Push, Pull, Speed, and Direction: Explore Types of Motion!

Motion is when something moves from one place to another. You see motion every day a rolling ball, a sliding lunchbox, or a wagon moving down the path.

Things do not move on their own. You need a force to make something move. A force is a push or a pull!

A push is a force that moves something away from you. When you kick a soccer ball, you are pushing it. When you push a wagon handle, the wagon moves forward and away from you.

You use a push when you slide a lunchbox across a table or push a sled down a snowy hill. The harder you push, the faster the object moves!

A pull is a force that moves something toward you. When you pull a wagon handle toward you, the wagon comes closer. When you pull a chair toward your desk, that is a pull force too.

You use a pull in tug-of-war, when you open a drawer, or when you drag your feet to slow down a sled. Pulling brings things closer to you!

Speed tells you how fast or slow something is moving. When Raphael runs, he moves with greater speed than Layla who is walking. A bicycle moves fast; a turtle moves slowly.

You can change the speed of an object by changing how hard you push or pull. A harder push makes something move faster. A softer push makes something move slower.

Direction tells you which way something is moving forward, backward, left, or right. When you turn a toy train's tracks, you change the direction the train moves.

You can change the direction of a moving object by pushing it from a different side. When a marble hits a toy, the push force changes the marble's direction. When you steer a shopping cart, you are changing its direction too!

Motion: Motion is when an object moves and changes its place or position. You see motion when a ball rolls or a sled slides down a hill.

Force: A force is a push or a pull that makes an object move, stop, or change direction. You use force every time you kick a ball or pull a wagon.

Push: A push is a force that moves something away from you. When you push a toy truck, it moves forward and away from your hands.

Pull: A pull is a force that moves something toward you. When you pull a rope in tug-of-war, the rope comes closer to you.

Speed: Speed tells you how fast or slow something is moving. A running child has greater speed than a walking child.

Direction: Direction tells you which way something is moving, like forward, backward, left, or right. You can change direction by pushing an object from a different side.

You can explore push and pull at home and at school! Try pushing a toy car across the floor push it hard and watch it go fast, then push it softly and watch it go slow.

Play tug-of-war with a friend to feel a pull force. Roll a marble and block it with a toy to see how its direction changes. Every time you play, you are learning about motion!

You already know that objects around you can move. You have seen things roll, slide, and swing. This topic builds on what you notice every day about the world around you.

As you learn about push, pull, speed, and direction, you are building a strong base for understanding how forces work in science.

This topic is part of the Motion chapter. Everything you learn here about push, pull, speed, and direction helps you understand how the world moves around you.

You are learning the key ideas of motion science how forces change the way objects move, how fast they go, and which way they travel. These ideas will help you as you keep growing as a scientist!