Friction Lesson for Kids: Definition & Examples Video - Free Printable

Let’s think about friction. Friction is the force that happens when two things rub against each other. Sometimes we want friction — like when you walk and your shoes grip the ground so you don’t slip. That’s useful friction. But sometimes we don’t want too much friction — like when you’re sliding down a slide, you want to go fast, not get stuck. That’s low (or less) friction.

Now let’s look at the three pictures:

1. A girl running or pushing against a wall → Her feet are gripping the floor so she doesn’t slip. That’s HIGH friction, and it’s USEFUL because otherwise she’d fall.
2. A kid sliding down a slide → The slide is smooth so they can glide down easily. That’s LOW friction, and it’s USEFUL because slides are meant for fun sliding!
3. A boy pulling a heavy lawnmower → He’s struggling because there’s a lot of friction between the mower and the grass. That’s HIGH friction, but it’s NOT USEFUL here — he wishes it was easier to pull!

Wait — actually, let’s double-check #3. Is high friction always bad? In this case, if there were NO friction, the wheels might spin without moving forward. But since he’s having trouble pulling it, the high friction is making his job harder — so in this context, it’s “not useful” for him right now.

Also, could any of these be low friction and not useful? For example, if the slide had too little friction, maybe the kid would fly off too fast — but that’s not what the picture shows. The picture shows normal sliding, which is intended to be low friction and useful.

So let’s organize:

Useful High Friction:
- Girl running/pushing (needs grip to move or stop)
- Maybe also the lawnmower? Wait — no, the boy is straining, so high friction is making it hard. So probably not useful *for him* in this moment.

Actually, think again: When you pull a lawnmower, you NEED some friction so the wheels roll instead of slip. But if it’s too much, it’s hard to pull. Since the image shows him struggling, we’ll say high friction here is “not useful” for ease of movement.

Useful Low Friction:
- Sliding down the slide — yes, designed to be slippery so you enjoy it.

Not Useful High Friction:
- Pulling the lawnmower — makes it hard work.

Not Useful Low Friction:
- Hmm… none of the images show something where low friction is bad. Like, if the girl tried to run on ice, she’d slip — but that’s not pictured. So maybe leave that blank? Or perhaps we can say: If the slide had too little friction, it could be dangerous — but again, not shown.

Looking back at the worksheet structure, it has four boxes:

Top row: High Friction | Low Friction
Bottom rows: Useful | Not Useful

So we need to fill each box with examples from the pictures.

From the 3 images:

Image 1 (girl): High friction, useful (she needs grip to push/run)

Image 2 (slide): Low friction, useful (meant to slide easily)

Image 3 (lawnmower): High friction, not useful (making it hard to pull)

We don’t have an example of low friction that’s not useful — so maybe leave that cell empty? Or perhaps think creatively — but the instruction says “use the pictures below to help you,” so we should only use what’s shown.

So final sorting:

Useful + High Friction: Girl running/pushing against wall
Useful + Low Friction: Kid sliding down slide
Not Useful + High Friction: Boy pulling lawnmower
Not Useful + Low Friction: (no example from pictures — leave blank or write “none”)

But wait — maybe the lawnmower isn’t purely “not useful.” Let’s reconsider: Without friction, the wheels wouldn’t turn — they’d just spin. So some friction is necessary. But the image emphasizes effort — arrows showing resistance — so likely the intent is to show high friction as a problem here.

I think for school level, they expect:

- Running: high friction, useful
- Slide: low friction, useful
- Lawnmower: high friction, not useful (because it’s hard to pull)

And no example for low friction not useful.

So filling the table:

High Friction column:
- Useful: Girl running
- Not Useful: Boy pulling lawnmower

Low Friction column:
- Useful: Kid on slide
- Not Useful: (leave blank or write “—”)

But the worksheet has lines — probably expects one per line. Maybe list them clearly.

Final decision based on common classroom understanding:

✔ Useful High Friction: Walking/running (grip needed)
✔ Useful Low Friction: Sliding down a slide (smooth motion)
✘ Not Useful High Friction: Dragging a heavy object (like lawnmower — causes strain)
✘ Not Useful Low Friction: Not depicted — so omit or note none

Since the task says “fill in the table below with examples... use the pictures,” we assign each picture to one category.

Picture 1 → Useful High Friction
Picture 2 → Useful Low Friction
Picture 3 → Not Useful High Friction

No picture for Not Useful Low Friction.

So in the table:

Under “High Friction” and “Useful”: Write “Girl running or pushing against wall”
Under “High Friction” and “Not Useful”: Write “Boy pulling lawnmower”
Under “Low Friction” and “Useful”: Write “Child sliding down slide”
Under “Low Friction” and “Not Useful”: Leave blank or write “None from pictures”

But since it’s a worksheet for kids, maybe keep it simple and match exactly what’s shown.

Another way: Perhaps the lawnmower has rolling friction which is lower than dragging, but still, the image implies difficulty — so high friction is hindering.

I think we’ve reasoned enough.

Final Answer:

Useful - High Friction: Girl running or pushing against a wall
Useful - Low Friction: Child sliding down a slide
Not Useful - High Friction: Boy pulling a lawnmower
Not Useful - Low Friction: (No example from the given pictures)