Preschool - Science

Push and Pull Preschool Worksheet

6 printable versions - Challenge Me - About 5 minutes each

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Push and Pull

Preschool - Science - Challenge Me

Worksheet 1

  1. How would the box come back?

    Read aloud: Right now the box is moving away from the child. Point to what the child would have to do instead to send it the other way.

    A child and a box with an arrow.A child stands on the left side of a box. An arrow points right.

  2. How would the wagon come back?

    Read aloud: Right now the wagon is moving toward the child. Point to what the child would have to do instead to send it the other way.

    A child and a wagon with an arrow.A child stands on the right side of a wagon. An arrow points right.

  3. How would the cart come back?

    Read aloud: Right now the cart is moving toward the child. Point to what the child would have to do instead to send it the other way.

    A child and a cart with an arrow.A child stands on the left side of a cart. An arrow points left.

  4. How would the drawer come back?

    Read aloud: Right now the drawer is moving away from the child. Point to what the child would have to do instead to send it the other way.

    A child and a drawer with an arrow.A child stands on the right side of a drawer. An arrow points left.

  5. How would the door come back?

    Read aloud: Right now the door is moving toward the child. Point to what the child would have to do instead to send it the other way.

    A child and a door with an arrow.A child stands on the left side of a door. An arrow points left.

  6. How would the swing come back?

    Read aloud: Right now the swing is moving away from the child. Point to what the child would have to do instead to send it the other way.

    A child and a swing with an arrow.A child stands on the right side of a swing. An arrow points left.
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About this worksheet

A push and a pull are the two forces a preschooler already uses a hundred times a day, and telling them apart comes down to one question: is the thing going away from you, or coming toward you? Each picture on this page shows a child beside something familiar — a wagon, a door, a drawer, a swing, a box, a cart — with an arrow showing which way it moves. Your child answers by pointing at a picture of a push or a pull, so the words never have to be read. The stretch level turns the question around and asks what the child in the picture would have to do to make the object go the other way, which cannot be answered by copying the arrow. Act every question out afterwards with a real box or a real drawer, because a force is something you feel in your arms before it is something you can name.

What your child will learn

  • Read an arrow as showing which way an object moves
  • Call it a push when the object moves away from the child
  • Call it a pull when the object moves toward the child
  • Work out what to do to make an object move the other way

Worked example

The picture shows a child beside a box with the arrow pointing away from them. Away from you is a push, so your child points to the picture of the push.

Common mistake

Calling every hard effort a push, especially when both hands are used, without checking which way the arrow goes.

Helpful hint

Put a finger on the child in the picture and follow the arrow: away is a push, toward is a pull.

Float or SinkHot and Cold

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with push and pull?
Calling every hard effort a push, especially when both hands are used, without checking which way the arrow goes.
How can I help my child with push and pull?
Put a finger on the child in the picture and follow the arrow: away is a push, toward is a pull.
Are these preschool science worksheets free to print?
Yes. All 6 printable versions on this page are free to download and print, with no account needed.

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