Easy DIY Cookie Sheet Magnetic Board for Toddlers

In what is probably my easiest DIY ever, I have officially begun adding a play area to my office. While I would love for this to be a “me” only space, my toddlers don’t agree, and they’re too cute to say no to (at least, for this).

Still, I didn’t want my office space to be overtaken by toddler toys! This—and a play corner at a restaurant down in Charleston–inspired me to head to Target, grab some cookie sheets, and create these easy DIY cookie sheet magnetic boards!

How to Make a DIY Magnetic Board Out of a Cookie Sheet

The reason this DIY is so so easy is because, technically, your cookie sheet is already magnetic (assuming you get or have the right one)—you just have to add the magnets.

But that doesn’t mean everything is simple. Depending on your pan size, you’re holding up a good bit of weight on your wall, and it needs to be secured.

So, for today’s project, you’re going to need a few things:

• 1 or 2 cookie sheets, I used these Figment ones from Target
• Picture hanging Command Strips: I used 8 sets, 4 for each
• Cleaner (personal preference)
• Magnets: I grabbed this set from Melissa and Doug on sale and these Bluey ones

Let’s break the process down:

#1. Clean Everything

The first thing you’ll do is clean. You have to make sure your surfaces are clean and ready for your command strips, or you’ll be very upset when everything falls down.

I cleaned the wall (which is a shiplap wall, part of the new fully-finished versions of Pineview Buildings).

I don’t have a before picture, but it definitely had a few marks and handprints from when my husband put down the flooring (I was not going to pay $2k for $400 worth of flooring when we’ve laid down multiple rooms of it, courtesy of our 1960s home with god-awful flooring).

At this point you should go ahead and map out where you want to put your cookie sheets. I had it easy—the shiplap had lines readily available, but you should have a general idea of where you want to put them.

#2. Add Your Command Strips

Do you have to use command strips? No. You can absolutely screw your magnetic boards to the wall, but the bigger strips hold up to 16lbs and even with my beefy cookie sheet it would work perfectly and I didn’t want to put holes in my new shiplap walls.

I used four pairs and attached the side to the cookie sheet first:

You’re technically supposed to let it sit for an hour before hanging, but no one has time for that so I applied pressure with body heat (held my hand on it with my bodyweight) for 30 seconds each.

Once that was finished, I added the second part of the strip:

I’ll be honest, I don’t know if this is the RIGHT way to do it—but it worked. I knew I would be way too frustrated to try and line up the Command Strips on the back of the sheet and on the wall and this method was way easier.

#3. Hanging You DIY Cookie Sheet Magnetic Board(s)

Once I had the strips secured, I removed the cover on the sticky part and lined my boards up where I wanted them to go and repeated the process of holding them in place for 30 seconds with my body weight.

Placing the first was easy, lining the second one up was a pain. I knew I needed two because my youngest (1) and my older toddler (3) and kid (5) would want to play with different magnets, likely at the same time.

It took me awhile to get them up (I had my youngest in my lap the whole time), but I’m happy with the placement—even if it looks a little bland for the moment.

Again, it’s kinda wild to me how simple this DIY was—it reminds me of when I created those recycled crayon cars.

#4. Bring Out The Magnets!

Now that your cookie sheets are hanging, you’re ready to add on the magnets! I purchased two magnet sets and plan to keep an eye out for more—I feel like it would be fun to update it with each holiday!

Set number one I caught on sale for a little over $10 off is the Melissa and Doug alphabet and numbers sets:

The Bluey was a toddler favorite, but we’ve held off on pulling out some of the smaller pieces while my youngest was playing:

Here’s what they looked like while playing and on the cookie sheets/magnet boards:

Why I Didn’t Just Buy a Magnet Board

Honestly—the cost. The cheapest magnetic boards I could find on Amazon and in store for the same size as these (15″ x 21″) were over $30 for a set of two. These cookie sheets were $24 for a set of two.

You can also find more budget friendly options at the Dollar General or Dollar Tree—I picked these because I had a gift card from doing their diaper and baby supply deal in the first week of the month.

As for the magnets, I did splurge a little because I didn’t want to go in-store (and both sets were on sale) but you can also find more affordable options at local stores!

So, what did you think of how I turned a Cookie Sheet into a Magnetic Board? Interested in trying it or passing to the next project?

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