Year 3 · Science · Physical sciences
Pushes and pulls
Children investigate how pushes and pulls make objects start moving, speed up, slow down, stop or change direction, using toy cars and balls.
Awaiting educator review. This material was drafted by our content team with AI assistance and is waiting for review by a qualified educator. Please check it suits your child before using it. Created 10 October 2026.
These lessons were written around Australian Curriculum strands and matched to New Zealand year levels by age (NZ Year 1 is the first year of school). They are not yet mapped to The New Zealand Curriculum, so check them against your own learning programme.
Learning goals
Learners will
- Identify pushes and pulls in everyday actions.
- Describe how a push or pull can change how an object moves.
- Carry out a simple fair test with a toy car.
Success looks like
- I can say whether an action is a push or a pull.
- I can show how a push can make a car start, speed up, slow down or change direction.
- I can explain that a bigger push makes a car go further.
The big idea
A push or a pull is called a force. Forces can make things move.
When you push, you move something away from you, like kicking a footy or pushing a swing. When you pull, you move something towards you, like opening a drawer.
Forces can make things start moving, speed up, slow down, stop or change direction.
A bigger push makes a toy car go faster and further. A small push makes it go slower and not as far.
To find out fairly, we change only one thing at a time. We use the same car on the same floor, and change only how hard we push.
Worked examples
Push or pull?
Is opening a fridge door a push or a pull?
- Think about the movement: the door comes towards you.
- Moving something towards you is a pull.
Answer: Opening a fridge door is a pull.
Small push, big push
Does a bigger push make a toy car go further?
- Put the car on the start line.
- Give it a small push and measure how far it goes.
- Put it back on the start line and give it a bigger push.
- Measure again and compare.
Answer: The bigger push makes the car go further.
Practice check
Have a go, then check your answers. Each answer comes with an explanation.
Answer guide for parents
Kicking a footy is a…
Push — Kicking moves the ball away from you, so it is a push.
Which is a pull?
Tugging a rope — Tugging a rope brings it towards you, so it is a pull.
What is another word for a push or a pull?
Force — Pushes and pulls are forces.
A rolling ball hits your foot and stops. What made it stop?
A push from your foot — Your foot pushed against the ball and stopped it.
Which push will make a toy car go the furthest?
A big push — A bigger push makes the car go further.
Opening a drawer: push or pull?
pull — The drawer comes towards you, so it is a pull.
Closing a door by pressing it away from you: push or pull?
push — Moving something away from you is a push.
A tennis ball hits a racquet and goes the other way. What has changed: its colour or its direction?
direction — The racquet's push changed the ball's direction.
Watch out for
- Children may think a moving object needs a constant push to keep going. On a smooth floor a car keeps rolling after the push ends, until rubbing (friction) slows it.
- Some children think forces only start things moving. Forces also slow, stop and turn things.
Tips for parents
- Use a 'push' and 'pull' chart and add everyday actions through the day.
- Help your child keep the test fair: same car, same floor, same start line.
- Safety: test in a clear hallway away from stairs, and use soft balls indoors.
Go further
- Test the toy car on carpet, tiles and a towel. Where does it go furthest with the same push?
- Play backyard cricket and talk about how the bat changes the ball's direction.