• Travel
  • Reading
  • Math
  • Science
  • Writing
  • Recipes

The Educators' Spin On It

Learning Games and Activities

  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • BOOK CLUB
  • Shop
  • Contact

By Kim Vij

How to Make a Magnetic Construction Site for Kids to Explore

Construction Themed Sensory Bin for Preschoolers with Magnets

Discover through a fun magnetic construction themed activity about magnets!  Create a magnetic construction site!  Here’s how.

Construction Themed Sensory Bin for Preschoolers with Magnets

This week we’re featuring the book Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site as our book for the Weekly Virtual Book Club for Kids. With just a few items for around your home, you can make your own sensory play idea for the theme of construction. Plus sneak in a little science too. Let’s explore how to create a magnetic construction site.

Click here for more STEM IDEAS for Kids.

This post contains affiliate links.   

Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker

Magnetic Construction Site Activity for Kids

Create a moving construction site by placing select objects into this manipulative game. Players learn items can be magnetic and nonmagnetic as they discover the various selected items on the construction site. A basic skill of a scientist is how to classify and sort items.

Focus Skill: identifying that magnets can attract

Magnetic Construction Activity for Kids

Materials

  • Sand
  • Large plastic bin
  • Several magnetic items (bolts, nuts, metal containers, magnets, etc.)
  • Several nonmagnetic items (plastic figurines, Legos, coins, etc.)
  • Paper
  • Marker
  • Large magnet
  • Pretend construction vehicles

Directions to Make

1. Pour the sand into the large plastic bin for the base where objects will be hiding.

2. Place magnetic and nonmagnetic objects on the dirt (sand), hiding some within the sand if you like.

3. With the paper, create a game board with the words “magnetic” and “not magnetic” on it to sort items onto.

Magnetic Construction site Activity for Kids

Directions to Play

1. Players take turns using the large magnet and construction vehicles to search for magnetic items.

2. As players remove items from the sand they will place them on the game board under the proper section of magmatic or not magnetic.

3. Continue to play until all of the items are classified.

Game Variations

  • Race the clock to find all the magnetic items at the construction site.
  • Dig for letters on the construction site and put them in alphabetical order.
  • Dig for words on the construction site and sort into word families with like endings.

You can add this adorable Construction Movement Cards Game for even more construction fun!

This magnetic construction site activity was originally published in our new book 100 Fun and Easy Learning Games for Kids.

Click here to discover more ideas like this that feature fun reading, writing, math, science, and social studies ideas for ages 3-7.

Photography by Ashlee Hamon Photography.

Construction Books for Preschoolers

  • Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night?
  • The Construction Alphabet Book
  • Mighty, Mighty Construction Site
  • I Love Trucks! by Philemon Sturges
  • Good Morning, Digger
  • Dig Dig Digging
  • Tip Tip Dig Dig
  • B Is for Bulldozer Board Book: A Construction ABC
  • Alphabet Under Construction 

virtual book club for kids

JOIN OUR WEEKLY VIRTUAL BOOK CLUB FOR KIDS

This season we’re hosting weekly themes and books. You can check out what’s next week here .

YOU’RE INVITED. We’re inviting you to join along and share your own CONSTRUCTION themed ideas with your child or students using the featured story Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site or one of the other Construction Books mentioned above. You can share on our facebook page or join our VBC Facebook Group.

VIRTUAL BOOK CLUB HOSTS: Plus we’re inviting you to visit our Virtual Book Club for Kids cohosts sites for additional activity ideas all about Construction. I’m featuring them below here for you to go check out and get ideas for your preschooler ages 2-5.

I invite you to go check out our Virtual book Club for Kids cohosts below and the activities that they are sharing below for you and your child that are all construction themed.

SIGN UP to get our LATEST BOOK THEMED ACTIVITIES 

Construction Week for Virtual Book Club for Kids

Construction Themed Activities for Preschoolers

Alphabet Activities
Goodnight Construction Site ABC Dig and Construct- Growing Book by Book
Construction Themed Letter Crafts – Books and Giggles

Name Activities
Construction Truck STEM: Building Beams – Preschool Powol Packets

Counting Activities
Construction Site Build and Count – Inspiration Laboratories
Construction Site Counting Game – To be a Kid Again

Sensory Activities
Cloud Dough Construction Site Sensory Bin – Powerful Mothering
Construction Site Sensory Bin – CraftCreateCalm
Digging Up and Sorting Construction Equipment
4 Easy Construction Play Ideas for Kids- Toddler Approved

Cooking Activities
Rock Cakes – Rainy Day Mum

Science Activities
Design and build a truck – Mama Smiles
Magnetic Construction Site – The Educators’ Spin On It

Color Activities
Digger Color Sort – My Storytime Corner

Pre-Writing Activities
Constructing a Story Printable and Kids Book List — Chickadee Lit

100 Fun and Easy Learning Games for Kids with learning materials

BUY NOW our Book 100 Fun and Easy Learning Games for Kids 

If you enjoyed this construction activity idea you might enjoy joining our Weekly Virtual Book Club for Kids!

Like this idea? Pin for later or share now with a friend!

  • Twitter11
  • Facebook338

Filed Under: Reading, Science Tagged With: 100 Fun and Easy Learning Games for Kids, construction, grade school, magnets, Preschool, STEM, trucks, Virtual Book Club for Kids

About Kim Vij

Early childhood teacher, author, speaker and mom of 3. Kim shares ways to make learning fun and parenting an adventure by sharing developmentally appropriate activities.

« Exploring Science with Trains – Discovering Magnetism
Creating a Name Train Craft And Train Snack for Preschoolers »

Comments

  1. Cerys says

    November 29, 2016 at 5:57 am

    This looks great magnetism is such a fun science topic that bridges the ages as well – from preschoolers like this through to creating electricity with magnets at high school.

For ages…

Grade School
Preschool
Toddler
Baby

Search for an Activity

POPULAR POSTS

Virtual Field Trips for Kids
Summer Activity Bundle 2025
Classroom placement request
Ice+Cream+End+of+Year+Craft.png
Caterpillar to Butterfly Balloon Science Experiment
virtual book club summer camp
May Activity Calendar 2025

GRAB OUR BOOK!

100 fun and Easy Learning Games for Kids Book Cover Standing

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

You Might Also Like

Summer Activity Bundle 2025

Summer Activity Calendar Bundle

Ice+Cream+Themed+End+of+Year+Keepsake.png

Class Project for End of School Year

How to Write a Classroom Placement Letter for your Grade Schooler

How to write a letter for classroom placement or teacher request with a sample letter

Unicorn pinata sharing 10 fun things to put in a children's pinata that are not candy

10 Things To Put In A Children’s Piñata – That Are NOT Candy!

what a year of kindergarten writing looks like

What kindergarten writing looks like – a year of student samples

Let’s Connect!

Kim Vij

Early childhood teacher, author, speaker and mom of 3. Kim Vij shares ways to make learning fun and parenting an adventure by sharing all kinds of easy kid crafts, activities, recipes and even travel ideas for families!
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Shop
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2025