100 (Attempted) Ways to Entertain a Young Toddler, Day 23: Magnetic Magic

Oliver has been Mr. Cranky Pants all day today. There is nothing that seems to keep him happy. I took a shower; he threw a fit. I put his mattress on the floor to play Zoom, but he got upset that his mattress was out of his crib. We went out to join a MOMS club activity (post to follow), but Oliver got so upset when I took him out of his stroller. It's just been a difficult day.

I decided to find an activity in one of our activity books, 365 Games Smart Toddlers Play. Oliver was angry at me for looking at the book and threw it! Let's just say he's gotten a few lectures today.

I finally selected an activity called "Magnetic Magic." Oliver used to really enjoy playing with alphabet magnets on the fridge and dish machine, but it's fallen out of favor with him in the last few months. Sometimes, old is new again. I took the book's suggestion and pulled out a cookie sheet. It's never occurred to me that cookie sheets are magnetic. I also grabbed a selection of refrigerator magnets instead of limiting him to his alphabet letters.

Once I pulled out all of the materials, Oliver quieted. It was one of the first times he'd calmed down all day. To be honest, the game wasn't all that exciting and didn't last long, but it was such a relief to have something go well today. For about five minutes, we arranged magnets and flipped the cookie sheet around. Oliver decided that he was against the letter "V." He didn't want me to play with it, either, so he finally stuck it in a pot and found the appropriate lid to lock it away for good. Then, he was done with the game.

Assuming most households have cookie sheets and refrigerator magnets already, "Magnetic Magic" is a free activity. I think little ones like seeing magnets stick, but Oliver was already getting a little old to enjoy it for long. I'm going to guess that younger toddlers and toddlers that don't normally play with magnets will enjoy this activity. Based on Oliver's enjoyment of it, I give the activity the grade: B-. Good, easy, different, but not that interesting for him.