Materials available in this Magnets Lesson Plan include two Magnet Activities and four Magnet Worksheets.Our Magnet Lesson Plan provides you with
A magnetism worksheet for 3rd grade: sort eight classroom objects by whether a magnet attracts them, then find the magnetic object in four sentences. Answer key included for no-prep science practice.
This Magnetic Earth Worksheet gives 4th Grade students four magnet words and six real-life clues to match, plus an answer key, so magnetism vocabulary sticks long after the lesson ends.
This magnetic objects worksheet lets 1st graders circle pictures and words to show which things a magnet will pull. An answer key is included for quick checking.
This first grade classroom objects magnet attraction worksheet has students sort six everyday items into attract or does-not-attract columns as they explore magnetism. Answer key included — a quick, hands-on way to practice physical science.
This Is it Magnetic Worksheet has 3rd Grade students sort six classroom objects by the material they are made of, then explain two predictions in writing. Answer key included, so checking work takes seconds.
This fields and poles magnets worksheet has 3rd Grade students name the poles and field of a magnet, predict a push or a pull, and explain how a compass works. An answer key is included.
This magnet activity has kindergarten to 3rd grade students sort picture cards into things a magnet will pull and things it will not, with a sorting mat, practice page and answer key.
This magnet attraction worksheet has 2nd grade students test seven objects with a magnet and record whether each is metal, iron or steel, and magnetic. An answer key is included for fast, easy checking.
This magnetism experiment worksheet has 3rd graders sort eight objects by material, decide whether magnet poles attract or repel, and explain why steel is pulled and plastic is not. Answer key included for fast, no-prep science practice.
This fun with magnets science activity has 1st to 3rd grade students predict, sort and check whether magnet poles attract or repel. Answer key included.
Push, pull and a whole lot of "whoa!"
Kids discover that magnets pull on some things and ignore others. The surprise: not every metal is magnetic! Magnets grab iron and steel, like paper clips and nails, but not aluminum foil or most coins. Next they meet the two ends of a magnet, north and south poles. Opposite poles pull together and matching poles push apart, which feels like magic in their hands. Older kids learn that magnets work through paper and water, that the pull gets weaker with distance, and that Earth itself acts like a giant magnet, which is why a compass works.
Magnets practically teach themselves, as long as kids predict before they test. Here's how we keep it focused.
Model the routine once: hold up an object, say your prediction out loud, then test it. After that, kids run it themselves with a recording sheet. The "I was wrong!" moments with foil and coins are the best part of the lesson.
Why it works: showing first, practicing together, then letting kids try alone is the "gradual release" model teachers have relied on for decades (Pearson and Gallagher, 1983).
Try it withMagnets Lesson PlanLesson PlansOpen it →Give partners two bar magnets and one job: find the ends that push and the ends that pull. Kids feel the push before they learn the word "repel." Then label N and S together and let them explain it back.
Why it works: going from real objects to pictures to symbols is a core recommendation of the U.S. Department of Education's elementary math guide.
Try it withMagnet ActivityActivitiesOpen it →Magnetic force is invisible, so draw it! Show the arcs of a magnetic field around a bar magnet and have kids sketch arrows between poles. A picture turns "it just sticks" into a real explanation.
Why it works: children learn more from words and pictures together than from words alone (Mayer, 2009).
Try it withFields and Poles Magnets WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →A magnet and a curious kid will keep busy for an hour. Here's how to point that energy.
WorksheetsSend kids around the room with a magnet to test doors, desks and scissors, then sort what stuck.
Open Classroom Objects Magnet Attraction Worksheet →
ActivitiesTie a magnet to a string and go fishing for paper-clip fish. Write a question on each catch.
Open Fun with Magnets Science Activity →
WorksheetsCan a magnet pull through paper, a book or water? Kids test it and record the results.
Open Magnetism Experiment Worksheet →Teacher favorites right now: Magnets Lesson Plan, Magnetism Worksheet and Magnetic Earth Worksheet.
Iron, steel, nickel and cobalt. Things like paper clips, nails and steel spoons stick, while aluminum foil, copper, plastic, wood and most coins do not.
Every magnet has a north end and a south end. Opposites pull together and matching ends push apart. Let kids feel it with two bar magnets before you name it.
Earth acts like a giant magnet. The tiny magnet in a compass needle lines up with Earth's magnetic field, so it points north.
Kids often explore what magnets attract in kindergarten to 2nd grade. Poles, pushes and pulls, and forces at a distance usually come in 3rd grade.
Classroom bar and horseshoe magnets are fine with supervision. Keep tiny magnets away from young children, since swallowing them is dangerous.
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