Magnet Play & Water Sensory Bin Activity for Kids

A fun and colorful way to play with magnets that's perfect for summer. Your kids are going to love this water & magnet play sensory bin!

---

My youngest K really loves to play with magnet wands. Like a lot. So I wondered if I could do some magnetic version of this polka dot soup activity from Fun at Home with Kids.

I mean water plus magnets...Come on, there's no way my kids wouldn't love a sensory activity that combined the two. It's a match made in heaven! Especially considering how many magnet activities we've done over the years and how often we play with magnetic tiles...

So here's our quick and simple, but oh so colorful and scientifically fun, water sensory bin with magnets. It's such a fun way to play with magnets! And I just know your kids will love it too.

Simple Magnet Play Activity with Water: What You'll Need

Want to recreate this colorful magnetic sensory bin at home for your kids? Here's what you'll need:

• Magnetic transparent counters or similar magnetic items - You might need multiple magnets depending on the size of bin or container you're using. Don't have transparent counters? Try letter magnets or number magnets instead. Magnetic letter sensory bin, anyone?

• Magnetic wands or a horseshoe magnet toy - So the kids can fish for and pick up the magnetic counters

• Water - Because water sensory bins need water, right? Yep, that's generally how these things work

Simply add all the materials to a large plastic container. Then it's ready for play. Don't you think the magnetic transparent counters look so awesome floating around in the water? They're so bright and colorful!

If Your Kids Love Magnet Toys, Then They'll Love this Summer Sensory Bin Activity

My boys absolutely loved picking up the magnetic transparent counters with the magnet wands. It's sort of like fishing! They would call out a specific color and then try to pick up only those colors. Sometimes they would count the number of counters that they picked up too. Other times they would try to collect all of the counters before the other person could, sort of like a race. 

Regardless, this activity was a whole lot of fun for them! Who knew fishing for magnetic materials in water could be this much fun?

Now it's not unusual for my kids to climb into sensory bins at some point. It's the telltale sign that the activity is a hit. So when the boys climbed in, I wasn't too surprised. Besides, it was hot outside. So stepping into a bin of water was a perfect way to cool down on a hot summer day. It just makes sense.

I just love how easy and engaging this activity was. Zero prep, but tons of fun. And it's such a refreshing magnet play activity. It's perfect for summer.

Other Magnet Play Ideas for Kids You'll Love

Water Sensory Soup Bin with Number Magnets

Car Themed Magnet Play Tray for Kids

Magnet Hunt & Rainbow Chickpeas Sensory Bin for Kids