Forces and Motion — Reading Comprehension

A force is a push or a pull. Every time you move something, you are using a force. For example, when you push a door open, you use force. When you pull your backpack across the floor, you also use force.

Forces can change how an object moves. They can make something speed up, slow down, or change direction. Imagine you are riding a bike. When you push on the pedals, the bike speeds up. When you press the brakes, the bike slows down. If you turn the handlebars, the bike changes direction. All of these changes are caused by forces.

Forces can also make objects start moving or stop moving. A soccer ball sitting on the ground will not move unless someone kicks it. The kick is a force that makes the ball move. When the ball rolls across the grass, friction—a force between the ball and the ground—slows it down until it stops.

Some forces are easy to see, like a push or a pull. Others, like gravity, are invisible but always around us. Gravity pulls objects toward Earth, which is why things fall when dropped.

Understanding forces helps us explain motion. By watching how objects start, stop, speed up, slow down, or change direction, we can see the effects of pushes and pulls all around us.

Fun Fact: The reason you stay on the ground instead of floating into space is because Earth’s gravity is pulling you down!

What is a force?

What does gravity do?

What makes a bike speed up?

Why does a soccer ball stop rolling?

A kick makes a ball move. What is the kick?

If you pull a sled, what happens?

You push a toy car harder. What changes?

If you drop a pencil, which force makes it fall?