Magnetism and Gravity Teaching Resources
Explore magnetism and gravity with engaging activities, printable worksheets and more teacher resources aligned with the Australian science curriculum.
This collection of teacher-created resources covers everything you need to introduce primary students to magnetic poles and fields, gravitational pull and so much more! Save time on your lesson plans with easily editable resources and differentiated options that have been carefully reviewed by the science teachers on the Teach Starter team to ensure they're ready for your classroom and your students!
Is this your first year teaching kids about magnets and the force of gravity? Or maybe you are just looking for fresh ideas? Read on for a primer from our teacher team, including kid-friendly definitions of these terms that you can use to explain the concepts in your classroom.
What Is Magnetism & What Are Magnets? 2 Kid-Friendly Definitions
Wish you had a script handy to introduce any topic to your class for the first time? The Teach Starter site is full of definitions of common concepts we have made for teachers. Here's one that we use to explain what magnetism means to our students:
Magnetism is a force that causes magnets to attract (or pull) certain materials toward them. It's also the name of the force that causes magnets to push away or repel other materials.
But wait, how do you explain what a magnet is to your students? Here's another definition made just for your students!
A magnet is a special object that produces a magnetic field around it, which causes attracting or repelling.
You might ask students if they have seen magnets that stick to the fridge in the kitchen or bring some of your own in from home to demonstrate how these everyday items attract metal.
How Do Magnets Work? — A Kid Question, Answered
Of course, your students will want to know how magnets actually work. Why does a magnet stick to the refrigerator or your whiteboard when it won't stick to their jumper or knee?
Magnetic fields can be used to break down this phenomenon for your students.
What Are Magnetic Fields?
Around each magnet is something called a magnetic field. This is an invisible area around a magnet where its force can be felt.
When you bring another object close to a magnet, this magnetic field tries to pull it closer or push it away.
The magnetic field of a magnet is attracted to certain materials, such as the metal on a refrigerator or the classroom whiteboard. These are materials we call 'magnetic,' which means that they have the ability to attract a magnet, and the magnet will stick to them.
Examples of magnetic materials include:
- Iron
- Steel
- Nickel
Because iron is a magnetic material, showing a magnet attracting tiny iron filings is a great visual to help students understand magnetism!
Other materials are not magnetic, meaning they do not attract a magnet, and the magnet will not stick to them.
Examples of non-magnetic materials include:
- Wood
- Plastic
- Glass
- Rubber
- Paper
What Are Magnetic Poles?
Why do magnets push some materials far away but stick tight to other materials?
The answer comes down to something called the magnetic poles. Each magnet has two poles — a North pole and a South pole — and those opposite poles are attracted to one another.
Let's say you bring the North pole of one magnet close to the South pole of another magnet. These two opposite magnetic poles will attract each other and stick together.
But let's say you do the opposite and try to bring two North poles together or two South poles together. They will repel or push each other away.
You may even see these items move when they aren't being moved by a human or other visible force!
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The Force of Gravity Comprehension Worksheets
Download this gravity worksheet to teach your Year 4 students about the force of gravity and its impact on our daily lives.
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Magnets and Magnetism Teaching Slides
Teach your students how magnets and magnetism work with this comprehensive and age-appropriate teaching presentation for primary school science lessons.
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Force and Motion Task Cards
Use these force and motion task cards as a student review activity in your Year 4 science lessons.
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Uses of Magnets Comprehension Worksheet
Download this magnets worksheet to teach your Year 4 students about the uses of magnets in our everyday lives.
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Forces Assessment
Assess students' understanding of contact and non-contact forces with this forces assessment for Year 4 students.
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Which Force Is That? Worksheet
Use this forces worksheet to teach your Year 4 students about the common forces of friction, buoyancy and gravity.
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All About Gravity Mini-Book
Get students exploring gravity facts for kids with this printable mini-book perfect for Year 4 science lessons.
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Magnet Experiment – Magnetic Flux Lines
Use this engaging magnet experiment when teaching your students about magnetic fields and their effect on magnetic objects.
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Force and Motion Vocabulary Worksheets
Use these force and motion vocabulary worksheets to teach your students the subject-specific vocabulary related to forces and motion.
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The Force of Gravity Teaching Slides
Teach your students facts about gravity with this comprehensive and age-appropriate teaching presentation for primary school science lessons.
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Exploring Magnets Worksheets
Download this magnetic or non-magnetic worksheet to use when exploring magnetism in your primary school science lessons.
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Force and Motion Bingo
Play a forces and motion game with your students to reinforce key subject-specific vocabulary.
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Is It Magnetic? Sorting Activity
Use this sorting activity when classifying objects as magnetic or not magnetic.
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All About Magnets Mini-Book
Learn about magnets, magnetic poles, magnetic fields and more with this printable mini-book.
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Magnetism Vocabulary Cards
Reinforce science vocabulary in your classroom with this set of word wall cards that focus on magnetism.
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Magnetism Crossword Puzzle
Use this magnetism crossword puzzle to reinforce the scientific vocabulary related this non-contact force.
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Electric Avenue - Understanding the Non-contact Force of Electrostatics PowerPoint
A teaching presentation introducing the students to the non-contact force of electrostatics.
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Uses of Magnets Mini-Book
Teach about everyday uses of magnets with this printable mini-book perfect for Year 4 science lessons.
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Gravity Poster
Teach students facts about gravity using this gravity poster perfect for Year 4 science lessons.
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Force and Motion Sorting Activity
Show students force and motion examples with this force and motion sorting activity for elementary school science lessons.
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Magnetism – Science Vocabulary Worksheets
Review terms associated with magnetism with this science vocabulary worksheet pack.
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Magnets Word Wall Vocabulary
Expand your students' science vocabulary with printable Magnets word wall vocabulary cards.
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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ Knowledge of Physical Sciences – Teaching Slides
Teach your students about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' knowledge of forces with this comprehensive and age-appropriate teaching presentation.
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Fighting Gravity Interactive Peg Cards
Explore objects that must fight gravity to stay in their air with this set of 24 digital peg cards.
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Gravity Word Wall Vocabulary Cards
Immerse your students in gravity vocabulary with this set of 15 illustrated vocabulary cards perfect for a word wall display.
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Magnet Investigation Flipbook
Explore magnetic and non-magnetic materials and investigate the strength of magnets with this investigation flipbook.