Pushes & Pulls
Understand that pushes and pulls are forces that can change the speed or direction of an object's motion, and compare the effects of different strengths and directions
Lesson
Set out your lesson
“Pushes & Pulls means using pushes and pulls as forces that change speed or direction, and comparing strengths. We will practise once together, then check a fresh example.”
Bring to the table
- Small toy car or ball
- Arrow cards: push, pull, harder, gentler
Extra for the adult
Worked example. A push or pull is a force. Harder pushes change speed more. Direction can change too.
Optional challenge. For Pushes & Pulls, compare two strengths out loud.
What to notice. Keep one parent note: push/pull tried; strength compare; support used. This session samples forces, not mastery of mechanics.
Share and support
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Teaching approaches
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2 approaches
Pushes & Pulls means using pushes and pulls as forces that change speed or direction, and comparing strengths. We will practise once together, then check a fresh example.
Spend about 12 minutes pushing and pulling a toy, comparing hard vs gentle, then checking one fresh move.
Predict effects of gentle pushes and pulls and compare them safely.
Predict effects of gentle pushes and pulls and compare them safely.
Family records and proof options
Keep a record of your learning
Save photos, notes, and attendance. Export a proof packet for compliance or portfolio reviews.
Practice this concept
Start practicePushes & Pulls practice
Choose how pushes and pulls change motion.
Free · no login · no ads · Practice answers and completion are not saved. Parent observation remains the lesson record.
Learning resources
Extra practice links — they do not replace Gakuva’s teaching approach.
PhET Interactive Simulations · Practice link — not the full lesson
Forces and Motion: Basics
Before you open · source notes
Forces and Motion: Basics supports hands-on exploration for Pushes & Pulls. Not every lab worksheet.
Free interactive page, no sign-in required for the tested path.
Before you openAsk the learner what they changed in the sim or page and what they observed.
Opening this link does not save learning or assess mastery.
Source, access and review notes
Public PhET Interactive Simulations page. An anonymous GET on 2026-11-12 returned HTTP 200 with no login or payment prompt for this URL. Opening the link does not save practice or assess mastery. An adult should preview and guide the learner.
PhET Interactive Simulations. “Forces and Motion: Basics.” External page; Gakuva does not copy, host, embed, or redistribute materials.
Unknown — link only
Check understanding
- Describe a push and a pull as types of force that make objects move, speed up, slow down, or change direction
- Compare the effects of a gentle push versus a strong push on the same object
- Predict the direction an object will move based on the direction of the applied force
“Can your child explain that pushing a toy car harder makes it go faster, and pushing it sideways makes it change direction?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Conceptual
- Subject
- Science
- Domain
- Forces & Motion
- Age range
- Ages 5–9
Standards