Physics, 4–6 years — 20 topics · MyLeoNes™ Kuks
20 physics topics written for 4–6 years — not a older text simplified. In teaching order, each a deck of five cards: the idea, why it exists, a worked example, the common trap and where you meet it.
Physics · 4–6 years
Pushes and pulls
A push or a pull can make something move, stop, or change direction. Children can discover this by moving familiar objects with their hands.
Things fall down
Earth pulls objects towards the ground. This explains why a dropped ball falls, while a toy held in your hand stays up.
Light and shadows
We see things when light reaches our eyes. An object in the way can block some light and make a shadow.
Sound comes from vibrations
Sounds begin when something moves quickly back and forth. The movement travels through the air to our ears, where we hear a sound.
Magnets attract some metals
Discover how a magnet can pull some objects without touching them.
Floating and sinking
Find out why some things stay on water while others go down.
Hot, cold and temperature
Learn how we compare hot and cold, and why a thermometer is useful.
A circuit must be complete
See why a battery and a bulb need a complete path for the bulb to light.
Forces can change shape
A squeeze, pull or twist can make something look different, and some materials return to their old shape.
Rubbing can slow things
Surfaces rubbing together can make moving objects slow down and can help us keep our grip.
Ramps change how things move
A sloping surface lets an object go up or down over a longer path, instead of moving straight up or down.
Balance keeps things steady
An object can stay steady when its weight is supported in the right place; moving the support can make it tip.
Air takes up space
Air is invisible, but it is still there. It fills spaces, can move things and can stop water from entering a space that it already fills.
Wheels help things roll
A wheel changes sliding into rolling. Rolling usually makes it easier to move an object across the ground, because only a small part of the wheel touches the surface at one time.
Levers help lift
A lever is a stiff object that turns around a resting point. Placing your hand farther from that point can make a heavy object easier to lift, although your hand then travels a longer distance.
Static electricity
Sometimes electric charge gathers on the surface of an object instead of flowing through a circuit. This can make hair rise, a balloon cling to a wall or a tiny spark jump when two objects meet.
Objects can spin
Some things move round and round instead of travelling in a straight line.
Pulleys help lift
A wheel with a groove and a rope can help us lift something or change the direction of a pull.
Water can change its form
The same water can be liquid, solid ice or invisible water vapour.
Earth turns to make day and night
As Earth turns, different places face the Sun and then face away from it.
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