Science · Year 1 · Forces and Movement · Summer Term

Pushes and Pulls

Exploring how pushes and pulls are forces that make objects move, stop, or change direction.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS1: Science - Forces and motion

About This Topic

Pushes and pulls introduce Year 1 students to forces as actions that change an object's movement. Children distinguish pushes, which propel objects away like kicking a ball, from pulls, which draw them closer like tugging a rope. They explore how the strength of a push affects speed, making objects go faster or slower, and how direction influences paths. Everyday examples, such as opening drawers or pushing swings, connect these ideas to familiar routines.

This topic aligns with the UK National Curriculum KS1 Science strand on forces and motion. It builds skills in observation, prediction, and simple fair testing while introducing scientific terms like 'force' and 'direction.' Students analyze patterns in movement, laying groundwork for magnetism and gravity in later years.

Active learning suits pushes and pulls perfectly. Children experience forces firsthand through play, such as racing toys or collaborative challenges. These activities make abstract changes in motion visible and tactile, boost engagement, and encourage peer talk to refine understanding.

Key Questions

1. Differentiate between a push and a pull.
2. Explain how pushes and pulls are used in everyday activities.
3. Analyze how a push can make an object move faster or slower.

Learning Objectives

• Identify objects that move when pushed and objects that move when pulled.
• Explain how pushes and pulls cause changes in an object's speed or direction.
• Compare the effect of a strong push versus a weak push on an object's movement.
• Classify everyday actions as either a push or a pull.

Before You Start

Objects and Materials

Why: Students need to be familiar with a variety of objects and their properties to observe how they move.

Basic Movement

Why: Understanding concepts like 'moving' and 'stopping' is foundational for exploring how forces cause these changes.

Key Vocabulary

Push	A force that moves an object away from you. Pushing a swing makes it move forward.
Pull	A force that moves an object towards you. Pulling a wagon makes it come closer.
Force	A push or a pull that can make an object move, stop, or change direction.
Direction	The way an object is moving or facing. A push can change an object's direction.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Pushes and pulls work the same way.

What to Teach Instead

Pushes move objects away while pulls bring them nearer. Hands-on sorting activities let students test both on toys, feel the differences, and discuss why direction matters in peer pairs.

Common Misconception

Only people create pushes and pulls.

What to Teach Instead

Forces come from any interaction, like magnets or gravity later on. Group experiments with rolling balls show non-human effects, helping students observe and correct ideas through evidence.

Common Misconception

A harder push always makes things go farther.

What to Teach Instead

Friction and surface affect distance. Ramp races reveal patterns; students predict, test, and adjust, building fair testing skills via active trials.

Active Learning Ideas

Pairs: Push-Pull Sort

Provide objects like balls, strings, and toys. Pairs push items away and pull them back, then sort photos of actions into push or pull categories. Discuss differences in a quick share-out.

25 min·Pairs

Small Groups: Speed Ramp Challenge

Build ramps with books. Groups test gentle versus strong pushes on toy cars, measure distances with rulers, and record which goes farther. Compare results across groups.

35 min·Small Groups

Whole Class: Force Demo Circle

Sit in a circle with a soft ball. Teacher demonstrates pushes and pulls; class predicts outcomes, then tries passing with varying force. Chart observations on a shared board.

20 min·Whole Class

Individual: Everyday Forces Hunt

Give clipboards. Students draw or label three classroom pushes and pulls, like closing books or pulling chairs. Share one example with the class.

15 min·Individual

Real-World Connections

• Construction workers use powerful pushes and pulls to operate heavy machinery like bulldozers, which push earth and pull materials to build roads and buildings.
• Athletes in sports like soccer use pushes to kick a ball and change its direction, or pulls to control it with their feet.
• Shopkeepers use pushes to open doors and pull drawers to access items, demonstrating how forces help manage everyday tasks.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

Give each student a card with a picture of an everyday object (e.g., a door, a toy car, a ball). Ask them to write one sentence explaining if it is moved by a push or a pull, and one sentence about how a stronger push would change its movement.

Quick Check

Hold up two different objects, one that is easily pushed (like a light box) and one that is easily pulled (like a rope). Ask students to point to the object that best demonstrates a push and the object that best demonstrates a pull, explaining their choices.

Discussion Prompt

Ask students: 'Imagine you are playing with a toy car. How can you use a push to make it go faster? How can you use a push to make it change direction?' Listen for explanations that connect force strength and direction to movement changes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to teach pushes and pulls in Year 1 Science?

Start with familiar examples like playground pushes on swings or pulls on ropes. Use toy cars and balls for experiments where children vary force strength and direction. Incorporate drawing and labeling to reinforce vocabulary. Link to PE for cross-curricular ties, ensuring all meet KS1 standards on describing movement changes.

What are common misconceptions about forces in Year 1?

Children often think pushes and pulls are identical or only humans apply them. They may ignore friction's role in speed. Address through observation charts and group tests with ramps and toys. Peer discussions clarify differences, aligning with curriculum emphasis on evidence-based learning.

Activity ideas for pushes and pulls UK curriculum?

Try pairs sorting pushes versus pulls with everyday objects, small group ramp races to test speed, whole-class ball passing demos, and individual hunts for classroom examples. Each builds prediction and observation skills. Adapt for SEND with larger toys or visual timers to keep all engaged.

How can active learning help with pushes and pulls?

Active approaches let Year 1 children physically apply forces, see instant results, and adjust predictions, making concepts stick. Play-based tasks like toy races foster collaboration and talk, addressing misconceptions through trial and error. This matches KS1 goals, boosts confidence, and turns lessons into memorable exploration over rote learning.