Working on a force and motion unit can be such fun! We love experimenting with different types of forces and motions and we usually begin with pushes and pulls. This free Push or Pull Sorting Activity is a great way to review what pushes and pulls are as well as some of the everyday things we do that use those motions. As a bonus, your kids will strengthen fine motor muscles as they work on cutting and pasting skills!
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Push or Pull Sorting Activity
To introduce new science concepts, we read a variety of books and do several fun, hands-on experiments. Then we like to show what we know through writing or, in this case, cutting and pasting!
This push or pull sort is quick and simple. I just made copies of the printable (download below) and made sure we all had our scissors, glue sticks, and crayons ready!
To begin, the students first colored the pictures (they love this part!) and then cut them apart on the dotted lines.

Once the pictures were cut, the kids began to sort them by placing them either on the push or pull side of the paper.
Some pictures were obvious, like pulling a wagon, but others stumped us for a minute! For instance, what do we do with a pogo stick?
Don’t be surprised if you have kids really thinking hard or even acting out some of the situations to decide where they would fit!

We always sort all of the pictures first before we glue. That way we know for sure where we want them and can avoid having to peel them off the paper if they are in the wrong spot.
Once the pictures were sorted we were ready to glue them on!

This is a fun and easy way to introduce or reinforce the concept of push vs. pull and your kids will have a blast sorting, cutting, and pasting!
Grab Your FREE Copy
Ready to sort pushes and pulls? Get your free copy of the Push or Pull Sorting Activity by clicking the large, yellow download button at the end of the post!
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Thanks for sharing! I am a long-term sub so it’s nice to have some freebies to help along the way.
Hi Christine! Bless your heart! Substitute teachers hold a very special place in our hearts. Thank you for all you do for teachers when they can’t be in their classrooms. You have a heart for teaching and the students are lucky to have you!
Thank you!