How to Teach PATTERNS OF MOTION to Kids — Lesson Plan and Project Ideas
“He shoots!”
“He scores!”
All movement has a pattern—a predictable path or way it will move. This includes a basketball going through a hoop, a child swinging on a swing, or a trash truck claw scooping up a can.
Allow your kids the opportunity to be detectives with this PATTERNS OF MOTION lesson!
Use the 5 tips below as a creative boost to increase engagement in your homeschool OR as a simple lesson plan for patterns of motion.
HAVE FUN!
Tell a story with motion in it.
Kids LOVE to move! Use that natural energy to grab their attention. The KEY here is to make your kids naturally curious as to why motion occurs.
I told a story about Norman the Monkey trying to get these mangosteens…and my students LOVED it! I started by telling them that Norman the Monkey threw a rock at the fruit to get it to fall and they thought that was hilarious. They were able to tell me the whole story 3 days later when I reviewed with them. Stories work!
Read the full story to your kiddos in the Patterns of Motion Project.
2. Review over balanced and unbalanced forces.
This topic is KEY to understanding patterns of motion.
You need to know that…
All motion is a result of unbalanced forces.
Review over this topic by asking your kids for examples of unbalanced and balanced forces. If you’re not familiar with this topic, check out this blog here!
Project that goes with the blog ^
3. Teach them about motion with an experiment.
Grab a bowl and plastic ball and getting moving!
Before you throw new terms at your kids, make sure they can see what you’re talking about first.
4. Show real life pictures or videos and have them tell you where they see motion.
Here comes the teaching part!
As they are identifying where the motion is in each picture, ask them these questions:
-What is moving?
-What direction is it moving?
-Where will it stop moving?
-Are balanced or unbalanced forces involved?
Here are some great example pictures! Students should be able to answer each question by looking at each image.
KEY CONCEPT:
Motion can be predicted by noticing patterns caused by the forces on an object.
5. Practice with a hands-on project where they get to predict the motion pattern.
What’s the best way to make sure your kids truly understand a scientific topic?
It’s not a quiz or a test.
Give them a hands-on project!
Check out my top 3 suggestions below.
🧡 PROJECT SUGGESTIONS FOR YOUR HOMESCHOOL🧡
-Place a ball inside a bowl. Swirl the bowl clockwise. The ball will also move in the same pattern—clockwise! (5 min.)
-Go to a playground. Draw 5 pieces of equipment (swings, slides). Draw arrows showing the direction of motion. Explain what forces caused the motion. (20 min.)
Options include: slides, swings, steps, etc.
-For an in-depth study, grab my Patterns of Motion Project Lesson. It has learning pages, exit tickets, project explanations, guides, and templates. Check it out in my store! (2 days of science class)
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