Push and Pull Teaching Resources

Explore push and pull forces with ready-made teacher resources to save you time on your lesson plans! Created by primary teachers for primary teachers like you, every resource in this collection is aligned with Australian science curriculum standards and ready for your classroom and your students.

Help students understand the different effects of pushes and pulls on the motion of an object, explore examples of pushing and pulling forces and more! This collection is stocked with everything you need to bring this segment of the science curriculum to life, including editable resources you can adapt to easily differentiate instruction for your students.

Is this your first year teaching about push and pull forces? Or are you looking for fresh ideas? Read on for a primer from the Teach Starter teacher team!

What Are Push and Pull Forces? A Kid-Friendly Definition

When we're introducing a concept to students, having a definition at hand can make the first lesson easier! Here's how our teacher team describes the meaning of pushing and pulling forces to our students:

Push and pull are two different forces. They represent different ways we can make objects move.

• Push — When an object is pushed, it's moved away from the person or object that is doing the pushing. For example, the cat might push a cup away from them (and off the table!).
• Pull — When an object is pulled, it's moved toward the person or object that is doing the pulling. For example, you might pull a door toward you in order to open it.

Understanding what it means to push and pull helps us understand how things move in the world all around us!

Forces That Push and Pull — Examples for the Classroom

Need more examples of forces that push and pull to help your students better understand this concept?

Here are some real-world examples of forces that push objects that may resonate with your students:

1. When you push your friend on the swing, your hands push against the seat to make it move forward and higher.
2. You might use your hands to push a heavy box across the floor, providing force with your hands in order to move the box without having to pick it up.
3. If you are playing soccer with your mates and you kick the ball, your foot is using force to push the ball away from you.

Here are some real-world examples of forces that pull objects that kids may recognise:

1. If you have a wagon behind you, you may pull on the handle to make the wagon move along with you as you walk.
2. When you pull on the string of a kite, you are using force to bring the kite closer to you.
3. If you use a magnet to attract a metal object, the magnet pulls the object towards it.