This engaging resource pack combines our popular STEM Journal with hands-on investigations that bring forces and magnetism to life. Perfect for Key Stage 2 learners, children will investigate pushes and pulls, explore friction, and discover the amazing properties of magnets while documenting their physics journey in their STEM Journal.
Included Resources +
This pack includes seven activity sheets with accompanying lesson plans and a STEM Journal for recording forces and magnetism investigations and discoveries.
• STEM Journal — interactive notebook for recording forces and magnetism investigations and discoveries
• Investigating Forces: Push Or Pull — explore different types of forces and how they make things move
• Travelling On Different Surfaces Investigation — discover how friction affects movement on various surfaces
• Magnetic Poles — investigate how magnetic poles attract and repel each other
• Is It Magnetic Investigation — test which materials are attracted to magnets
• Make A Compass — build a working compass and explore Earth's magnetic field
• Magnetic Maze — create a fun game using magnetic forces
Key Details +
• Year Group: Year 3 (ages 7–8)
• Key Stage: KS2
• Subject: Science
• Resource Type: Activity Sheets + Lesson Plans + STEM Journal
• Format: Instant PDF Download
• Number of Activities: 7
Curriculum Alignment +
Aligned to the Year 3 Science National Curriculum. Covers forces and magnets — comparing how things move on different surfaces, noticing that some forces need contact between two objects but magnetic forces can act at a distance, observing how magnets attract or repel each other and attract some materials and not others, comparing and grouping together a variety of everyday materials on the basis of whether they are attracted to a magnet, and describing magnets as having two poles. Cross-curricular links to Geography (Make A Compass — navigation and direction) and Maths (Year 3 — measuring and comparing forces, recording data).
Teaching Tips +
Make A Compass is the standout activity — magnetise a needle by stroking it with a magnet, float it on a piece of cork in water, and watch it align to north. Children are always amazed that something they've made actually works. Magnetic Maze makes an excellent end-of-unit activity — children design and build a maze on card and use a magnet underneath to guide a paper clip through it. Is It Magnetic Investigation works best as a fair test with a wide range of materials (coins, foil, paper clips, rubber, wood, fabric) — children are often surprised that not all metals are magnetic. Travelling On Different Surfaces Investigation pairs naturally with Maths — measure the distance a toy car travels on each surface and record results in a bar chart in the STEM Journal.
