Forces and Movement

Lesson Overview

Unit Title: Forces in Motion Fun
Lesson Title: What is a Force?
Curriculum Area: Science
Key Stage: Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
Duration: 60 minutes
Class Size: 4 students

Early Learning Goals (ELG) Alignment

This lesson aligns with the Understanding the World strand of the UK Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Framework. Specifically, it supports:

• The Natural World: Helping children explore forces and how they affect objects.
• Communication and Language: Encouraging discussion and vocabulary development related to movement and forces.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

1. Recognise what a force is (a push or a pull).
2. Identify examples of forces in everyday life, such as pushing a toy car or pulling a door open.
3. Use simple vocabulary to describe forces (push, pull, move, stop, fast, slow).

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Resources & Materials

🧸 Storybook or Visual Aid – A short story or printed pictures showing pushing and pulling.
🎾 Small Objects for Experimentation – Balls, small toy cars, fabric, and soft blocks.
📄 Emotion Cards – Happy, surprised, excited (to gauge student engagement).
🎶 Song or Movement Activity – Simple push/pull song with gestures.
📹 Tablet or Camera (optional) – To record movement activities for later discussion.

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Lesson Structure

1. Introduction – What is a Force? (10 minutes)

Engage: Begin with an interactive discussion. Sit in a circle and ask:

• Have you ever pushed something? Have you ever pulled something?
• What happened when you pushed or pulled?

Demonstration:

• Show two simple actions: pushing a toy car forward and pulling a fabric across the floor.
• Ask: What did I just do? Did the toy car move? Why?
• Introduce the words "push" and "pull" using simple gestures.

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2. Story Time – Forces in Action! (15 minutes)

Read or Tell a Story about an animal or character experiencing forces (e.g., a bear pushing a snowball and pulling a sled).

• Pause at key moments:
  • What is happening here? Is the bear pushing or pulling?
  • What do you think will happen next?

Encourage students to act out parts of the story, physically pushing an object or mimicking pulling something heavy.

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3. Hands-On Exploration – Forces in Motion! (20 minutes)

Activity 1: Push or Pull?

• Give each child a small object (e.g., a toy car, fabric, or ball).
• Ask them to explore how they can move the object:
  • Can you push it? Can you pull it?
  • Which one makes it go faster? Which one makes it stop?
• Observe and discuss differences in how objects move (fast, slow, rolling, sliding).

Activity 2: "Move like a Force" Game

• Play music and call out actions:
  • "Push like the wind!" (Move hands forward)
  • "Pull like you’re lifting a big present!"
  • Encourage them to exaggerate movements and have fun!

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4. Reflection & Wrap-Up (15 minutes)

Discussion: Ask each child to pick one thing they pushed/pulled today and describe how it moved.

• Did it roll or slide? Did pushing make it go fast or slow?

Emotion Check-In: Show Emotion Cards and ask:

• How did you feel doing these activities? Excited? Happy?

Preview Next Lesson:

• Next time, we’ll explore how forces can make things go even faster!

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Assessment & Differentiation

✔ Observation: Monitor students’ engagement and ability to recognise and describe forces.
✔ Verbal Responses: Listen for the correct use of "push" and "pull."
✔ Hands-on Participation: Ensure all students engage in physical activities.

For students needing extra support: Use gestures, repeat key terms, and model actions.
For advanced learners: Challenge them to describe whether their objects move fast or slow, and why.

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Teacher Reflection

• Were students engaged and participating?
• Did they grasp the concept of push and pull?
• What adjustments might improve the lesson for next time?

🎉 End the lesson with a cheer: “Forces make things move!” 🎉