Explore Playground Forces with Your Students

When teaching new science concepts to your young learners, it’s best to start with real-world examples that your students can relate to. It’s time to discover the invisible push and pull forces at work in the school playground! 

This two-page playground forces worksheet is an exciting and hands-on teaching resource designed to help students understand the fundamental concepts of push and pull forces in a familiar and engaging context. By actively exploring their surroundings, students will gain valuable insights into how forces shape the world around them.

Observing and Applying Forces in the Playground (Page 1)

1. Step Outside – Head out to the school playground, and have the students select four pieces of playground equipment or sporting gear that they enjoy using. This is where the adventure begins!
2. Get Hands-On – Have the students use each piece of equipment they have selected. For each selected piece of equipment, they must think about the forces needed to make it work. Does it need to be pushed or pulled? Maybe a bit of both?
3. Draw and Color – Students now draw a picture of each piece of equipment. They must label the forces needed to make the equipment work by using blue arrows to indicate the push forces and red arrows to indicate the pull forces.

Analyzing Playground Forces (Page 2)

1. Investigate the Table – On this page, we’ve prepared a table with images of some common pieces of playground equipment. Have the students examine each one closely.
2. Push, Pull or Both? – Students circle whether they think they would need to apply a push force, a pull force or both to use each piece of equipment effectively.
3. Draw and Color – Just like on the first page, students draw colored arrows on the equipment pictures to visualize their understanding.

This resource downloads as an easy-print PDF or an editable Google slides file. It is an engaging activity that would help your students explore the principles of push and pull forces in a familiar and enjoyable setting.

Why Understanding Playground Forces Matters

Understanding push and pull forces is not just about having fun on the playground; it’s about gaining insight into the world around us. Here’s why grasping these concepts is important for students in their daily lives:

1. Safety Awareness – By understanding how forces work, students can play more safely. They’ll understand the limits of the equipment and how to avoid accidents.
2. Problem Solving – Learning about playground forces encourages critical thinking. Students can apply these principles to real-life situations, helping them solve problems effectively.
3. Innovation – A deeper understanding of playground forces can inspire students to create their own games, sports or even inventions, contributing to their creativity and innovation.

Encourage your students to embrace the joy of learning while they investigate the playground forces that shape their world!

Download This Forces in the Playground Worksheet 

Use the dropdown button to access your preferred file format. (Note: You will be prompted to make a copy of the Google Slides template on your personal drive before accessing it.)

For sustainability purposes, please consider printing this two-sided worksheet double-sided.

More Push and Pull Resources to Enrich Your Lessons

Here at Teach Starter, we understand the need for teachers to reduce the amount of time spent on planning, and we’re here to help! Click below for more curriculum-aligned, teacher-created resources to use in your lessons on push and pull forces!

teaching resource

Pushes and Pulls Mini-Book

Explore pushes and pulls with your students with this printable mini-book perfect for 3rd grade science lessons.

teaching resource

Push and Pull Examples – Matching Game

Have students explore examples of push and pull forces with this matching game to use during your forces and motion science unit.

teaching resource

Push or Pull? Interactive Sorting Activity

Explore push and pull forces with your students by playing this interactive sorting game for lower elementary students.