6 Simple Machines

Start with something students can look at or think about: a photo, a short video, a jar on the windowsill, or a question like "what do you already know about simple machines?" Then let them work through the first item together as a class, then finish the rest independently or with a partner, keeping a word bank or anchor chart in view so the vocabulary stays available. When you review, ask students how they knew, and let them point to the part of the diagram or reading that told them. These simple machines worksheets work well as a lead in before an investigation, as a way to capture what students noticed afterward, or as review before an assessment.

These simple machines worksheets for 1st grade give students a clear, visual way to work through one of the big ideas in forces and machines. Students label diagrams, sort and classify examples, read short explanations, and answer questions that ask them to say why, not just what. Each page keeps the science vocabulary front and center so students leave with the words they need to talk about simple machines accurately. Working through simple machines on paper gives 1st grade students something concrete to hold onto before, during, or after the hands on part of a lesson.

Yes, both. We made it for 1st Grade forces and machines, and the page works the same whether it lands on a kitchen table or a center rotation. At home, most families go through it together and talk the answers out loud, and that talking is where most of the learning happens with simple machines. In class it runs well as independent work while you pull a small group. Print one copy or thirty, whichever the day needs.

Lever, pulley, ramp, wheel and axle, wedge and screw, each shown as a clean diagram rather than an object. The child writes the name from a word bank.

This sheet uses diagrams, so the child names the machine in its pure form. Identify Simple Machines uses real objects like a seesaw and a faucet and asks which machine each one uses.

This one. Learning the six shapes and names from diagrams gives children something to compare real objects against. Spotting a wedge in an axe is much easier once you know what a wedge looks like.

First graders learn that simple machines are basic tools that change the direction or amount of force needed to do a job, making work easier. They identify examples of each of the six simple machines in objects they use every day, from ramps and scissors to wheels and doorknobs.

Simple machines are typically introduced in Grade 1 during a physical science or engineering unit on forces and motion. Teachers often do a school or home scavenger hunt for simple machines, turning the lesson into a fun real-world investigation.

Go on a simple machines scavenger hunt around your home and yard: look for ramps, wheels, levers, pulleys, and wedges hiding in everyday objects like door handles, scissors, and ramps on the sidewalk. Record your findings before completing the worksheet.

6 printable worksheets, all free to preview. Downloads are included with a ClassWeekly free trial, and every page prints on standard 8.5 x 11 paper.

These are written for 1st Grade students, roughly ages 6-7. Many teachers also use them a grade up for review or a grade down as an extension, so use the preview to judge the fit for a particular child.

Yes. Each one shows the NGSS code it covers on its own page, so you can check the alignment yourself rather than taking our word for it.

Yes. Nothing here assumes a classroom of 25, so they work the same one-to-one at the kitchen table as they do in a 1st Grade classroom, a literacy centre, or a tutoring session.