Wheels help things move — Physical education, 4–6 years
A wheel rolls around its middle, so an object can travel without its whole bottom scraping along the ground.
What wheels do
A wheel turns while its edge touches the ground, so a cart or toy can roll forward. The touching part keeps changing instead of scraping along one place. That usually makes moving the object easier.
The problem wheels solve
People needed to move heavy things without dragging them across the ground. Dragging makes the whole bottom rub, so it needs lots of effort. A round log placed underneath can roll, and this idea led to wheels and carts.
A toy cart
First, push a small box across the floor: its flat bottom scrapes and it may stop. Next, put two pairs of wheels underneath and push again. The wheels turn, the box rolls, and the same push usually carries it farther.
A wheel is not a motor
It is easy to think wheels make a toy move by themselves because they turn when the toy moves. Really, a push or a motor supplies the movement; the wheels help the toy roll. If nothing pushes, ordinary wheels do not travel on their own.
Where wheels are used
Bicycles, pushchairs, suitcases and cars use wheels so they can travel across a road or floor. Wheels are useful when the ground is fairly firm and the wheels can turn. They are not a magic answer on very soft mud or deep sand.
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