🛝 Push and Pull: Forces

We push a door open and pull a drawer out. When we kick a ball, it rolls. When we pull a toy car by its string, it comes to us. There is a force in all of these! Let’s find out about it.

A push moves something away from us. We push the box forwards. We push a door to open it.

A pull brings something towards us. We pull the cart by its string. We pull a door towards us to open it.

Pushes and pulls are forces. A force can start something moving. It can stop something that is moving. It can change the direction of something that is moving. It can make it speed up or slow down too.

A force can change shape too. If we press play dough, it flattens. If we pull it from both sides, it stretches. It is the same dough, but its shape has changed.

If we push the car gently, it goes a short way. If we push harder, it goes further. The bigger the force, the bigger its effect.

We use forces every day. We push the swing, then we pull it back. In a tug of war we pull the rope. We push a shopping trolley. Think about which force you are using!

There are lots of kinds of movement in the park. The roundabout turns. The swing swings. On the slide, the ball speeds up and up. The bouncing ball changes direction. A force starts or changes all of them.

To sum up: pushes and pulls are forces. A force can start something moving, stop it, and change its direction and shape. The harder we push, the further it goes. Now try it in Push-Pull Park!