Patterns of Motion on a Playground Swing, Read and Answer

Tie a washer or a key to a string and count its swings in 10 seconds, then try a longer string. Ask your child to predict the count before each try.

Read how a playground swing moves in a back and forth pattern and predict where it will be next. To predict means to use what you know to tell what will happen next. The directions on the page read: Read the passage. Then, turn the page and answer the questions. On page 2: Circle the letter of the best answer for questions 1 to 3, and write the answers to questions 4 to 6 on the lines. The answer key covers the questions on page 2.

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 patterns of motion. In class it runs well as independent work while you pull a small group. Print one copy or thirty, whichever the day needs.

Patterns of motion teaches students that moving objects follow predictable paths that can be described, recorded, and used to make future predictions. Third graders learn to identify and describe different types of motion, linear, circular, periodic, and random, and connect those patterns to the forces acting on objects. The topic builds scientific observation and prediction skills in a concrete, physical science context.

Patterns of motion is typically covered in Grade 3 as part of the physical science forces and motion unit, often as a culminating or integrating topic that ties together gravity, friction, and forces. At ages 8-9, students enjoy observing and predicting the motion of pendulums, rolling toys, and spinning tops, objects that demonstrate clear, repeating patterns. It also provides a foundation for engineering design work.

Swing a pendulum made from a string and a small weight and ask your child to predict and record its path using the worksheet's motion description vocabulary. Many of the activities can be set up easily with toys or household objects to make the science tangible. Encouraging your child to predict before observing is the single most effective habit for building scientific reasoning at this age.

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.