Pushes & Pulls: A Forces and Motion Experiment at Home

This experiment pairs with the Pushes & Pulls lesson. Your child will investigate how forces change the way objects move — starting, stopping, speeding up, slowing down, and changing direction.

What you need

• A flat board or large book (for a ramp)
• A stack of books to prop up the ramp at different heights
• A toy car, ball, or marble
• A ruler or measuring tape
• A variety of surfaces: carpet, tile, towel, sandpaper
• Masking tape (for marking distances)
• A notebook and pencil

The experiment

Part 1: Push strength

Place a toy car on a flat, smooth surface. Have your child give it a gentle push, then a medium push, then a strong push. Use masking tape to mark where the car stops each time.

• Which push made it go farthest?
• What happens when you push harder?

Part 2: Ramp height

Set up the board as a ramp. Start with one book underneath. Roll the car down and mark where it stops. Add a second book. Roll again. Add a third.

• Did the car go farther with a higher ramp? Why?
• What force is pulling the car down the ramp?

Part 3: Surface friction

With the ramp at the same height, roll the car onto different surfaces: tile, carpet, a towel, sandpaper. Mark where it stops each time.

• Which surface made the car go farthest?
• Which surface slowed it down the most? Why do you think that is?

Part 4: Changing direction

Set up a target (a cup or box) and give your child the car. Can they push it in the right direction to hit the target? Now put an obstacle in the way. Can they figure out how to push the car around it?

Part 5: Stopping forces

Roll the car across the floor. Have your child gently place their hand in its path. What did you have to do to stop it? Did it push against your hand?

Discussion questions

1. What is a push? What is a pull? Can you name three pushes and three pulls you do every day?
2. Why did the car go farther on the smooth surface than on the carpet?
3. What would happen if there were no friction at all?
4. How is rolling a ball down a ramp like a playground slide?

What they are learning

This activity reinforces the Pushes & Pulls lesson: forces make things start moving, stop moving, speed up, slow down, or change direction. Stronger forces cause bigger changes. Friction is a force that slows things down. These are the building blocks of physics.