Grade by Grade
Strand B: Problem Solving and Innovating · Wonder, Explore, Build and Create

How Things Move: Pushes, Pulls, Ramps and Wheels

B12.1 B12.2 B12.3 B12.4 A5About 25 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can move things with a push or a pull.
  • I can tell which things roll and which things slide.
  • I can test how a ramp changes how fast a toy car goes.
  • I can find wheels, ramps and seesaws that help us move things.

Words to know

push
To move something away from you.
pull
To move something toward you.
roll
To turn over and over while moving, like a ball.
slide
To move along a surface without rolling, like a book pushed across a table.
ramp
A slope, like a slide, that goes from low to high.
wheel
A round thing that turns so things can roll easily.

Make it move!

(Grown-up: read aloud.)

How can you make a toy car move without touching the floor? You can push it! 🚗💨

How can you bring a wagon to you? You can pull it!

Things move when we push them or pull them.

Push 👐 (away from me)Pull 🤲 (toward me)
kick a ball ⚽open a drawer
push a strollerpull a wagon
close a doorpull up your zipper
press a doorbell 🔔pull a sled up a hill 🛷
Act out each one: show a push, then a pull.
Pushaway from mePulltoward me
A push moves something away from you. A pull brings something toward you.

Roll or slide?

Round things roll: a ball ⚽, an orange 🍊, a marble, a can lying on its side.

Things with flat sides slide or stop: a block, a book 📕, a box 📦.

Wheels are round. That's why wagons, cars, bikes and strollers have wheels. Wheels help heavy things roll easily.

A red wagon with four round black wheels on a sidewalk, with a ball beside it.
The wagon has four round wheels, so it rolls easily when you pull it. The ball is round too. It can roll! AI-generated image

Ramps

A ramp is a slope, like a slide at the park. Things roll down a ramp all by themselves!

Ramps also help people move. A ramp helps a person in a wheelchair or with a stroller get into a building. A ramp makes it easier to push a heavy cart up instead of lifting it.

low ramp1 bookhigh ramp4 booksThe car on the high ramp goes faster.
Two ramps: a low ramp on 1 book and a high ramp on 4 books. The toy car goes faster down the high ramp.
Worked example

Let's test: high ramp or low ramp?

We wonder: Will a toy car go farther if the ramp is low or high? We use a flat board or a big piece of cardboard, some books, and a toy car.

  1. I guess. Say your prediction. "I think the high ramp will make the car go farther."
  2. Test 1: low ramp. Put the board on 1 book. Let the car go from the top. Do not push it! Put a sticky note or piece of tape where it stops.
  3. Test 2: high ramp. Put the board on 4 books. Let the car go from the top again. Mark where it stops.
  4. Measure. Count how many of your shoes (heel to toe) fit from the bottom of the ramp to each mark. For example: low ramp = 3 shoes, high ramp = 7 shoes.
  5. I tell. "The car went farther and faster from the high ramp."

Usually the car goes faster and farther from the higher ramp. (Your numbers will be different. That's OK! Just compare your two marks.)

Seesaws

A seesaw at the park is a simple machine too! When a heavier person sits on one end, that end goes down and the other end goes up.

Hands-on activity

Ramp races at home

You need: a board, a big flat piece of cardboard, or a cookie sheet; some books; a toy car, a ball, a block, and a can of soup.

  1. Make a ramp with the board and 2 books.
  2. Predict: which ones will roll down? Which ones will slide or stay put?
  3. Test each thing, one at a time. Don't push, just let go!
  4. Sort them: rolled, slid, stayed.
  5. Try the can standing up and then lying on its side. What changed?
  6. Make the ramp higher. Does the ball go faster?

Talk about it: "What do the things that rolled have in common?" (They are round.)

Just for fun

Riddle: What has wheels and flies?

A garbage truck! 🚛🪰

Your turn

1

⚽ When you kick a ball, is that a push or a pull?

2

You open a drawer. Is that a push or a pull?

3

Which one will roll: 🍊 an orange or 📕 a book?

4

Why do wagons and bikes have wheels?

5

🚗 Predict: will a toy car go faster down a high ramp or a low ramp?

6

Show me how you pull a sled up a hill. 🛷

More practice: warm-up

1

Push or pull? 🛒 a grocery cart

2

Push or pull? A wagon behind you

3

Will a ball roll or slide down a slide?

4

What shape are wheels: round ⚪ or square ⬛?

5

Point to something in your home that has wheels.

More practice: on your own

1

📦 A box will not roll down a ramp. Why not?

2

Mark's car went 5 shoes from the low ramp and 8 shoes from the high ramp. Which ramp made it go farther?

3

Why do some buildings have a ramp beside the stairs?

4

🥫 A soup can is standing up on a ramp. Will it roll? What can you do to make it roll?

5

You push a toy car gently, then you push it hard. Which time does it go farther?

Challenge

1

🧒 You sit on one end of a seesaw. Your big brother sits on the other end. He is heavier. Which end goes down?

2

The car went 3 shoes from the low ramp and 7 shoes from the high ramp. How many more shoes did it go from the high ramp?

3

You need to move a big, heavy box of toys across the room. Tell a way to make it easier.

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

You kick a ball ⚽. That is a...

2.

Which one will roll best?

3.

Which ramp makes a toy car go faster?

4.

You open a drawer toward you. That is a...

5.

Why do wagons have wheels?

For parents and teachers

What this lesson is about. Children investigate how things move by pushing and pulling, rolling and sliding, and testing ramps. They predict, observe and record results, and use simple non-standard measurement (shoe lengths, blocks) to compare. This builds the foundation for Grade 1 science and for later work on simple machines.

How to help at home:

  • Use the words push and pull during everyday jobs: opening doors, pushing a cart, pulling on boots.
  • Ramps are easy to make with a board or cookie sheet and books. Let your child decide what to test.
  • Mark stopping points with tape or sticky notes and measure with something they choose (shoes, blocks, spoons). Ask: "Which went farther? How many more?"
  • Point out ramps, wheels and seesaws on walks: curb cuts, wheelchair ramps, playground slides.

Common difficulties:

  • Some doors and actions can be either a push or a pull, depending on the side. If your child says both, ask them to show you which way the thing moves.
  • Keep tests fair: let the car go without pushing, from the same spot each time. If your child pushes it, the test is not fair, which is a great thing to talk about.
  • Results can vary (a car may bump into something). If a result seems odd, test again. Repeating a test is what scientists do.