Science · Stage 4
Forces and Friction
Why do things slow down and fall? Meet friction and gravity — two forces at work all around you.
✦ Science📘 Stage 4 · S4⏱ ~10 min🧒 Ages 8–9★ Free to start
describe friction and ways to increase or reduce it, and explain gravity as the pull that makes things fall.
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Kavi on the Sled
Kavi zooms down a snowy hill on a sled 🛷 — wheee! On the smooth ice it slides fast, but when it hits the rough grass it slows right down. "Something is rubbing and slowing me!" says Kavi. "That's friction 🖐️. And the thing that pulled me down the hill? That's gravity 🌍! Come find out how forces move the world."
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What your child will learn
1Two forces at workA force is a push or a pull. Tap each one to learn what it does.
2More friction or less?Use what you know about rough and smooth surfaces. Predict, then tap to check! Tap Next test for more.
3More friction or less friction?Some things grip and rub a lot (more friction). Others are slippery and rub only a little (less friction). Tap the right box!
4Hard to push, or easy?Kavi pushes the same box on two floors. Tap each card to see what friction does.
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A peek inside
Kavi pushes a heavy box across a rough floor and it is hard to move and soon stops. What force is rubbing and slowing the box down?
Friction is the force between two surfaces that rub together, and it works against motion to slow things down.
Try this at home: What is friction?
Ready to play and learn?
Start the free interactive lesson, or print the handout for screen-free play.
Part of Science · Stage 4 · S4 on KAVI Academy — a secular, whole-child learning platform for ages 5–12.