Gravity as well as electrostatic and magnetic attraction and repulsion provide real life examples of forces being exerted by one object on another without them being in contact with each other. Many children are aware of magnetism and have played with fridge magnets. They may also have played with picking up small pieces of paper or other objects with a comb charged by rubbing against the sleeve of a jumper or by pulling through hair. They will also be aware that things fall towards the Earth. However, they are unlikely to think about these experiences as involving forces, i.e. pushes and pulls.
