I have a set of phonogram tiles in the downloads area based on the same principle here: http://library.brillkids.com/download.php?cid=8&tid=&lid=139&fid=9146

5

How old is the child?

Found that there are products better suited for kids learning to read.

Also, consider catalogs/websites/stores like LakeShore Learning…they’re big on this kind of stuff.

Hope this helps… :wink:

Take care!

6

I have them, well not the kids one but the adult version I guess. I went through and pulled out only the words I know my 22m old knows and stuck them on the fridge. The writing is small but not too small that a kid who is keen on words wouldnt be able to read. She loved to read them and pretend to make them all line up like a sentence. But mostly at this age she pulls them off and take them all around the house. So I think I have lots a lot of the easy words.

I think I brought them out a little too early, Ill hold on to the rest for another 6 month and try again.

If you could make your own I would do that and make them bigger. but then again what i do really like about them is that on the other side is a similar word but slightly different meaning.
eg
monkey=simian
rain=mist
walk=stroll
Sad=blue
bird=fowl
pig=hog

7

Many thanks for all your replies and suggestions! My child is almost 3 years old, the exact age can be seen on the left below my name (I don´t see it right now while I type, otherwise I would repeat it here).
I think I´ll go for the word magnets with the synonyms then, sounds really like a good idea and the letter size is big enough. I don´t have any Walmarts or Dollar stores here (Europe :wink: but thanks for putting the info so that others from the US can use it !

8

Amazon carries the magnet sheets also.

If you want them big and can’t make them - this is also an option: http://www.fatbraintoys.com/toy_companies/magnetic_poetry/really_big_words_for_kids.cfm?source=google_pla&kwid=MP022&gclid=CJOPz-XX-bUCFWORPAod_D8ASg