Inside Out Movie Night & Feelings Magnets

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Without a doubt, our family’s favorite movie of the year is Inside Out. Little Crafter and I went to see it the first week it premiered in theaters, and I have to admit that I bawled like a baby. Little Crafter loved it so much that he insisted on seeing it again. This time hubby went along, and he enjoyed it just as much as we had. There was no doubt in my mind that when it became available to own on DVD, we’d be buying it.

This past week, when I walked into my local Target {admittedly to buy coffee}, I was immediately greeted by this giant display of the Inside Out Blu-Ray/DVD Combo! I grabbed a copy and couldn’t wait to let Little Crafter know when he got home from school. Not only does this special combo have the full-length movie we love, it also includes 20 minutes of exclusive bonus content and deleted scenes!

A new movie is the perfect excuse for a Family Movie Night, and this is my favorite time of year to snuggle up on the couch together in front of the pellet stove while we watch together. Of course, Family Movie Night in the Artsy House wouldn’t be complete without an art activity like these Inside Out-Inspired Feelings Magnets! The characters in this movie provide such a great opportunity to teach kids to talk about and understand their feelings, so I thought we could make good use of that on a daily basis.

Materials:
Polymer Clay {yellow, green, red, blue, and purple}
Paint Markers
Craft Sticks
Magnets
Glue
Acrylic Roller and Clay Cutting Tools {or rolling pin, plastic knife, and cookie cutters}
Foil-lined Baking Sheet

Step 1: Roll out your clay to 1/4″ thickness.
I like to use an acrylic roller for this step, but a rolling pin will do the trick too. Just make sure that you use one dedicated only to craft projects; even though polymer clay is non-toxic, it’s not a great idea to mix it with food.

Step 2: Cut out your magnet shapes.
We decided to use a circle for Joy, Disgust, and Sadness, an oval for Fear, and a square for Anger.

Step 3: Bake your shapes according to the package directions.
Mine took 15 minutes at 275 degrees Farenheit. Then, let them cool completely.

Step 4: Draw a face for each emotion on its corresponding shape using paint markers and/or permanent markers.

If your child wants to do this part, let him/her go for it! If drawing the faces seems too intimidating, you can always simply write the word for each feeling instead.

Step 5: Glue a magnet to the back of each shape and let them dry.
Hot glue will dry the fastest, but if you want your kiddos to be involved in every step, you can certainly use school or craft glue instead.

Step 6: Glue four craft sticks together to form a square frame.
You can use pre-colored craft sticks or let your child decorate plain ones with markers or paint. Then, write, “I feel…” or something similar on the frame using permanent marker or paint pens.

Step 7: Attach magnets or magnetic tape to the craft stick frame.
Now it’s ready to display!

All that’s left to do is place the frame and magnets on the refrigerator or another magnetic surface within your child’s reach. Then, use them to talk about and process feelings on a daily basis! We actually made the frame large enough to hold two magnets at the same time because just as the movie points out toward the end, sometimes we have mixed emotions about the things happening in our lives. Little Crafter has loved playing with these so far and is constantly running to update his current feelings.

Have you and your family seen Inside Out yet? Grab your Blu-Ray/DVD Combo Pack at Target; it’s a great movie the whole family will enjoy!