What makes a magnet stick to certain metals?

A magnet sticks to certain metals because those metals have special teams inside them that can join hands with the magnet's team.

Magnet is like a person who has a superpower, they can say, "I want to be friends with you!" and some metals will say yes.

But not all metals are friendly. Only iron, nickel, and cobalt have those special teams inside them that know how to play the magnet's game.

Think of a metal like a classroom full of kids. Some classrooms have kids who know how to shake hands with magnets, these are the metals we just mentioned. When the magnet comes in, they say "Hello!" and the whole class starts linking up, making the magnet stick to the metal.

Other metals are like classrooms where no one knows the rules. The magnet says "Hi!" but no one responds, so the magnet can't stick to them.

So, when you see a magnet stick to your iron toy or your nickel coin, it's because those metals have special teams that know how to play the game, and they're happy to be friends!