Unit Plan 31 (PreK Science): Review of Pushes, Pulls & Motion

Focus: Revisit pushes, pulls, and how things move using familiar playground games and classroom toys.

Grade Level: PreK

Subject Area: Science (Physical Science • Motion & Forces – Early Childhood)

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 20–30 minutes per session

I. Introduction

Children revisit favorite activities from earlier motion units—rolling balls, sliding toys, pulling wagons, and playing simple playground games. This week centers on remembering, noticing, and talking about how pushes and pulls make objects move, and how strong vs. gentle actions change motion. Through stations, outdoor play, and a simple “Movement Showcase,” children show what they know about motion in joyful, developmentally appropriate ways.

Essential Questions

• How do we make things start, stop, and change direction using our bodies?
• What happens when we use a gentle push or pull compared to a strong one?
• How do we stay safe when we are pushing, pulling, and moving our bodies and toys?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Children will be able to:

1. Use pushes and pulls (hands, feet, whole body) to make balls, toy cars, and other objects move, stop, and change direction.
2. Notice and describe how something moves (faster/slower, farther/shorter, straight/curved) when the strength of the push or pull changes.
3. Match simple pictures or movement cards to real actions (e.g., card shows “push” → child shows pushing a ball).
4. Use simple words and gestures to tell about their motion play (e.g., “I pushed it hard,” “It rolled far,” “I pulled the wagon”).
5. Participate in a fun Movement Showcase, demonstrating at least one way a push or pull changes how something moves.

Standards Alignment — PreK (NGSS-based custom)

• PK-PS2-1 — Explore how pushes and pulls make things move.
  • Example: Children experiment with pushing, pulling, rolling, dropping, and sliding objects to see how they move (e.g., rolling balls down ramps and noticing, “It goes faster on the tall ramp.”).
• PK-PS2-2 — Notice that stronger pushes or pulls change motion.
  • Example: Children observe how gentle vs. strong pushes change how far or fast something moves (e.g., pushing a toy car softly vs. hard and comparing the distance).

Success Criteria — Child-Friendly Language

• I can show a push and a pull with my body and toys.
• I can tell or show when something goes fast or slow, far or not very far.
• I can help keep toys and friends safe when we play pushing and pulling games.
• I can show my grown-ups how I make things move in our Movement Showcase.