Grade Range
Kindergarten
Group Size
2 students
Active Time
50 minutes
Total Time
50 minutes
Area of Science
Physics
Key Concepts
Push, Pull, Motion, Weight
Learning Objectives
  • Give examples of objects pushing each other.
  • Demonstrate and explain that colliding objects push each other and as a result, change each other's movement (speeding up, slowing down or changing direction).
  • Give examples of how it is harder to change the motion of a heavier object, it requires a larger push.
Credits
Sabine De Brabandere, PhD, Science Buddies
Drawing of two soccer balls rolling

Overview

Experimenting with balls is fun! In this hands-on lesson, you and your students will make them collide and study how balls can push each-other and people too! While exploring, students will also feel how pushing a light ball is different from pushing a heavier ball. Weight is important.

This lesson fits well together with a lesson where students push balls to discover how people use pushes and pulls to change motion.

NGSS Alignment

This lesson helps students prepare for these Next Generation Science Standards Performance Expectations:
  • K-PS2-1. Plan and conduct an investigation to compare the effects of different strengths or different directions of pushes and pulls on the motion of an object.
This lesson focuses on these aspects of NGSS Three Dimensional Learning:

Science & Engineering Practices Disciplinary Core Ideas Crosscutting Concepts
Planning and Carrying Out Investigations. With guidance, plan and conduct an investigation in collaboration with peers.
 PS2.A: Forces and Motion. Pushes and pulls can have different strengths and directions.
Pushing or pulling on an object can change the speed or direction of its motion and can start or stop it.

PS2.B: Types of Interactions. When objects touch or collide, they push on one another and can change motion.

PS3.C: Relationship Between Energy and Forces. A bigger push or pull makes things speed up or slow down more quickly.
 Cause and Effect. Simple tests can be designed to gather evidence to support or refute student ideas about causes.
Next: Materials

Materials


Two baseballs next to a wiffle ball

For each group:

  • Two identical heavier balls, like baseballs (or basket/soccer/volleyballs)
  • One light ball that is about the same size as the heavier balls, like a whiffle ball (or a beach ball)

For the entire class:

  • Open floor space where students can roll the balls in pairs.
  • A few toy-cars of which some or lighter than others.
Next: Teacher Prep

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Grade Range
Kindergarten
Group Size
2 students
Active Time
50 minutes
Total Time
50 minutes
Area of Science
Physics
Key Concepts
Push, Pull, Motion, Weight
Credits
Sabine De Brabandere, PhD, Science Buddies
Learning Objectives
  • Give examples of objects pushing each other.
  • Demonstrate and explain that colliding objects push each other and as a result, change each other's movement (speeding up, slowing down or changing direction).
  • Give examples of how it is harder to change the motion of a heavier object, it requires a larger push.
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