Alphabet Magnets

I've had a version of the alphabet on the refrigerator for about 6 months.  I'm not a big fan of my old letters and some are now missing, so it's time for something new.  A lot of our magnets have suddenly disappeared and I wonder if my son had a fun day playing with the trash can when Mommy wasn't looking...

I guess it's a good time to start again.  Here are our new Alphabet Magnets.

These are super easy to make and take 2 hrs with dry time.

You need: wooden nickels, magnets (I used 3/4" craft magnets), glue, Tempera paint, foam brush, and foam letter stickers.  I bought Silly-Winks Foam Letter Stickers on sale at Hobby Lobby.  (The magnets and nickels were also either on sale or I used a coupon.  I only shop sales at H.L.!) 

Lay down some junk mail/magazine pages to protect your table.  Glue the magnets to one side of the nickels.  Let the magnets sit for a few minutes to allow the glue to fully bond.  Use the foam brush to paint one coat of black paint on the top and sides of your nickels.  Let dry.

After allowing to dry, press a sticker to the front. 

We love these.  They are so bold and fun!

My little man daily goes to the refrigerator to point out a letter to me or bring me one he is interested in for some reason.  I had no idea he had already learned so many!  We have not had any kind of structured 'school time'.  We do have the alphabet displayed on a wall and refrigerator and we read a lot.  That's all I can say.  What an amazing sponge the toddler mind is!

"O" is currently a favorite letter.

The former letters looked like this:

Not so great, huh?  I liked the circus print backgrounds, but the letters were difficult to see well.  I think if I tried again I'd use the printer to make very bold letters or I would use very simple, light colored paper.  Glass is glaring though, and these did not attract my toddler as much as our new, bright, easily read letters.   

Craft time: about 2 hrs (mostly drying time)
Play time: daily, great for learning letters and practicing colors!
Cost: Around $5-6
Age: 24mth, maybe earlier but my toddler can get the magnets to come off sometimes (do they make a super glue impervious to toddlers?!) so be aware of children who may still put objects in their mouth