Cookie sheet activity for kids

Published By: Kim West | Created On: April 6, 2011 | Updated: May 6, 2025

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Turning cookie sheets into creativity central! A great way to keep your kids entertained on long car rides- All you need is magnets for this fun activity.

Looking for a fun, mess-free, and educational activity to keep your little ones engaged? A magnetic cookie sheet is the perfect solution! Using just a few simple materials, you can create a portable and interactive play station that encourages creativity, fine motor skills, and hands-on learning. Whether you’re at home, on the go, or need a quiet-time activity, this DIY project is both easy to make and endlessly entertaining for kids of all ages.

Supplies to make this activity cookie sheet

Cookie sheet
Acrylic paint
Magnetic paint
Magnets
Sealer

For the cookie sheet, I used a old one we had, but you can also buy a new one! Make sure to check your cookie sheet if it is magnetic. If not, the magnetic paint worked great for us. I know the Dollar Tree has round pizza pans that are magnetic so that’s a great cheap option!

How to make this activity cookie sheet

You just need a cookie sheet and paint (and chalkboard paint if you want to go that route!)

Don’t judge…I’m going to let you see a part of me that is seen by no man….

Step 1: Prepping your pan

Since my pan was old, I spray painted mine with light coats of gray. If you buy a new pan you can just skip this step.

Step 2: Decorating your pan

After your spray paint is dry, its time for the fun part! Decorating your pan with acrylic or magnetic paint! You can paint any kind of background that would go best for your magnets or you can even ask your kids to set the scene to make it more personal. I decided to do a summer scenery so I painted blue skies and green grass to start for our magnets. You can customize this however you would like! Some more cute ideas include:

Outer space
Ballroom
Circus
Zoo
Garden
Mountains
Classroom
Beach
Street with buildings
Supermarket with food aisles
A park with a slide and swings

Step 3: Seal it

This part is optional, but to finish this project off, you can seal it with a sealing spray paint or a clear mod podge. This helps prevent it from chipping and other wears and tears! Just make sure to do light coats to help it be covered evenly.

Time to play!

We already had tons of magnets so I didn’t buy any specifically for this project, but I know you can get packs on Amazon! I’ll link a few cute ones I found below:

Magnets

Some of them already came in tins to store, but you can always use a plastic bag, which I have found helpful for road trips, wedding ceremonies, and long graduations!

To keep it more entertaining, you can even paint the opposite side of it with just some plain black paint (or whatever color you prefer!) to create a blank canvas for your kids to practice their letters and numbers, or simply for more room for them to create! Another idea is to use chalkboard paint so they can even draw and write.

This was just some of the magnets we had for example! Its really up to you and what magnets you have for painting your background!

You could make your own funny faces just like I did here (travel sized version)

DIY your own magnets

If you want to make it more customizable for your kids, you can make your own magnets! This isn’t mandatory for this activity but its seriously such a fun and a unique way!

I just bought some magnetic paper and added a laminated picture (the laminating isn’t necessary…just a little obsessed at the moment)

Find a photo you like and cut it out!

For the commentary, just open a word doc and start typing! You can use your kids names, numbers, types of animals, adjectives, etc. Anything that makes a fun sentence for your kids! I decided to make some words so my daughter can practice her sentences. (you can google site words for each grade!)

Print them out once you have your words and attach them to the magnetic paper.

Then cut out all your words and you’re done! I love using altoid or mint tins to store stuff like this but I found this plastic case that worked perfectly. This is also great for traveling and can be thrown right into your purse.

These pans can be stored in cupboards, under the bed, or in their toy bin! We had coloring book drawer and I would store our pan and magnets in there!

My kids loved this cookie sheet activity and all the customizable magnets! I hope your kids will love them too! If they enjoyed this craft- check out some of my other kids crafts I tagged down below.

Save this activity sheet for later

Too busy to get crafting today? No problem! Pin this post to remind yourself about this project later! Sharing my projects helps me reach more people, allowing me to continue sharing free content!

painted cookie sheet chalkboard paint and fun scenes--great for car rides.

More ideas similar to this cookie sheet activity for your kids

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and when I say kids, I mean kids of all ages!

If you are looking for more fun kids’ crafts- my craft camp has two weeks full of fun projects that you will love to do as well!