Sunday School or Bible Clubs > Crafts >  Crafts for Boys > Magnet Maze

Make a game with a shoebox lid, paper clips, and a couple of magnets. If you print out all the sheets, there are several games they can play, so it won’t become boring as quickly as only having one way to play it. With so many options, it might also inspire the kids to make up their own game sheets (inspiring creativity is fantastic!). One thing that immediately makes a game more appealing to children, is if a game somehow resembles a T.V. show that they watch. So think about shows they enjoy watching, and see if you can make up a game as a spin off from it.

1. 1.Print out the game boards
   

2. 2.Color the game boards with markers.
   

3. 3.Cut out the truck, boat, and soccer player shapes, and tape them to paperclips.
   

4. 4.Lay one of the game sheets in a shoebox lid, OR cut off the front of a cereal box and use the box as the frame.
   

5. 5.Hold the magnets under the box to move the paperclip playing pieces.
   

Optional: Make up some of your own games.

Maze

There are 3 ways to make the maze into a game--do it as a solo activity, or grab a friend and see who can find the way to the finish line first, or you and your friend each draw a maze, and see who can solve it first.

1. 1.Print out the maze game board.
   

2. 2.Color the maze if you want.
   

3. 3.Use a paperclip to move around the maze with a magnet under the board. Make a paper decoration for the paperclip if you want, or use different colored paperclips for each of you.
   

4. 4.Use 2 magnets, grab a friend, and see who can get through the maze first--use a timer, or take turns moving one space at a time.

Treasure Hunt

Make a paper sail for the paperclip to turn it into a sailboat.

1. 1.Print out the treasure hunt game board.
   

2. 2.Color the game board if you want.
   

3. 3.Cut out the island and wharf from a separate piece of paper and glue them to the game board. Hopefully this will stop the boats from going on land, or at least make it harder!
   

4. 4.Cut out one or two boat and sail shapes, and tape them to paperclips (make one if you will play the game alone, but 2 if a friend will play it with you.) Bend the middle section up vertically to tape the sale to it.
   

5. 5.Put a pile of paperclips on the island to represent the buried treasure.
   

6. 6.You and a friend each use a magnet to move your boats from the wharf to the island. Pull the magnet away from the bottom of the box to leave the boat on the beach. Use the magnet to grab a paperclip “treasure” and drag it back to the boat. Use the magnet to pull the boat and the treasure back to the shore. Keep repeating this until all the treasure has been moved off the island and back to the wharf. See whose pile of treasure is the biggest. If you want to make sure it is not a tie in the end, use an odd number of paperclips.
   

Alternate way to use this game board based on the T.V. show: “Deadliest Catch”

Sprinkle paperclips around in the water to represent lobster traps. Each time a boat moves next to a lobster trap, spin a spinner to see what to do. Make a spinner with several options:

1. 1.The trap is empty-lose a turn.
   

2. 2. A storm pushes you off track--lose a turn.
   

3. 3.The trap is full--take it home.
   

4. 4.You cut your hand--return to shore before going to another trap
   

5. 5.The trap is extra full--take two traps back to shore (if you can. If the magnets are not very strong, you may not be able to pull 3 paperclips at once.)
   

6. 6.The trap is full--take it home.

Ice Road Truckers/World’s most Dangerous Roads (based on the popular T.V. shows)

See who can get their load delivered first.

1. 1.Print out a map style game board.
   

2. 2.Color the game board if you want.
   

3. 3.Cut out the truck shapes, one for each player, and tape them to paperclips.
   

4. 4.Use 2 magnets, grab a friend, and play some of the games.
   

Make lots of your own road maps to keep playing it over and over again. Add some extra fun by making some problems cards that can send you back to the beginning, or make you lose a turn.

Make a box frame in place of a shoe box lid

If you can’t find a pre-made cardboard box such as a shoebox lid or cereal box, you can make one out of thick paper such as poster board.

1. 1.Lay a standard piece of paper onto a piece of poster board (large thick paper) with at least extra 2 inches of poster board along both sides beyond the standard paper, and 5 or more inches beyond both ends.
   

2. 2.Draw a line around the standard sized paper.
   

3. 3.Draw a one inch (2 cm.) border around the paper.
   

4. 4.Draw a second one inch (2 cm.) border around the first border.
   

5. 5.Extend the first boarder line beyond both ends on both sides--this added length should be half the width of the standard sized paper.
   

6. 6.Cut along the outermost lines.
   

7. 7.Fold the long sides toward the middle so the edge is next to the standard paper outline.
   

8. 8.Fold the sides one more time so they stand up like walls on both sides.
   

9. 9.Fold the extended pieces in front of the short ends, and fold the ends over these extended pieces.
   

10. 10. Glue the end flaps over the extended pieces to keep it in place.

Soccer

1. 1.Use a green sheet of paper for the soccer (football) field.
   

2. 2.Make 2 goals: Cut a matchbox in half and glue them on both ends for the soccer (football) goals. If you are a perfectionist, you may want to draw a net on the goals!
   

3. 3.Make a soccer ball: cut a white circle of paper to fit a washer, and draw black pentagons on it. Glue or tape the paper to a metal washer. A washer is a thin donut shaped piece of metal that is sold in hardware stores. (Make sure the washer is attracted to magnets, or the game won’t work.)
   

4. 4.Make soccer players: bend the middle of paperclips so they stand up. Use the paperclips as is for players, or draw players on paper,--be sure to color the uniforms to match your favorite teams. Cut the players out and glue or tape them to the paperclips --to the part that is sticking up. Make one for each player.
   

5. 5.Give each player a paperclip player and magnet--see who can steal the ball and make a goal.

Optional Problem Cards for Ice Roads (make up new cards based on each week’s show)

1. 1.Your truck slides off the road. Lose one turn.
   

2. 2.Your load falls off the truck. Lose one turn.
   

3. 3.Your truck falls through the ice. Go back to the beginning.
   

4. 4.You get sick. Lose 2 turns.
   

5. 5. You get a flat tire, lose 1 turn.
   

Be sure to add good things, too:

1. You stop to help another trucker. Take an extra turn.

2. 2.You drink coffee to stay awake and drive farther. Take an extra turn.
   

3. 3.You got up early. Take an extra turn.
   

Optional Problem Cards for Dangerous Roads

1. 1.One truck tire slides off the road. Lose one turn.
   

2. 2.Your load falls off the truck. Lose one turn.
   

3. 3.A landslide blocks the road. Go back to the beginning.
   

4. 4.You take a wrong turn. Lose 1 turn.
   

5. 5.A river ferry is on the opposite side of the river. Lose 1 turn.
   

6. 6.A flash flood washes out the bridge. Spend 2 turns finding another bridge to cross the river.
   

Be sure to add good things, too:

1. You stop to help another trucker. Take an extra turn.

2. 2.You drink coffee to stay awake and drive farther. Take an extra turn.
   

3. 3.You got up early so you can drive farther. Take an extra turn.
   

4. 4. A local person tells you about a shortcut. Take an extra turn.

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Sunday School or Bible Clubs > Crafts >  Crafts for Boys > Magnet Maze