Levers and pulleys

Ages 6 to 8 Read together, then try alone · about 25 minutes

Read together

A lever helps us lift. A pulley changes the direction of a pull.

These simple machines make work easier.

Do it

1. Make a lever with a ruler on a pencil. Lift a light book. Move the pencil to find the easiest place.
2. Hang a string over a broom handle between two chairs, or a pulley wheel, and lift a small bag by pulling down.
3. Note which feels easier and why.
4. Find levers at home: scissors, a door handle.

Talk about it

• Where is the easiest place for the pencil?
• Which way did you pull?

For the grown-up

A lever can multiply force when the fulcrum is close to the load. A single fixed pulley changes direction, but does not reduce the effort. Use light loads and keep fingers clear.

Mark as done

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Where this comes from

• NGSS Lead States, Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013), performance expectation 3-5-ETS1-1 (defining a simple design problem)
• NASA, Glenn Research Center, Beginner's Guide to Aeronautics, pages on simple machines

Written with AI assistance and checked against the sources listed. Please read it before sharing it with a child.