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An introduction to what motion looks like and how we can tell if something is moving.
Look around you right now. Is everything staying in the same spot, or are some things zooming, crawling, or rolling away? How can you tell if something has actually moved?
When something is moving, it is changing its place. Think of a bird flying through the sky or a car driving down the road. If something stays in the exact same spot, we say it is still. Your bed is usually still during the night, but you might be moving while you sleep! To know if something is moving, we look at the things around it to see if the distance between them is changing.
Let's look at a park: 1. A wooden bench sits on the grass. It stays there all day. It is still. 2. A soccer ball rolls past the bench. It was on the left, and now it is on the right. The ball is moving.
Quick Check
If you are sitting in a chair reading this, are you moving or still?
Answer
You are still.
To describe where something is, we talk about its position. We use special words to compare an object to the things around it. For example, is the cat under the table or on top of it? Common position words include above, below, next to, behind, and in front of. If an object's position changes compared to a tree or a house, we know that object has moved!
Imagine playing hide and seek: 1. You start behind a big oak tree. 2. You run and hide inside a cardboard box. 3. Because your position changed from the tree to the box, you have moved!
Quick Check
If a toy car moves from 'under the chair' to 'next to the door,' did it move?
Answer
Yes, because its position changed.
Things don't just start moving by magic! They need a force. A force is a push or a pull. When you kick a ball, you are giving it a push. When you open a drawer, you are giving it a pull. Without a force, a still object will stay still forever. The more force you use, the faster or further something might move!
How do we get a heavy wagon to move? 1. The wagon is still (its position is at the gate). 2. You grab the handle and give a hard pull (this is the force). 3. The wagon is now moving to a new position next to the porch.
Which of these is an example of something moving?
What do we call a push or a pull?
If you move a book from 'on the table' to 'in your backpack,' the book has changed its position.
Review Tomorrow
Tomorrow morning, try to find one thing that is moving and one thing that is still. Can you tell what force (push or pull) made the moving thing start?
Practice Activity
Find a toy car or a ball. Try to move it using only a 'pull.' Then, try to move it using only a 'push.' Which one was easier?