What Is Friction in Science?

Once your students have an understanding of the concept of a force (a push or pull that makes an object move or change direction), they’ll be ready to explore some of the more common forces we engage with in our everyday lives in greater detail. One of these forces is the force of friction. Friction is a contact force that resists motion when two objects move against each other.

This informative classroom poster has been designed by our teacher team to teach your students about the force of friction and its types. It contains:

• A definition of friction
• Images of static, sliding and rolling friction (examples of friction)
• Images of a rough surface and a smooth surface 

This poster downloads as a black and white and full-color PDF or editable Google Slides file. Whether you’re introducing the basics or delving into advanced principles, this poster caters to all levels of scientific understanding of the force of friction.

Use This Friction Poster in Your Science Lessons

While this friction poster makes a great reference when it comes to helping your students remember the different types of friction, it can be used in other ways during your science lessons on forces. Here are some suggestions from our teacher team:

1. Engaging Introductions – Kick off your friction unit with an attention-grabbing introduction using the poster. Prompt discussions by asking students to identify the types of friction and surface textures depicted.
2. Hands-On Activities – Enhance the learning experience with hands-on activities that complement the visuals on the friction poster. Have students experiment with surfaces to observe and compare the effects of static, sliding and rolling friction.
3. Real-World Connections – Pose scenarios where students must analyze the frictional forces at play and propose solutions, using the poster as a reference guide. For example: If I want to move my sofa to a new position in my living room, what friction force am I going to contend with?

Download and Print Your Friction for Kids Chart

Use the dropdown menu on the Download button to choose your preferred file format.

You may wish to enlarge this poster to enhance readability for display purposes.

This resource was created by Kaylyn Chupp, a teacher in Florida and a Teach Starter collaborator.

More Resources Targeting the Friction Force

Teach Starter has more great resources to save you time when teaching your students about the friction force. Click below for some more curriculum-aligned, teacher-created activities!

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