Remember those magnetic word kits that used to be quite popular? What could be more fun than making the kit ourselves? With Father's Day fast approaching, the DIY magnetic kits can do double duty as a unique gift for Dad (and the whole family!). A multi-purpose homemade gift? A craft to keep the kids busy for afternoons to come? Count me in.

Materials

• old magazines
• cardboard or cardstock
• magnets (I use the strip ones with the adhesive backing, just to save a step)

• glue
• laminating paper (optional)

Instructions

1. 

   Go through the magazines and cut out a variety of large-font words. Make sure to include small words like a, an, and, the, with, is and the to make sentence-making possible.

2. When cutting out the words, be sure to leave a little extra space around the word to make it easier to affix to the cardboard/card stock.

3. Once all your words are cut out, trim pieces of cardboard/cardstock to create backings for each word. Each piece of cardboard/cardstock should be trimmed to a slighter larger size that the word it will back.

4. Once you have all the words cut out, use glue to affix each word to its corresponding cardboard/card stock back.

5. This is an optional step, but I like to apply laminating paper on the top of each word piece, to make the pieces hold up to the wear and tear of little fingers.

6. Add magnetic strips to the back of each word. I use the magnet pieces that have adhesive already on them, to save a step.

Tips

• Gift Bag? For gift -giving, I like putting the word magnets in clear cellophane bags with a little brightly colored raffia at the bottom, and tied with a ribbon. Beyond Father's Day, these magnetic word sets can be a perfect gift for any occasion.
• Study Aid: Create a set for your child's weekly spelling words, and as you add to it each week, challenged your child to put together more and more sentences. Practice your child's Spanish sentences and make sets in other languages. Make alphabet sets and reinforce letter recognition with your preschooler. Make a themed set for your teen. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination!