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
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Teaching approaches
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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.
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Practice this concept
Start practicePushes & Pulls practice
Choose how pushes and pulls change motion.
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Learning resources
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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.
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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.
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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