US

Magnetic materials: will it stick?

Will a magnet pick up a paper clip, a drinks can or a brass key? A free Grade 2 science game about magnetic materials, with a printable game and worksheet.

For parents and teachers

How this game supports learning, with worked examples, common mistakes and ideas for home and school.

At a glance

Learning focus
Forces and magnets
Suggested level
Grade 2 · Supplemental or enrichment practice
Game
Sort it out

Open the free printable game and worksheet

Magnetic materials: will it stick?: what children learn

This game shows four everyday objects and asks which one is attracted to a magnet, or which one is not. It uses objects whose material is clear: a steel paper clip, an aluminum drinks can, a brass key. We have left out coins and stainless-steel cutlery on purpose, because some are magnetic and some are not, which makes a great investigation but a confusing quiz question. Try those at home with a fridge magnet.

Suggested grade 2 practice, selected by skill and reading demand. US states and schools teach these topics in different grades; this is not a state-standards alignment claim.

Next Generation Science Standards teaching connection: PS2.B: magnetic interactions. Predicting which materials attract a magnet is introductory background. The linked Grade 3 expectation asks learners to investigate forces; use real magnets and test predictions after playing. Read the framework.

How to play

Sort the cards into the right groups. Tap a card, then its group. You can also drag a card, or press the number on its group. Each game has 3 rounds with no timer. Every card is checked as soon as you place it: a card in the wrong group comes back with a hint, and you get a point for each card you place right first time. For a quicker go, choose Quick quiz: 10 multiple-choice questions in 120 seconds (choose Relaxed for more time).

Step by step

  1. Ask "Is it a metal?". If it is not a metal (plastic, wood, glass, paper, fabric, rubber), it is not attracted to a magnet.
  2. If it is a metal, ask "Does it contain iron?". Iron and steel (which is mostly iron) are magnetic. Paper clips, nails and food tins are usually steel.
  3. Remember the non-magnetic metals. Aluminum (drinks cans, foil), copper (pipes, wires), brass (many keys), gold and silver are not attracted to magnets.
  4. Test, don't guess. Shiny is not a clue. Hold a magnet close and see whether it pulls.
  5. Sort and record. Put objects into two groups and write a sentence: "Magnets attract iron and steel."

Worked examples

Example 1: Which of these is attracted to a magnet: a gold ring, a steel paper clip, a plastic ruler or a glass marble?

Working: Only one of these contains iron. Paper clips are made of steel, which is mostly iron.

Answer: The steel paper clip.

Example 2: Which of these is NOT attracted to a magnet: an iron nail, a steel food tin, an aluminum drinks can or iron filings?

Working: Aluminum is a metal, but it is not magnetic.

Answer: The aluminum drinks can.

Example 3: Is a brass key magnetic?

Working: Brass is made from copper and zinc. Neither is magnetic.

Answer: No.

Common mistakes and how to fix them

  • Thinking all metals are magnetic. Test an aluminum can and a steel tin side by side. Both are metal; only the steel tin sticks.
  • Thinking magnets attract anything shiny. Try foil, a shiny bauble and a mirror. Shine does not matter; iron does.
  • Saying a magnet "sticks" to paper when it holds a drawing on the fridge. The magnet is pulling the steel fridge door through the paper. Paper itself is not attracted.

Activities to try at home

  • Go round the kitchen with a fridge magnet and test ten things. Make two piles: sticks and does not stick.
  • Test cans in the recycling: steel food tins stick, aluminum drinks cans do not. Recycling centers use magnets to sort them.
  • Try some coins and spoons and find out which ones are magnetic. Talk about why the results differ.
  • Print the worksheet and check your child's answers with a real magnet where you can.

Ideas for the classroom

  • Give groups a tray of objects and a magnet; they predict, test and record in a two-column table.
  • Show how magnets are used to separate steel and aluminum cans at recycling centers.
  • Ask students to find one surprising result and explain it to the class.
  • Use the game as a quick check before moving on to poles, attraction and repulsion.

Free printable game and worksheet

The free printable starts with a game sheet, such as a color-by-answer picture, an answer maze or a secret-code joke, followed by a worksheet. Both use the same checked questions as the online game, and the answers are on the last page. Print it, or save it as a PDF from your browser’s print menu.

Open the free printable game and worksheet

Frequently asked questions

Why are some coins magnetic?

It depends on what the coin is made of. Since 1992, UK 1¢ and 2¢ coins have been made of steel with a copper coating, so most of them stick to a magnet; older ones are mostly copper and do not. That is why coins are a great test but are left out of the quiz.

Are stainless-steel spoons magnetic?

Some are and some are not. Stainless steel comes in different types, and the most common type used for cutlery and sinks is usually not attracted to a magnet.

Which metals are magnetic?

At elementary level, iron and steel. Nickel and cobalt are magnetic too, but children rarely meet them on their own.

  • Everyday materials: what is it made of? (Kindergarten science) – Is a window made of glass, wood or metal? A free Kindergarten science game about objects and the materials they are made from, with a printable game and worksheet.
  • Electrical conductors and insulators (Grade 3 science) – Will a bulb light through a paper clip or a plastic ruler? A free Grade 3 science game about electrical conductors and insulators, with a printable game and worksheet.

Back to Grade 2 science