Keep the Kids Entertained with a DIY Magnetic Travel Chalkboard

When it comes to family travel, everyone’s excited about reaching the destination –  especially the kids!

As an experienced traveler and mom of two, I know that while reaching the destination is fantastic, there are also an abundance of opportunities for fun and memory-making on the journey.

Whether you’re traveling by car or plane, you’ll need to gear-up with some fun and versatile activities to keep the kids entertained while in transit.

This DIY magnetic travel chalkboard will keep little fingers busy and imaginations engaged, all without the need for charging cords or batteries.

In fact, my daughter loves this DIY magnetic travel board so much that she usually plays with it in our hotel room, or while we’re waiting for food in restaurants while traveling.

The best part about this DIY magnetic travel chalkboard is that it’s easy to make. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Small metal cookie sheet (I used 9x13)
• Chalkboard spray paint
• Two ¾-inch round ceramic magnets
• 10 Self-adhesive magnets
• Foam stickers
• Small zip pouch (or any small, lightweight container)
• E6000 Glue
• Chalk

1. Spray your cookie sheet with chalkboard paint. I recommend doing a thin coat to cover the pan and then applying two more coats, drying thoroughly between each coat.

2. Add a small self-adhesive magnet to the back of your foam stickers. I used sea creature foam stickers for this example, but you can find any number of different themes at any craft store.

This will create fun little magnets for your child to position and play with on his or her magnetic travel chalkboard.

3. This step is optional, but I also created a pouch to hold our chalk and foam sticker magnets using a small cloth zip pouch and two small magnets.

4. Use your E6000 glue to affix two magnets to the back of your pouch and allow them to dry for at least one hour. Alternatively, you could use any small, lightweight container for this. The idea is to add magnets so that your container will stick to your board for easy storage.

This also helps kids keep all of their chalk and magnets in one place between uses. You can also add a small cloth to your zip pouch to keep with you on your travels for wiping off the board.

My daughter loves to draw creative scenes using colored chalk and then add the foam magnets to bring the picture to life.

My son loves using this travel board to play tic-tac-toe with his sister while we’re in the car. The kids just pass the board back and forth and it’s a lot of fun.

I hope you’ll give this DIY magnetic travel chalkboard a try on your next family vacation!