Unit 30 - Forces Game: Push, Pull, Flour and No Shoes!

• Understand what a force is
• Identify the main components of a force: magnitude, direction, and sense


• Arrows of different sizes and colors (previously made by the students)
• Large open space
• Chalk
• Flour

A force is a push or a pull applied to an object with mass that can change its speed, direction, or position. In physics, force is represented by the formula F = m × a, known as Newton’s Second Law of Motion, where force depends on mass and acceleration. There are many types of forces in nature, such as gravity, friction, electromagnetic forces, and electrostatic forces. In this lesson, students will experience forces directly through movement and interaction.

Choose a large open space where all activities can be carried out safely. Using chalk, draw three parallel lines on the ground. The middle line will be the starting line, and the two outer lines—placed at equal distances from the center—will be the finishing lines. Ask students to stand up and form three or four pairs, facing each other. Each student in a pair should stand on opposite sides of the starting line.

The goal of the game is for each student to use their hands to push against their partner, trying to be the first to push them across the finishing line. Emphasize safety and controlled movement. Repeat the activity two or three times, allowing students to change partners, preferably pairing with classmates of different body sizes.

Ask students to sit on the floor and form pairs again. This time, students hold hands and pull each other toward themselves, trying to bring their partner across the finishing line.Repeat the activity with different partners.

1. First, with bare feet
2. Then, with both students dipping their feet in flour
3. Finally, with only one student having flour on their feet

1. When was it easier to push your partner across the finishing line?
   • With a smaller partner?
   • A partner of similar size?
   • A larger partner?
2. During the pulling activity, when was it easier to be pulled by your partner?
   • When your partner had a similar body mass?
   • When they were smaller or larger?
3. How did removing shoes or adding flour change the results?
   • Who had the advantage: the student with bare feet or the one with flour?
   • How did the surface affect movement and stability?

Use this moment to help students reflect on the idea that forces have both magnitude and direction. In some situations, forces pull objects closer, while in others they push objects away.Use the colored arrows of different sizes to visually represent the forces applied during the games. Larger arrows can represent stronger forces, while arrow direction shows the direction of the force. Revisit the barefoot and flour activity to introduce friction. Explain that friction is a force that resists movement when two surfaces slide against each other. Rougher surfaces create more friction, helping students stay stable, while smoother surfaces reduce friction and make movement easier.

In this activity, teams of three to five students play a relay by sitting on a low board and one by one take turns to pull a rope attached to a fixed point to move themselves from start to finish. This game naturally illustrates key physics concepts in action: force magnitude (how hard they pull), direction and sense (the angle of the pull and how it aligns with the movement), and team coordination (how effort is shared among group members). Additionally, students can try the same activity by trying to play the whole team at the same time over a bigger board, here, comunication and coordination will play a role aside from just strength!

• How combined force affects motion: When students pull together in a coordinated way, the board moves more smoothly and quickly than when efforts are unbalanced.

• Body mechanics and force application: Students can experiment with different postures or hand positions to see how their individual pulling force contributes to team performance.

• Teamwork and strategy: Because this activity relies on shared effort, teachers can help students discuss how communication and synchronization influence results.

• Real-world connections: Use the game to connect to everyday applications of force, such as tug-of-war, rowing teams, rescue scenarios, or machines that rely on rope and pulley systems.

This engaging, full-body activity not only develops upper-body strength and coordination but also deepens students’ intuitive understanding of how forces work together to create movement.

• Science - Understanding forces and their characteristics.
• Technology - 
• Engineering - 
• Physical Education - Push and Pull movement activities
• Art - Designing and creating force arrows
• Mathematics - Relating force magnitude to mass and movement