This push or pull force worksheet lets kindergarten students look at six pictures and fill in the bubble to show whether each action is a push or a pull. Includes an answer key—a simple, no-prep introduction to force.
This magnet activity has kindergarten to 3rd grade students sort picture cards into things a magnet will pull and things it will not, with a sorting mat, practice page and answer key.
This sink or float activity has kindergarten and 1st grade scientists predict and sort 12 picture cards on a Float and Sink mat, then circle new floating objects. Answer key included.
This people walking transportation worksheet helps kindergarten students circle safe walking choices and draw a place they can walk to, with an answer key that makes checking quick and easy.
Push it, pull it, watch it go!
Kindergarteners learn that a force is a push or a pull, and that forces make things move, stop or change direction. They test it with balls, toy cars and blocks: a big push sends a ball far, a little push sends it a short way. They also notice that objects bump into each other and change direction. The click is when kids figure out they can make a toy car go farther just by pushing harder.
Force is the perfect hands-on science topic. Kids learn it by doing it.
Set out a wagon, a door, a drawer and a ball. Kids try moving each one and tell whether they pushed or pulled. Then they sort pictures the same way.
Why it works: kids understand an idea best when they touch it, then draw it, then write it, the order the U.S. Department of Education recommends for elementary math.
Try it withPush or Pull Force WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →Roll a ball with a soft push and mark where it stops with tape. Then roll it with a strong push. Ask, "What changed?" Kids learn that bigger forces make bigger motion.
Why it works: handing over the work step by step, from teacher to student, is one of the most widely used teaching frameworks (Pearson and Gallagher, 1983).
Try it withPeople Walking Transportation WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →Magnets pull without touching! Let kids test which objects a magnet pulls and which it doesn't. It's a great way to show a pull you can't see.
Why it works: in a well-known study, a few short sessions of a simple number board game measurably boosted young children's number skills (Ramani and Siegler, 2008).
Try it withMagnet ActivityActivitiesOpen it →Ramps, races and splashes for little scientists.
Teacher favorites right now: Push or Pull Force Worksheet, Magnet Activity and Sink or Float Activity.
A force is a push or a pull. Forces can make things start moving, stop, speed up, slow down or change direction.
Pushing a swing, kicking a ball and closing a door are pushes. Pulling a wagon, opening a drawer and tugging a rope are pulls.
Let them try it with real objects. Balls, toy cars, ramps and blocks are perfect. Ask them to describe what happened and why.
Yes! Gravity is a pull that brings things down toward the ground. Kindergarteners can see it by dropping safe objects and watching them fall.
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