My students absolutely loved this easy preschool magnet science activity with jingle bells.
I’d only planned on having it out for a week, but it ended up staying in our science area for 3 weeks!
You could definitely say it was one of our favorite Christmas activities for preschoolers!
Related: Christmas Math Game with Jingle Bells
Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way!
Okay, I’ll stop now that you likely have that song in your head. It’s been rolling around in mine the entire time I was preparing to write this post for you.
There’s just something about jingle bells. They capture a child’s interest and hold it for SO LONG!
Maybe it’s the metallic shine. Perhaps it’s because many kids aren’t allowed to just play and explore these little bells? Maybe it’s the sweet little noise they make. Or maybe it’s a combination of all of the above.
Either way, jingle bells are incredibly engaging in the preschool and kindergarten classroom. Why not take that engagement and really let the kids run with it?
Add Jingle Bells to Preschool Magnet Science Activities
We used things we already had hanging around in the classroom. You can definitely improvise based on what you have, as long as you add those jingle bells to the mix.
Materials We Used
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- Jingle bells – red, green, large, small
- Bar magnet
- large Popsicle sticks
- Mini round magnets
Setting Up the Jingle Bells Preschool Magnet Science
I already had all of the materials on-hand, so it didn’t take long to set up!
Place the jingle bells in a bowl (our bamboo bowl is well-loved, so I used that), and then place the bowl on a tray.
Alongside the bowl, place some homemade magnetic wands and a bar magnet.
Related: Engaging Jingle Bell Activities for Preschoolers
The homemade magnetic wands are simple to make.
Use a hot glue gun to affix circular magnets to the ends of large popsicle sticks.
They’re very basic, but they work really well!
Related: Unique Magnet Activities for Learning and Play
Playing and Learning with Jingle Bells
Like I said above, this jingle bells preschool magnet science activity was in our science center for 3 weeks starting December 1. So the kiddos had a lot of time to use the magnets in many different ways!
To start with, the children just focused on the bells. They sorted the bells by color and by size, shook each and every one, and transferred the bells between various containers.
Then the children started exploring the magnets.
They used the “wands” to pick up magnets, counting how many could fit on each side of the sticks.
The kids got really excited when they realized the strength of the bar magnet! They created bell globs, seeing how many of the bells could fit on the bar magnet.
After that, some took to making patterns and creations on the magnet, using the jingle bells.
Related: My Christmas Five Senses Book
My favorite discoveries to observe involved that same bar magnet. One of my boys realized he could see the magnet pull the jingle bells in. He stayed at the science center for almost an hour, testing how far away the magnet needed to be before it pulled the bells in.
Other kiddos enjoyed filling up plastic containers with all of the bells. Then they’d place the bar magnet on the outside and use the magnet as a “handle” to lift the containers full of bells!
Related: Super Simple Christmas Sensory Bin
Do you add jingle bells to your preschool magnet science activities in December? Of course, based on how much my students loved this, I think it would work any time of the year!
Christmas Resources for Preschool Teachers
Save time planning (and, really, you can use all the time you have around the holidays!) with already done-for-you resources from Preschool Teacher 101. There are lesson plans, math and STEM activities, and literacy resources just for you! Be sure to check out the membership options for even more savings. You can also find us on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Click on the photos below for more information about Christmas resources:
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