Pushes and pulls can make things move! Together, pushes and pulls are called forces and they can make objects speed up, slow down or change direction.
To better understand how pushes and pulls work….
LETāS BREAK IT DOWN!
What is a force?
![scientist and kids show how a shopping cart can be pushed and pulled with force](https://www.generationgenius.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Pushes-and-Pulls-1-1-600x338.jpg)
A force is a push or a pull that makes things move. You make things move every day when you play soccer, push a shopping cart or pull mittens onto your hands!
![scientist and kids show how a shopping cart can be pushed and pulled with force](https://www.generationgenius.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Pushes-and-Pulls-1-1-600x338.jpg)
What is a push?
![scientist and kids show how a basketball can be pushed with force](https://www.generationgenius.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Pushes-and-Pulls-2-1-600x338.jpg)
A push is when you move things away from you. An example of a push is when you push a basketball toward the hoop. When you push with force, things move away.
![scientist and kids show how a basketball can be pushed with force](https://www.generationgenius.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Pushes-and-Pulls-2-1-600x338.jpg)
What is a pull?
![boy shows how a plant can be pulled out the ground](https://www.generationgenius.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Pushes-and-Pulls-3-1-600x338.jpg)
A pull is when you move things toward you. An example of a pull is when you pull weeds out of your yard or when you pull a tissue out of a tissue box. Things move towards you when you pull.
![boy shows how a plant can be pulled out the ground](https://www.generationgenius.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Pushes-and-Pulls-3-1-600x338.jpg)
How do forces change motion?
![girl shows how a ball can be pushed with force](https://www.generationgenius.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Pushes-and-Pulls-4-1-600x338.jpg)
Forces can make things speed up, slow down, or change direction. When you want an object to stop, you can push on it. When you want an object to move faster, you can use force for that, too.
![girl shows how a ball can be pushed with force](https://www.generationgenius.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Pushes-and-Pulls-4-1-600x338.jpg)
Forces can make things change direction.
![scientist shows how forces can make things change direction](https://www.generationgenius.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Pushes-and-Pulls-5-1-600x338.jpg)
Forces can be strong or weak and they can go in different directions. How far you can push something depends on how much force you use. A stronger force makes bigger change.
![scientist shows how forces can make things change direction](https://www.generationgenius.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Pushes-and-Pulls-5-1-600x338.jpg)