Force and motion

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 force and motion?" Then let them work through it independently, using a partner or small group only if they want to talk through their thinking, 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 force and motion 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 force and motion worksheets for 3rd grade give students a clear, visual way to work through one of the big ideas in forces and motion. 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 force and motion accurately. Working through force and motion on paper gives 3rd grade students something concrete to hold onto before, during, or after the hands on part of a lesson.

Yes, both. We made it for 3rd Grade forces and motion, 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 force and motion. In class it runs well as independent work while you pull a small group. Print one copy or thirty, whichever the day needs.

It teaches that every force is either a push or a pull, and that forces are what start, stop, or change the way something moves. Third graders learn to spot forces in ordinary situations such as opening a door or pushing a trolley. This is the foundation for balanced and unbalanced forces later in the unit.

Force and motion opens the Grade 3 physical science unit and comes before gravity, friction, and magnets. Children ages 8-9 have plenty of everyday experience of pushing and pulling, so the lesson mostly gives names to things they already do. It leads into predicting how an object will move.

Ask your child to label the forces they use during an ordinary task, such as opening the fridge or riding a bike. Have them say push or pull out loud each time. Once they start noticing forces everywhere, the drawing activity on the worksheet becomes easy.

4 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 3rd Grade students, roughly ages 8-9. 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 3rd Grade classroom, a literacy centre, or a tutoring session.