Push or pull an object in different ways and observe how it...

SECTION 1

People Have Always Pushed and Pulled Things!

People have always used pushes and pulls to move things. Let's see how!

Long Ago

Moving Big Rocks

Long ago, people pushed and pulled big rocks to build walls and homes.

Later

Pulling with Animals

People trained horses and oxen to pull carts. Animals are strong helpers!

Even Later

Wagons and Wheels

Wheels made it easier to push and pull heavy things. A little push could go a long way!

Today

Pushes and Pulls Everywhere

You push and pull things every day! You push open doors and pull on zippers.

So what happens when we push or pull? How do things move? Let's find out together!

SECTION 2

What Are Pushes and Pulls?

A push moves something away from you. A pull moves something toward you. That means you use your hands or body to make things go!

Push

A push moves something away from you. You push a swing to make it go!

Pull

A pull brings something closer. You pull a wagon handle to move it!

Gentle or Hard

A gentle push moves things a little. A hard push moves things a lot!

Direction Matters

Things move the way you push or pull. Push left, it goes left!

✦ KEY TAKEAWAY

Think about blowing bubbles. A tiny breath makes the bubble float gently. A big breath makes it fly fast! Pushes and pulls work the same way. A bigger push or pull makes things move more.

SECTION 3

Watch How a Ball Moves!

Look at the picture below! It shows a ball being pushed in different ways. A gentle push makes the ball roll a little. A hard push makes it roll far!

The top row shows a gentle push. The ball only rolls a little way. The bottom row shows a hard push. The ball rolls much farther! A bigger push makes things move more.

Did you see the arrows? The small arrow means a gentle push. The big arrow means a hard push. You can try this with a ball at home!

SECTION 4

How Do Pushes and Pulls Work?

Making Things Move, Stop, and Change Direction

A push or pull can do three things. It can start something moving. It can stop something that is moving. And it can change direction. That means things go a new way!

Think about kicking a ball. Your foot pushes the ball and it starts moving. A friend can stop it with their foot. Then they can kick it a new way!

Start Moving

Push a toy car and it goes! You started it.

Stop Moving

Catch a ball and it stops! You used a push to stop it.

Change Direction

Hit a ball with a bat and it goes a new way!

Here is something cool. How hard you push or pull matters! A gentle push on a toy car makes it roll slowly. A hard push makes it zoom fast!

🧪 Try This at Home!

Roll a ball gently. Then roll it hard. Watch what happens! Which push made the ball go farther? Talk about what you see.

SECTION 5

Pushes and Pulls Are All Around You!

You push and pull things every single day! Let's look at some examples you already know.

This chart shows everyday pushes in blue, everyday pulls in pink, and activities that use both in yellow. You use pushes and pulls all day long!

Look at the chart above. Can you think of more pushes and pulls? Maybe you pushed your chair in at breakfast. Maybe you pulled your backpack on. You are a push-and-pull expert!

SECTION 6

Let's Try It! A Toy Car Test

Imagine you have a toy car on the floor. Let's test what happens when we push it in different ways!

Testing a Toy Car

Step 1 — Set UpPut the toy car on a flat floor. It is sitting still. It is not moving at all.

Step 2 — Gentle PushUse one finger to give the car a gentle push. Watch what happens.

The car rolls a little bit and stops.

Step 3 — Hard PushNow push the car harder with your whole hand. Watch what happens this time.

The car rolls much farther! A bigger push makes it go more.

Step 4 — Change DirectionWhile the car is rolling, gently push it from the side. Watch it change direction!

The car turns and goes a different way. A push can change direction!

Step 5 — What Did We Learn?We observed that pushes can start things moving, make them go fast or slow, and change which way they go. We did a test, just like scientists do!

Pushes and pulls change how things move!

SECTION 7

Pushes vs. Pulls — What Is Different?

Pushes and pulls are alike in some ways. But they are different too! Let's compare them.

How pushes and pulls compare

Question	Push	Pull
Which way does it move?	Away from you	Toward you
What does your body do?	Arms go out	Arms come in
Example	Push a swing	Pull a wagon
Can it start things moving?	Yes!	Yes!
Can it stop things?	Yes!	Yes!

✦ KEY TAKEAWAY

Pushes and pulls are both ways to make things move. It is like using two different tools in your toolbox. Sometimes a push works best. Sometimes a pull works best. Both can start, stop, or change how something moves!

SECTION 8

What Will You Learn Next?

Right now, you are learning about pushes and pulls you can do with your hands and body. As you grow as a scientist, you will learn even more amazing things about how things move!

Your science journey

What You Know Now	What You Will Learn Later
You can push and pull things.	You will learn about more kinds of pushes and pulls in nature.
A bigger push makes things move more.	You will test and measure how far things move.
You can change which way things go.	You will learn patterns in how things speed up and slow down.

You are doing great work! Every time you push a swing or pull a toy, you are thinking like a scientist. Keep watching what happens when you push and pull things!

SECTION 9

Practice Time! A Day at the Playground

Mia is at the playground. She wants to play with a big rubber ball. Let's help her figure out what happens when she pushes and pulls!

PROBLEM 1 — CONCEPTUAL

The ball is sitting still on the grass. Mia wants it to move. What should she do? A) Look at the ball B) Push the ball C) Walk away from the ball

PROBLEM 2 — BASIC OBSERVATION

Mia pushes the ball gently with one hand. Then she pushes another ball hard with two hands. Which ball goes farther? A) The ball she pushed gently B) The ball she pushed hard C) Both go the same distance

PROBLEM 3 — INTERMEDIATE

The ball is sitting still. Mia pushes it from the left side. Which way will the ball go? A) Left B) Right C) Up in the air

PROBLEM 4 — APPLIED

You want to find out if a bigger push makes the ball roll farther. What would you do to test this? A) Push the ball the same way every time B) Push the ball different ways — gentle and hard — and watch what happens C) Just look at the ball without touching it

PROBLEM 5 — CRITICAL THINKING

Mia's ball is rolling across the grass. She wants it to come back to her. Think and share: What could Mia do? How would she use a push or a pull to get the ball back?

SUMMARY

What Did We Learn?

Today we learned that pushes move things away from you and pulls move things toward you. A bigger push or pull makes things move more. Pushes and pulls can start, stop, or change the direction of moving things.

We learned to observe what happens when we push and pull. We can test our ideas by trying different pushes and watching carefully, just like real scientists do. Keep pushing, pulling, and exploring your world!