Make It Move! Lesson Plan

What We Are Learning

movement and force

move, push, pull, lift, throw

group discussion, vocabulary, gross-motor skills, critical thinking

In The Biggest, Best Snowman by Margery Cuyler, Little Nell thinks she will be too small to help make a snowman with her animal friends. But working as a team, she and her friends push, roll, pat, and kick the snow to create the biggest, best snowman ever!

Push and Pull Maze

Materials: tabletop blocks, small building materials, white play dough

Children will hone fine-motor and teamwork skills while moving a “snowball” through a maze!
Start by having children roll a small amount of white play dough in their hands to create a ball. (If white play dough is not available, they can use any small white ball, like a golf ball or a ping-pong ball, or a balled-up piece of white paper.)
Guide children as they create a maze using blocks. The maze should span the length of the table and have paths wide enough to accommodate the ball.
Have children work in pairs to move the ball through the maze. Each child should stand at an end of the table and attempt to roll the ball through the maze to reach their partner. Ask children about the movements they are making. Are they pushing or pulling? What is their partner doing? There are plenty of ways to increase the difficulty! For example, you could place obstacles in the ball’s path and have children figure out how to move their ball around the obstacles. You can also ask children to move the ball with a spoon or chopstick. fine-motor skills/science knowledge

Materials: chart paper, markers, light classroom chair, heavy basket of books with handle, masking tape, other items to push and pull

Is it easier to push or pull different objects? Find out with this simple experiment!
In advance, create a chart on chart paper with a column for push and a column for pull. Then create a row for the classroom chair and a row for the basket of books. If you use different objects, create a row for each object. Use tape to mark a starting line and a finish line a few feet away.
Let students take turns pushing the chair from the starting line to the finish line. Then have them take turns pulling the chair from the starting line to the finish line. Which was more difficult? Have children perform the same tasks with the basket of books. What other objects could they try?
When the experiment is complete, mark your findings together on the prepared chart paper. Ask, “Which object was more difficult to move? Why? Which object was easiest to move? Why? Was it easier to push the objects or to pull them? Why?” gross-motor skills/experiment