Science · 2nd Grade · Matter and Its Mysteries · Weeks 1-9

Forces: Pushes and Pulls

Students will investigate how pushes and pulls can change the motion or shape of objects through hands-on activities.

• Common Core State Standards
• K-PS2-1
• K-PS2-2

About This Topic

This topic introduces students to the concept of forces through direct physical experience. Students investigate how pushes and pulls can start, stop, speed up, slow down, or change the direction of moving objects. They also observe how the same force applied to different objects can produce very different results. While forces are first introduced in kindergarten (K-PS2-1 and K-PS2-2), second-grade students revisit the concept with more attention to comparing force strengths and making predictions about outcomes.

In the US K-12 curriculum, forces represent students' first encounters with the physics of motion. Second grade is the appropriate time to build experiential understanding that will support more formal definitions of force in middle school. The language students develop here (push, pull, speed, direction, stop) forms the vocabulary foundation for Newton's Laws.

Active learning is particularly well-suited to forces because students need to physically feel and apply forces to understand them. Reading about a force is far less informative than applying different amounts of push to a rolling ball and observing the effects firsthand.

Key Questions

1. Explain how a push or a pull can make an object start, stop, or change direction.
2. Compare the effects of different strengths of pushes and pulls on an object.
3. Predict how an object will move when a specific force is applied to it.

Learning Objectives

• Explain how a push or a pull can cause an object to start moving, stop moving, or change direction.
• Compare the effects of different strengths of pushes and pulls on the motion of an object.
• Predict the outcome of applying a specific push or pull force to an object.
• Demonstrate how pushes and pulls can change the shape of objects.

Before You Start

Object Properties

Why: Students need to be able to identify and describe basic properties of objects before exploring how forces affect them.

Basic Measurement

Why: Understanding concepts like 'faster' or 'slower' builds on foundational ideas of comparison, which can be supported by early measurement experiences.

Key Vocabulary

push	A force that moves an object away from you.
pull	A force that moves an object toward you.
force	A push or a pull that can make an object move, stop, or change direction.
motion	The act or process of moving, or of changing place or position.
direction	The path along which someone or something moves or travels.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Students often believe that objects stop on their own because they run out of energy.

What to Teach Instead

Objects stop because an opposing force (usually friction) acts on them. Comparing how far a ball rolls on carpet versus a smooth tile floor makes friction visible as a real force that stops motion, not just the absence of energy.

Common Misconception

Children frequently think that a pull is completely different from a push in every way.

What to Teach Instead

Both are forces that change an object's motion. The direction is what differs, not the fundamental effect. A classroom tug-of-war makes it clear that pulling and pushing both change motion and that the strength matters regardless of which direction the force acts.

Active Learning Ideas

Inquiry Circle: Ramp and Roll

Groups build ramps at two different heights using books and cardboard. They roll the same toy car down each ramp and use a ruler to measure where it stops. Students compare how ramp height (which changes the strength of the push) affects how far the car travels.

45 min·Small Groups

Simulation Game: Force Freeze Tag

In a gym or open area, students walk randomly. At the teacher's signal they respond to commands: 'push' means move away from the wall, 'pull' means return to it, and a clap means stop in place. This physical simulation connects the vocabulary of force to students' own bodily experience of starting, stopping, and changing direction.

15 min·Whole Class

Think-Pair-Share: Strong Push vs. Gentle Push

Place a foam ball on a flat surface. One student gives it a gentle push, then a harder push. Partners predict which push will make the ball travel farther before observing, then discuss what changed between the two trials and what would happen with an even stronger push.

20 min·Pairs

Real-World Connections

• Construction workers use pushes and pulls to operate heavy machinery like bulldozers, which push dirt and pull large objects to build roads and buildings.
• Athletes in sports like soccer use pushes (kicking the ball) and pulls (drawing back a bow in archery) to control the motion and direction of equipment.
• Toy designers create toys that require specific pushes and pulls, such as wind-up cars that are wound (a pull) and then released to move forward (a push).

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

Give students a picture of a common object (e.g., a swing, a door, a toy car). Ask them to draw an arrow showing a push or pull and write one sentence explaining how it changes the object's motion or shape.

Discussion Prompt

Present two scenarios: one where a gentle push makes a toy car move slowly, and another where a strong push makes it move quickly. Ask students: 'What is the difference between these two pushes? How did the difference in push affect the car's motion?'

Quick Check

Provide students with a set of objects (e.g., a spring, a soft ball, a block). Ask them to demonstrate one way to change the object's shape using a push or pull, and one way to change its motion using a push or pull.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most kid-friendly definition of 'force'?

A force is a push or a pull. It is what makes things start moving, stop moving, speed up, slow down, or change direction. If something's motion changes in any way, a force was involved. This working definition covers everything students need at this level.

How does this topic build toward later science standards?

The understanding that forces change motion is the foundation for Newton's Laws in middle and high school. Second graders do not need to quantify forces, but the qualitative understanding that more force produces more change in motion is essential groundwork for all future physics study.

How does active learning help students understand pushes and pulls?

When students physically apply different amounts of force to the same object and observe the results, they build intuitive understanding of the relationship between force strength and motion change. This direct experience is far more powerful than watching a teacher demonstration and produces understanding students can later connect to formal definitions.

Can students investigate gravity as a type of force?

Yes, as an extension. Dropping objects of different weights from the same height and observing that they fall at roughly the same speed is a great observation activity. Second graders are not expected to understand gravitational theory, but experiencing gravity as a constant downward pull is appropriate and engaging.