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Science
Grade 2-3
Forces Motion and Magnets Grade 2 Visual Cheat Sheet
A printable reference covering pushes, pulls, motion, speed, direction, magnetic poles, attraction, and repulsion for grades 2-3.
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This cheat sheet covers how forces make objects move, stop, speed up, slow down, or change direction. Students need these ideas to describe everyday motion, like pushing a cart, pulling a wagon, or rolling a ball. It also explains magnets in a simple visual way for young learners. The goal is to help students use clear science words when they observe the world.
Key Facts
- A force is a push or a pull that can change how an object moves.
- A push moves an object away from you, and a pull moves an object toward you.
- Motion means an object changes position from one place to another.
- Speed tells how fast or slow something moves, and faster objects travel farther in the same amount of time.
- Direction tells where an object is moving, such as forward, backward, left, right, up, or down.
- A magnet has two poles called north and south.
- Opposite magnetic poles attract, so north and south pull together.
- Like magnetic poles repel, so north and north or south and south push apart.
Vocabulary
- Force
- A force is a push or pull that can make an object move or change how it moves.
- Motion
- Motion is the movement of an object from one place to another.
- Speed
- Speed describes how fast or slow an object moves.
- Direction
- Direction tells where something is moving, such as left, right, forward, or backward.
- Magnet
- A magnet is an object that can pull some metals and can attract or repel other magnets.
- Pole
- A pole is one end of a magnet, called north or south.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Thinking only pushes are forces is wrong because pulls are forces too, and both can change motion.
- Saying an object in motion must be alive is wrong because balls, toy cars, rocks, and water can all move.
- Mixing up speed and direction is wrong because speed tells how fast something moves, while direction tells where it moves.
- Thinking magnets attract everything is wrong because magnets mostly attract certain metals, such as iron and steel.
- Saying all magnet ends stick together is wrong because like poles repel and opposite poles attract.
Practice Questions
- 1 A student pushes a toy car 3 feet, then pushes it 4 more feet. How many feet did the toy car move in all?
- 2 A ball rolls 6 meters in 3 seconds. Did it move 2 meters each second if it moved the same amount every second?
- 3 You pull a wagon 5 steps forward, then push it 2 steps backward. How many more steps forward than backward did it move?
- 4 A magnet pulls a paper clip but does not pull a plastic spoon. Explain what this shows about magnets and materials.