Pushes and PullsActivities & Teaching Strategies
Active exploration helps Year 1 students grasp pushes and pulls as visible, felt forces. When children move objects themselves, they connect abstract terms to real motion changes, deepening understanding beyond words on a page.
Learning Objectives
- 1Identify objects that move when pushed and objects that move when pulled.
- 2Explain how pushes and pulls cause changes in an object's speed or direction.
- 3Compare the effect of a strong push versus a weak push on an object's movement.
- 4Classify everyday actions as either a push or a pull.
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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.
Prepare & details
Differentiate between a push and a pull.
Facilitation Tip: During the Push-Pull Sort, circulate and ask each pair to show one push object and one pull object, listening for the words they use to describe direction.
Setup: Varies; may include outdoor space, lab, or community setting
Materials: Experience setup materials, Reflection journal with prompts, Observation worksheet, Connection-to-content framework
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.
Prepare & details
Explain how pushes and pulls are used in everyday activities.
Facilitation Tip: In the Speed Ramp Challenge, move between groups to prompt fair testing: ask how they will keep one variable the same while changing another.
Setup: Varies; may include outdoor space, lab, or community setting
Materials: Experience setup materials, Reflection journal with prompts, Observation worksheet, Connection-to-content framework
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.
Prepare & details
Analyze how a push can make an object move faster or slower.
Facilitation Tip: In the Force Demo Circle, invite students to add their own examples after each demonstration to build a shared class bank of evidence.
Setup: Varies; may include outdoor space, lab, or community setting
Materials: Experience setup materials, Reflection journal with prompts, Observation worksheet, Connection-to-content framework
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.
Prepare & details
Differentiate between a push and a pull.
Facilitation Tip: During the Everyday Forces Hunt, provide clipboards and pencils so students can record and sketch their finds, then share two examples with the class.
Setup: Varies; may include outdoor space, lab, or community setting
Materials: Experience setup materials, Reflection journal with prompts, Observation worksheet, Connection-to-content framework
Teaching This Topic
Start with hands-on sorting to anchor vocabulary, then move to simple experiments that isolate one variable at a time. Keep language consistent—use “push away” and “pull closer” to avoid confusion. Avoid over-explaining; let students test and talk first, then guide with targeted questions.
What to Expect
Children will confidently label pushes and pulls, predict how force strength changes speed, and explain how direction alters an object’s path. Clear talk and movement mark successful learning.
These activities are a starting point. A full mission is the experience.
- Complete facilitation script with teacher dialogue
- Printable student materials, ready for class
- Differentiation strategies for every learner
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Common MisconceptionDuring Push-Pull Sort, watch for students who label all actions the same because they overlook direction.
What to Teach Instead
Ask each pair to hold up their push object and say, ‘This moves away from my hand,’ then do the same for their pull object, ‘This moves toward my hand.’ Repeat until both words are used correctly.
Common MisconceptionDuring Speed Ramp Challenge, watch for students who think a harder push always means the ball goes farther regardless of surface.
What to Teach Instead
Have them test the same push on different surfaces and ask, ‘Where did the ball stop sooner?’ Then guide them to conclude that friction changes how far the ball rolls.
Common MisconceptionDuring Force Demo Circle, watch for students who assume only people create forces.
What to Teach Instead
Demonstrate a rolling ball hitting another ball and ask, ‘Who pushed this one?’ Guide the class to name the first ball as the pusher, showing forces can come from objects too.
Assessment Ideas
After Everyday Forces Hunt, give each student a card with a door and a toy car. Ask them to circle whether each is moved by a push or a pull and explain how a stronger push would change its movement, collecting cards to check for accurate labels and reasoning.
After Push-Pull Sort, hold up a light box and a rope. Ask students to point to the object that best demonstrates a push and the one that best demonstrates a pull, then ask one student from each side to explain their choice to the class.
During Speed Ramp Challenge, ask, ‘How can you use a push to make the car go faster?’ and ‘How can you use a push to make it change direction?’ Listen for answers that mention stronger pushes for speed and angled pushes for direction changes, noting who connects force to movement.
Extensions & Scaffolding
- Challenge students to predict and test how a heavier ball travels compared to a lighter one on the ramp.
- Scaffolding: Provide picture cards with arrows showing direction for students to match to objects during the Everyday Forces Hunt.
- Deeper exploration: Introduce gentle magnets to show non-contact pushes and pulls, then ask students to compare them to pushes and pulls they already know.
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. |
Suggested Methodologies
Planning templates for Science
5E Model
The 5E Model structures lessons through five phases (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate), guiding students from curiosity to deep understanding through inquiry-based learning.
Unit PlannerThematic Unit
Organize a multi-week unit around a central theme or essential question that cuts across topics, texts, and disciplines, helping students see connections and build deeper understanding.
RubricSingle-Point Rubric
Build a single-point rubric that defines only the "meets standard" level, leaving space for teachers to document what exceeded and what fell short. Simple to create, easy for students to understand.