Scientists are great at sorting. They look closely and ask: what shape is it? What colour? How big? How does it feel? Then they find out how things move when we push or pull them.
Sorting by properties
- shape: round, square, long
- colour: red, blue, green …
- size: big, small
- texture (how it feels): rough like sandpaper or a coconut husk, smooth like glass or a marble
Record it in a table
| Object | Shape | Colour | Size | Texture |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| marble | round | blue | small | smooth |
| coconut | round | brown | big | rough |
| book | rectangle | red | big | smooth |
| sponge | rectangle | yellow | small | rough |
Pushes and pulls
A push moves something away from you. A pull moves something towards you. Pushes and pulls are called forces.
| A push or pull can make a thing … | Example |
|---|---|
| start moving | kicking a still football |
| stop | catching a ball |
| speed up | pushing a swing harder |
| slow down | pulling back on a dog’s leash |
| change direction | hitting a cricket ball with a bat |
TRY ITSort it, move it
Choose a game. Tap your answer.
Let’s practise
Try each one. Then tap Show answer to check.
1. Name two things that feel rough.
Show answer
For example a coconut husk, sandpaper, tree bark, a rock.
2. Is opening a drawer a push or a pull?
Show answer
A pull.
3. Is closing a drawer a push or a pull?
Show answer
A push.
4. Name three things a push or pull can do to a moving thing.
Show answer
Any three: start it, stop it, speed it up, slow it down, change its direction.
5. Sort these by shape: ball, box, orange, book.
Show answer
Round: ball, orange. Box-shaped: box, book.
Quick check
1. A push moves something …
Show answer
Away from you.
2. What do we call pushes and pulls?
Show answer
Forces.
3. What word means how something feels?
Show answer
Texture.
Words to know
Say these words with a grown-up. Can you use each one in a sentence?
sort · shape · colour · size · texture · rough · smooth · push · pull · force · direction
Try it at home
- Empty a drawer of safe objects. Sort them three different ways: by colour, by size, by texture.
- Play marbles or roll a ball. Can you make it start, stop and change direction?
- Make a list of pushes and pulls you do from waking up to going to school.
For parents and teachers
After this lesson, your child should be able to:
- sort objects by shape, colour, size and texture
- tell whether an action is a push or a pull
- explain how a push or pull can make an object start, stop, speed up, slow down or change direction
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