What You Need

Flat Magnets (the kind that many advertisers attach to the front of phone books or give out to put on your refrigerator)

(optional)Painter's Masking Tape – usually sold in colors blue or purple

Set Up for Magnet Toss

1. Choose A Space – Magnet toss can be played in front of any large metal appliance such as a clothes washer, clothes dryer or refrigerator. Check your available appliances to see which space would offer the most room for tossing magnets onto the front of the appliance.

2. Clear Space of Breakables – Remove any breakable items that are on or near the large appliance. Flat magnets are light weight and do not pose a high risk for damaging items, but it's best to remove any breakable items from the throwing area.

3. Choose a Throwing Line – As in the adult game of darts, players will all stand behind a line to toss magnets. Lay a string on the floor or use painter's masking tape to mark a tossing line for players to stand behind.

Various Ways to Play Magnet Toss

Simply Toss - Preschoolers may simply enjoy tossing and throwing the magnets and enjoy how the magnets stick to the metal appliance.

Create Targets – There are several ways to create target areas.

Painter's Masking Tape - Tape shapes onto the appliance front with painter's masking tape.

Magnets – Other magnets may be used to mark spaces on the appliance front. If you have magnets that aren't flat and stick out a few inches from the appliance, preschoolers can try to toss their flat magnet in a way that knocks the target magnet off of the appliance.

Standing – Preschoolers stand behind the line to toss magnets.

Sitting – Preschoolers must sit either in a short chair or a tall stool behind the line and toss magnets.

Standing on one foot – Add a balance challenge to magnet toss by requiring older preschoolers to stand on one foot while they toss the magnet. This version will be quite difficult for some preschoolers.

Keep Score or Not

Most preschoolers are not interested in keep score, but you can turn this game into a math activity by having preschoolers record their score on paper, a dry erase board or chalk board.

Like this article? Get more like it in your inbox. Subscribe today to our free weekly newsletter.

Helpful Tips for Parents

• Physical fitness in preschool predicts academic performance in elementary school. The brain-body connection is direct: active children concentrate better and learn more effectively.

• Model movement yourself. Children of physically active parents are dramatically more likely to be physically active across their lifespan.

• Competitive sports are generally not appropriate before age 6–7. Preschoolers benefit most from cooperative physical games where everyone succeeds.

• Dance is one of the most complete physical activities for preschoolers: it develops bilateral coordination, rhythm, balance, spatial awareness, and emotional expression simultaneously.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does physical activity affect my preschooler's sleep?

Physical activity is one of the strongest positive predictors of sleep quality and duration in preschoolers. Children who have sufficient vigorous physical activity during the day fall asleep faster, sleep more deeply, and wake less frequently than sedentary peers. The timing matters: vigorous activity in the late afternoon or evening (within 1–2 hours of bedtime) can delay sleep for some children — schedule the most vigorous play before 5pm when possible.

How much physical activity do preschoolers need per day?

The WHO and CDC recommend that preschoolers (ages 3–5) be physically active throughout the day, with a minimum of 3 hours of physical activity daily — including 60 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous intensity. This can be accumulated across multiple sessions. Most preschoolers meet this recommendation easily if given outdoor access and unstructured play time, but children in settings with limited outdoor access or high screen time frequently do not.

Related reading: See also our outdoor chalk activities and our obstacle course guide for more ideas on this topic.

🎓 Skills Your Child Will Develop

• 🧠 Brain-Body Connection — Research consistently shows that physical activity directly improves concentration, working memory, and academic readiness — making fitness time one of the highest-return educational investments in a preschooler's day.
• 🧭 Spatial Awareness — Moving through and around obstacles, understanding where their body is in space, and following directional instructions develops the spatial body awareness that sports, dance, and coordinated movement require.
• 💪 Strength Building — Age-appropriate strength challenges — climbing, pushing, carrying, and holding body weight — build the muscle development that children need for endurance, injury resistance, and the hand strength that fine motor tasks require.
• 😌 Emotional Regulation — Physical activity is one of the most effective emotional regulation tools available to preschoolers — vigorous movement releases stress hormones and resets the nervous system for calm, focused engagement with other tasks.

by Kelly Pfeiffer

This indoor fitness activity for preschoolers develops coordination, throwing skills and balance and uses two things that most people have in their homes – flat magnets and a metal front appliance. A great rainy day activity, magnet toss can be played over and over again by changing the set up for the game. Add short chairs, tall chairs and targets to create a different type of magnet toss each time.