Physical Sciences • AC9S1U03

Year 1 Physical Sciences Activities and Worksheets

Discover how pushes and pulls affect the movement, direction and shape of everyday objects through engaging Year 1 Physical Sciences activities and printable worksheets. Students investigate forces using playground equipment, sporting equipment, toys, playdough and practical design challenges while exploring First Nations and traditional Asian perspectives.

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About This Year 1 Science Topic

Pushes and pulls are forces that can make objects move, stop, speed up, slow down, change direction or change shape.

In this topic, students observe and manipulate familiar objects such as toys, doors, windows and playground equipment to identify the forces used to move them.

They investigate how the strength and direction of a push or pull can affect an object’s motion and how pushes and pulls can change the shape of materials such as playdough.

Students also explore how sporting equipment is designed to produce effective pushes and pulls and apply their understanding by designing toys, games or playground equipment.

The unit includes opportunities to investigate push and pull movements in traditional First Nations Australian children’s instructive toys and traditional Asian toys and games.

These activities support the Australian Curriculum Version 9.0 content descriptor AC9S1U03 and its associated elaborations.

Australian Curriculum Alignment

AC9S1U03

Describe pushes and pulls in terms of strength and direction and predict the effect of these forces on objects’ motion and shape.

AC9S1U03_E1

Observe and manipulate everyday objects such as playground equipment, toys, windows and doors, and identify the forces used to move them.

AC9S1U03_E2

Investigate how age-appropriate sporting equipment such as paddles, plastic bats and racquets helps produce stronger pushes and pulls.

AC9S1U03_E3

Recognise that pushing or pulling an object can start or stop its motion or change its direction of travel.

AC9S1U03_E4

Explore ways the shape of playdough can be changed when pushed or pulled.

AC9S1U03_E5

Design playground equipment, toys or games and represent the push and pull forces involved using models, digital drawings or role-play.

AC9S1U03_E6

Investigate the push and pull movements of traditional First Nations Australian children’s instructive toys.

AC9S1U03_E7

Explore how traditional Asian toys and games such as a kendama, Daruma Otoshi or shuttlecock are played using a push or pull.

Learning Intentions

Students will learn to:

  • identify pushes and pulls in everyday situations;
  • describe a force by its strength and direction;
  • predict how a push or pull may affect an object;
  • explain how forces can start or stop motion;
  • explain how forces can change the direction of motion;
  • compare weak and strong pushes and pulls;
  • investigate how sporting equipment applies forces;
  • explore how pushes and pulls can change shape;
  • design a toy, game or piece of playground equipment;
  • represent forces using arrows, models, drawings or role-play;
  • explore push and pull forces in First Nations toys;
  • explore push and pull forces in traditional Asian toys and games.

Student Success Criteria

I can identify a push.

I can identify a pull.

I can describe the direction of a force.

I can compare a weak force and a strong force.

I can predict how a push or pull will affect an object.

I can explain how a force can start or stop motion.

I can explain how a force can change direction.

I can show how a force can change shape.

I can draw arrows to represent forces.

I can design an object that uses pushes and pulls.

Key Vocabulary

force push pull strength direction motion move start stop speed up slow down change direction shape strong weak predict observe design model equipment

Teacher Guide

Recommended Materials

  • toy cars and balls;
  • blocks and ramps;
  • playdough;
  • rubber bands and string;
  • plastic bats, racquets or paddles;
  • beanbags and soft balls;
  • doors, drawers or classroom objects;
  • force arrow cards;
  • construction materials;
  • drawing and modelling materials;
  • pictures or approved examples of First Nations toys;
  • examples or images of traditional Asian toys and games.

Suggested Teaching Sequence

  1. Introduce pushes and pulls using familiar classroom objects.
  2. Identify the direction of different forces.
  3. Compare weak and strong pushes and pulls.
  4. Investigate how forces start and stop motion.
  5. Investigate how forces change speed and direction.
  6. Explore how sporting equipment produces stronger forces.
  7. Use playdough to investigate changes in shape.
  8. Represent forces using arrows, drawings and role-play.
  9. Design a toy, game or playground feature.
  10. Investigate First Nations toys and their movements.
  11. Explore traditional Asian toys and games.
  12. Assess learning through predictions, observations and explanations.

Teacher Questions

  • Is this action a push or a pull?
  • Which direction is the force acting?
  • Was the force weak or strong?
  • What do you predict will happen?
  • How could you make the object move farther?
  • How could you make the object stop?
  • How could you change its direction?
  • What happened when you used a stronger force?
  • How did the playdough change shape?
  • Where are the pushes and pulls in this toy?
  • How does the equipment help produce a stronger force?
  • How could you show the force using an arrow?

Common Misconceptions

Only moving objects have forces acting on them

Explain that forces may act on objects even when no movement occurs, such as when equal forces balance each other.

A push always moves an object away

The result depends on the direction of the push and the object’s position.

A stronger force always makes an object move

Surface friction, object mass and other forces can affect whether and how an object moves.

Forces only change motion

Demonstrate that forces can also change an object’s shape.

A pull must use a hand

Show that strings, magnets, hooks and other objects can also apply pulling forces.

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Year 1 Physical Sciences Activities

Activity 1: Push or Pull Hunt

Students explore the classroom or playground and identify examples of objects moved by a push or a pull.

They record each example using a drawing, label or simple sentence.

Curriculum connection: AC9S1U03_E1

Activity 2: Strong and Weak Forces

Students apply weak and strong pushes to a toy car or ball and compare how far it travels.

They make a prediction, test it and discuss the result.

Curriculum connection: AC9S1U03

Activity 3: Sporting Equipment Investigation

Students compare how a hand, plastic bat, racquet or paddle can be used to push an object.

They discuss how the equipment helps produce a stronger or more controlled force.

Curriculum connection: AC9S1U03_E2

Activity 4: Start, Stop and Change Direction

Students use toy cars or balls to investigate how pushes and pulls can start motion, stop motion and change direction.

They represent each force using arrows.

Curriculum connection: AC9S1U03_E3

Activity 5: Playdough Shape Changes

Students squeeze, stretch, roll, flatten, twist and pull playdough.

They identify the forces used and describe how the shape changed.

Curriculum connection: AC9S1U03_E4

Activity 6: Design a Playground

Students design playground equipment that uses pushes and pulls, such as swings, slides, seesaws or gates.

They label the direction of each force using arrows.

Curriculum connection: AC9S1U03_E5

Activity 7: Design a Push-and-Pull Toy

Students create a simple toy or game that moves using a push, pull or both.

They explain how the force changes the object’s motion.

Curriculum connection: AC9S1U03_E5

Activity 8: First Nations Toys and Forces

Using appropriate, community-approved resources, students investigate the push and pull movements involved in traditional First Nations Australian children’s instructive toys.

Curriculum connection: AC9S1U03_E6

Activity 9: Traditional Asian Toys and Games

Students explore how toys and games such as a kendama, Daruma Otoshi or shuttlecock involve pushes and pulls.

They identify the direction and effect of each force.

Curriculum connection: AC9S1U03_E7

Activity 10: Force Prediction Challenge

Students observe a setup involving a toy, ball, ramp or playdough and predict what will happen when a particular force is applied.

They test their prediction and explain the result.

Curriculum connection: AC9S1U03

Differentiation

Support

  • use clear photographs and familiar objects;
  • teach push and pull separately before comparing them;
  • provide force arrow cards;
  • use oral explanations before written responses;
  • provide sentence starters and word banks;
  • model predictions and observations;
  • use matching and sorting activities;
  • allow students to draw instead of writing full sentences;
  • complete investigations in small teacher-supported groups.

Extension

  • compare distances produced by different force strengths;
  • investigate how different surfaces affect motion;
  • compare the same force on objects of different masses;
  • design a fair test involving pushes or pulls;
  • create labelled force diagrams;
  • investigate multiple forces acting on one object;
  • redesign sporting equipment to improve performance;
  • create a digital animation showing forces;
  • explain why a prediction did or did not match the result.

Science Sentence Starters

I used a push to _____.

I used a pull to _____.

The force moved the object _____.

The force acted in this direction: _____.

A stronger push caused _____.

A weaker pull caused _____.

I predict the object will _____.

The object started moving when _____.

The object stopped when _____.

The object changed direction because _____.

The playdough changed shape when _____.

This toy uses pushes and pulls by _____.

Assessment Ideas

Observe whether the student can:

  • identify examples of pushes and pulls;
  • describe the direction of a force;
  • compare weak and strong forces;
  • predict how a force will affect an object;
  • describe how a force starts or stops motion;
  • describe how a force changes direction;
  • explain how a force changes shape;
  • represent forces using arrows or drawings;
  • design an object involving pushes and pulls;
  • identify push and pull forces in traditional toys or games.

Quick Exit Ticket

  1. Name one example of a push.
  2. Name one example of a pull.
  3. Explain one way a force can change motion.
  4. Draw an arrow showing the direction of a force.

Printable Teacher and Student Resources

Use the links below to open the available AC9S1U03 teaching materials and printable activities in a new browser tab.

Asian Toys and Push-Pull Forces Changing Shapes with Pushes nd Pulls Design a Playground with Pushes and Pulls Designing Toys Using Push and Pull Forces Everyday Pushes and Pulls First Nations Push and Pull Toys First Nations Traditional Toys and Forces How Pushes and Pulls Change Motion How Sporting Equipment Uses Forces Playdough Push and Pull Activities Push and Pull Everyday Objects Push and Pull Forces Science Worksheets – Introduction Pushes and Pulls Activities and Worksheets Sporting Equipment Pushes and Pulls Start, Stop and Change Direction Traditional Asian Toys and Games

Resources open in a new tab.

Home Learning Ideas

Families can identify pushes and pulls while opening doors, moving chairs, using toys, playing games or completing everyday tasks.

Children can test how the strength and direction of a force affect the motion or shape of safe household objects.

Ask questions such as:

  • Was that action a push or a pull?
  • Which direction did the object move?
  • What happened when you used a stronger force?
  • How could you make the object stop?
  • How could you change its direction?
  • How did the object change shape?
  • Where can you see pushes and pulls in this toy?
  • What do you predict will happen next?

Related Year 1 Science Topics

Year 1 Science Activities and Worksheets Year 1 Biological Sciences Year 1 Earth and Space Sciences Year 1 Science as a Human Endeavour Year 1 Science Inquiry