Make Your Own Fridge Magnet Game with Magnetic Paper

Get creative with Geneva Vanderzeil from Collective Gen and learn how to make your own fridge magnet game using the Canon Pixma printer and Canon Magnetic Photo Paper. This fun DIY word and photo game is a hands-on way to use your family photos to teach your little one who’s who. And as a bonus you’ll liven up your fridge in the process!

As well as your fridge and creative juices, here’s what you’ll need to make you own custom fridge magnets at home with your kids:

• A Canon Pixma printer (Explore here)
• A pack of Canon Magnetic Photo Paper
• Scissors
• Your favourite photos and word designs that you'd like to print

Step 1 – Choose Your Word Designs

The first thing you'll need to do is choose the words that you’d like to print onto the magnetic paper. You can either use your own word designs or go to the Collective Gen website to download designs made by Geneva.

Try to include family titles such as ‘Mum’, ‘Dad’, ‘Sister’, ‘Brother’, ‘Cousin’, ‘Grandma’, ‘Grandad’, ‘Uncle’, ‘Aunty’, etc. You may also want to include descriptive words to describe each family member, such as ‘Cute’, ‘Funny’ and ‘Happy’. And don't forget to include words to describe each scene, like ‘Sunny’, ‘Beach’, ‘Ocean’, ‘Park’, ‘House’ and ‘Garden’. Remember, the more words you print, the more your little ones will be able to say and learn.

Step 2 – Print Your Photos and Word Designs

Load your Canon Pixma printer up with Canon Magnetic Paper, being sure that the paper is inserted the right way around (so that you don’t accidentally print on the magnetic side of the paper). Check you’re happy with your printer settings and press 'Print'.

Step 3 – Cut Out Your Photos and Word Designs

Using your scissors, carefully cut each word out so that they can be placed on your fridge individually. It's a good idea to cut them out in straight, unformed shapes, so that they are clear and easy to read. Then print a selection of family photos that show lots of different family members and a wide variety of different scenes.

Step 4 – Assemble the Magnets on Your Fridge

Once you’ve printed out your photos and cut your word design up into individual words, you can place them onto your fridge and start having fun! Encourage your little one/s to match up the family member photos, words and numbers, and be sure to teach them how to do it by creating your own sentences and word combinations. This is an excellent way for children to get creative and learn in an interactive way. And it’s a lot of fun for grown ups too!