Foundation How Objects Move Activities

Australian Curriculum Alignment

What Students Will Learn

In this topic, children explore how familiar objects move. They observe rolling, sliding, spinning and bouncing and begin to explain why different objects move in different ways.

Students investigate how an object's shape, size and material can affect its movement. They make predictions, test objects and describe what they observe.

• Identify different ways objects can move.
• Use movement words such as roll, slide, spin and bounce.
• Recognise that pushes and pulls can make objects move.
• Compare the movement of objects with different shapes.
• Compare balls of different sizes.
• Investigate how materials affect bouncing and rolling.
• Make simple predictions before testing objects.
• Describe observations using simple science language.

Important Vocabulary

Teaching Activities

1. Introduce Ways Objects Move

Show students a ball, toy car, wooden block and spinning top. Demonstrate how each object moves.

Introduce the words:

• roll
• slide
• spin
• bounce

Ask children to copy each movement using their hands or bodies.

2. Sort Toys by Movement

Provide several classroom toys and objects. Ask students to test each one and place it into a movement group.

Suggested groups:

• rolls
• slides
• spins
• bounces

Discuss whether some objects can belong to more than one group. For example, a ball can roll and bounce.

3. Push and Pull Investigation

Use a toy car, ball or small box. Ask students to move the object using a push and then a pull.

Ask:

• Which direction did the object move?
• What happened when you pushed harder?
• What happened when you pushed gently?

Explain that a push or pull is a force that can start, stop or change movement.

4. Roll or Slide?

Test a ball, block, tube, book and plastic egg on a flat surface.

Ask students to predict whether each object will roll, slide, wobble or stay still.

After testing, discuss how rounded surfaces often help objects roll, while flat surfaces often help objects slide.

5. Objects Moving Down a Slope

Make a simple ramp using a board and a stack of books. Test objects such as:

• a ball
• a tube
• a plastic egg
• a wooden block
• a hexagonal block

Ask children to predict how each object will move before releasing it.

Observe whether the object rolls, slides, tumbles, wobbles or stops.

6. Compare Different-Sized Balls

Provide balls of different sizes, such as a marble, golf ball, tennis ball and basketball.

Ask students to compare:

• which ball is biggest
• which ball is smallest
• which rolls farthest
• which bounces highest
• which is easiest to push

Keep the test fair by using the same ramp, starting point and surface.

7. Investigate Ball Materials

Compare balls made from rubber, plastic, foam and fabric. Let students feel each material before testing.

Ask:

• Which ball feels soft?
• Which ball feels hard?
• Which ball is springy?
• Which ball will bounce highest?

Drop each ball from the same height onto the same surface. Record the results.

8. Create a Movement Table

Record observations in a simple class table.

AC9SFU02 Elaborations

AC9SFU02_E1 — How Toys Move

Observe how toys move and group them according to whether they roll, slide, spin or bounce.

AC9SFU02_E2 — Shapes Moving Down a Slope

Observe and describe how differently shaped objects such as blocks, tubes and eggs move down a slope.

AC9SFU02_E3 — Comparing Balls

Compare how similar-shaped but different-sized balls roll and bounce.

AC9SFU02_E4 — Materials and Movement

Explore how the material a ball is made from affects its movement and bounce.

AC9SFU02_E5 — First Nations Instructive Toys

Explore how the size and shape of traditional instructive toys used by First Nations Australians influence their movement.

Questions to Ask Students

• How does this object move?
• Does it roll, slide, spin or bounce?
• What made the object start moving?
• What happened when you pushed harder?
• Which shape rolled most easily?
• Which object moved farthest?
• How did the ramp change the movement?
• Which ball bounced highest?
• How did the material affect the bounce?
• Was your prediction correct?

Simple Assessment Ideas

Students can demonstrate their understanding by completing one or more of the following tasks:

• Sort objects into roll, slide, spin and bounce groups.
• Describe how a familiar toy moves.
• Predict how an object will move down a ramp.
• Compare the movement of a ball and a block.
• Explain how a push or pull makes an object move.
• Compare the bounce of two balls made from different materials.
• Draw an object and show its direction of movement.
• Complete a simple movement observation table.

Supporting Different Learners

Additional support

• Use familiar classroom toys and real objects.
• Teach one movement word at a time.
• Use picture cards for roll, slide, spin and bounce.
• Allow children to demonstrate instead of writing.
• Use two-choice questions such as roll or slide.
• Let an adult record the child's spoken observations.

Extension

• Ask students to explain why an object moves in a particular way.
• Compare movement on carpet, tiles and grass.
• Change the height of the ramp and compare results.
• Measure how far objects roll using informal units.
• Ask students to design an object that rolls or spins.

Safety Considerations

• Use a clear area for rolling and bouncing objects.
• Do not throw balls toward other students.
• Use ramps on the floor or a stable surface.
• Keep small objects such as marbles away from mouths.
• Follow teacher instructions when using equipment.
• Use culturally appropriate and reliable sources when discussing First Nations toys and knowledge.

Learning at Home

Families can reinforce this topic by testing familiar household objects in a safe space.

Children could:

• find one object that rolls
• find one object that slides
• compare a ball and a box
• test toys on carpet and a smooth floor
• predict which ball will bounce highest
• draw an object and describe how it moves

AC9SFU02 Worksheets and Teaching Resources

View the complete collection of teacher slides, student practice pages, movement investigations and printable worksheets for AC9SFU02.

Topic Summary

AC9SFU02 introduces Foundation students to physical science through familiar toys, balls, blocks and everyday objects. Students learn that objects can roll, slide, spin and bounce and that pushes and pulls can change movement.

Hands-on investigations help children understand that size, shape, material and surface can influence how an object moves.