Learning about physics doesn’t have to be book-based or boring. Physics can be a challenging subject but when the materials are engaging and the activities are hands-on, students will be motivated to learn. Animated presentations, exploratory activities, and fun experiments can help you teach balanced and unbalanced forces to all levels and ages. Here are 20 brainy and fun activities to teach these concepts to your kids.
1. Balanced and Unbalanced Forces Scenarios
Trying to understand balanced and unbalanced forces without visuals and scenarios can be difficult for some students. With this easy-to-understand video, the creator helps students explore balanced and unbalanced forces in physics. Students will explore five different scenarios involving a rock and various forces acting on it.
Learn More: Khan Academy
2. Forces and Motion Vocabulary Puzzle
Students have a tactile way to learn forces and motion vocabulary with this puzzle. Students will put the puzzle together to review vocabulary definitions and if the puzzle fits together properly, the work is correct!
Learn More: Twinkl
3. Balanced and Unbalanced Forces Lesson Plans
Elementary-level students need easy-to-understand terms and activities to comprehend the concepts of balanced and unbalanced forces. These lesson plans come complete with explanations and activities like building a parachute to demonstrate push/pull and force.
Learn More: Science Buddies
4. Balanced and Unbalanced Forces Word Wall
A word wall is an awesome teaching resource for parents and teachers looking for presentations on balanced and unbalanced forces. The resource has materials for students of all ages and levels to understand concepts by using puzzles, match-ups, word games, and more!
Learn More: Wordwall
5. Balanced and Unbalanced Forces Quizzes
Quizizz offers interactive ways to review what the student learned through fun quizzes. These quizzes are visually appealing and offer various question types such as matching or fill-in-the-blank. Students can take the quizzes to live in class or have them assigned as homework.
Learn More: Quizizz
6. Anchor Charts for Force and Motion
Help students understand balanced and unbalanced forces using colorful anchor charts. These free and downloadable anchor charts reinforce what students have learned and can be used as a helpful tool for explaining new concepts.
Learn More: What I Have Learned
7. Balanced and Unbalanced Forces Can Crushing Experiment
The host, Presley, demonstrates how much air pressure is acting on us all the time. Follow along as Presley displays how air can crush a can! Your learners will be amazed to see the concept of balanced and unbalanced forces happening right before their eyes!
Learn More: BiteSizedEDU
8. Balanced and Unbalanced Forces Balloon Race
Students will design and then construct a balloon racer and explain the laws of force and motion with this lesson plan. The plan comes complete with worksheets and videos to guide students with inquiry-based learning tasks related to balanced and unbalanced forces
Learn More: Annenberg Learner
9. Balancing Hearts
A great activity that merges physics and art. Create this balanced heart experiment with two skewers and some cardboard. Once complete, learners can balance the hearts on their hands or in a water bottle.
Learn More: Babble Dabble Do
10. Balanced and Unbalanced Forces Virtual Lab
Let’s do an experiment with Newton and play with forces in this virtual lab. They’ll play with a satellite by setting up its altitude and speed to balance out the forces acting on it.
Learn More: Labster
11. Balanced and Unbalanced Forces Experiment
Teacher Freddie has a fun experiment to demonstrate balanced and unbalanced forces. Learners will need a small cloth and a deck of playing cards. They can then follow teacher Freddie’s instructions and watch the concept of balanced and unbalanced forces take place before their eyes.
Learn More: teacherfreddie
12. Balanced and Unbalanced Forces Slides
Animated presentations present the concept of balanced and unbalanced forces with or without audio. There are many presentation options to choose from to supplement or lead your lesson.
Learn More: SlidePlayer
13. Balanced and Unbalanced Forces Exploration Activities
Learn about balanced and unbalanced forces through exploration activities. There are five activities set up at different stations which include paddle balls, dominoes, and more. This handout provides instructions as well as reflective questions for students to answer as they complete each activity.
Learn More: Sharp School
14. Roller Coaster Rockin’ Challenge
Students will use critical thinking skills to apply what they learned about balanced and unbalanced forces to create a roller coaster. Students will use this handout and a website to design their own roller coaster. They will adjust mass, speed, gravity, and other variables in order to build a successful roller coaster.
Learn More: Teachers Pay Teachers
15. Pendulum Painting
Students will exchange a paintbrush for a swinging pendulum to experiment with a new painting technique. Students will create art while watching the forces of motion and gravity in action. You’ll need paper cups, chairs, a broom, and string to create the pendulum.
Learn More: Innovation Kids Lab
16. Drawing Balanced and Unbalanced Force Vector Arrows
Here’s a fun way to get students to think about balanced and unbalanced forces on an object- use force vector arrows. Students can take photos of real-life situations such as flying a paper airplane. This website provides step-by-step instructions to guide your students through the activity.
Learn More: Science By Sinai
17. Balance the Forces With a Mobile
Kids will experience balanced and unbalanced forces by making a mobile. When building a mobile the goal is to keep each rod’s objects balanced. To make a mobile you’ll need string, straws, and construction paper.
Learn More: Scientific American
18. Create a Catapult
Here’s a fun lesson to teach the concept of balanced and unbalanced forces by creating a catapult using popsicle sticks and rubber bands. The lesson presents essential questions and instructions to build the catapult. The fun part is launching marshmallows as far as possible to demonstrate balanced and unbalanced forces!
Learn More: GYSTC
19. Marshmallow Puff Tubes
Get kids motivated to learn about balanced and unbalanced forces by incorporating marshmallows into the lesson. Kids will learn through brainstorming, planning, experimenting, and analyzing by making marshmallow shooters with cardboard tubes.
Learn More: STEM Mom
20. Balancing Robot
It’s not magic, it’s physics! With 2 pennies you can balance a paper robot to demonstrate the concept of balanced and unbalanced forces. The robot template is free to download and kids will have a great time trying to balance their robot.
Learn More: Buggy and Buddy
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