Energy & MotionGrade 4 Science for Kids

Stored and moving energy, speed, collisions and how energy is transferred.

Energy & Motion helps fourth graders sort stored and moving energy, roll balls down ramps to knock cups over and trace energy from the sun all the way to a kicked ball. A clear introduction to energy transfer.

  • Grade 4 · Ages 9–10
  • 3 lessons
  • 3 experiments
  • 12 practice questions
  • About 25 min
Start Learning Free Open the Course
  • Stored and Moving Energy
  • Energy Sort
  • Speed and Collisions
  • Cup Crash
  • Energy on the Move
  • Sun to Kick

Science lab course · Grade 4

Energy & Motion · Learning goals

What Your Child Will Learn

Sort stored and moving energy, roll balls down ramps to knock cups, and trace energy from the sun all the way to a kicked ball.

  • Energy can be stored (potential) or moving (kinetic), and it changes from one to the other.
  • Faster objects have more energy, and they transfer more of it in a collision.
  • Energy transfers and changes form. The energy in a kick started as sunlight.

Why it matters

Why This Matters for Kids

  • Energy is everywhere

    Food, batteries, wind and sunlight all carry energy. Kids learn to see it in everyday life.

  • Speed and collisions

    Ramps and collisions show how faster objects carry more energy, a key grade 4 idea.

  • Energy changes form

    Tracing energy from the sun to a ball builds systems thinking.

Inside Energy & Motion

How the Course Works

Each level has a short read-aloud lesson, an interactive experiment and a mini quiz.

  1. Step 1 · Lesson

    Stored and Moving Energy

    Energy is the ability to make things move or change.

  2. Step 2 · Experiment

    Energy Sort

    Energy can be moving or stored, ready to go. Let's sort these examples!

  3. Step 3 · Lesson

    Speed and Collisions

    The faster something moves, the more energy it has.

  4. Step 4 · Experiment

    Cup Crash

    Let's roll a ball down a ramp into a paper cup. The higher the start, the faster the ball. How far will the cup slide?

  5. Step 5 · Lesson

    Energy on the Move

    Energy is never used up. It transfers and changes form.

  6. Step 6 · Experiment

    Sun to Kick

    The energy in your kick came from the sun! Trace the energy step by step.

Lesson preview

A Peek Inside the Lesson

This is the real lesson text your child hears, read aloud by a friendly voice.

Stored and Moving Energy

Energy is the ability to make things move or change.

Moving energy (kinetic energy) is the energy of anything in motion.

Stored energy (potential energy) is waiting to be used: in food, batteries, a stretched rubber band or a ball held up high.

Speed and Collisions

The faster something moves, the more energy it has.

When moving things collide, energy moves from one to the other.

A faster bowling ball knocks the pins harder and farther!

Energy on the Move

Energy is never used up. It transfers and changes form.

Energy can be light, heat, sound, electricity or motion.

Most of the energy we use started in the sun!

For parents

Try It at Home

Learning sticks best when kids use it in real life. Here are simple ideas from this course.

Parent Tip

Roll a ball down a ramp at different heights into a stack of paper cups. Ask your child to predict which height knocks over the most.

Energy Sort

  1. Stretch a rubber band (gently!) and let it go toward a target.
  2. Stretch it more. Does it fly farther?
  3. More stretch stores more energy.

Energy can be stored (potential) or moving (kinetic), and it changes from one to the other.

Cup Crash

  1. Make a ramp from a ruler with a groove and a stack of books.
  2. Put a paper cup on its side at the bottom.
  3. Roll a marble from higher and higher and measure the cup's slide.

Faster objects have more energy, and they transfer more of it in a collision.

Sun to Kick

  1. Rub your hands together fast for 10 seconds.
  2. Feel how warm they get.
  3. Motion energy changed into heat energy!

Energy transfers and changes form. The energy in a kick started as sunlight.

Practice

Grade 4 Science Practice Questions

Real questions from Energy & Motion. Try them with your child, then tap to see the answer.

  1. Question 1

    What is energy?

    • A.A kind of rock
    • B.The ability to make things move or change
    • C.A color
    Show answer

    The ability to make things move or change

  2. Question 2

    Which has more energy?

    • A.A slow ball
    • B.A still ball
    • C.A fast ball
    Show answer

    A fast ball

  3. Question 3

    Where did most of the energy we use start?

    • A.The sun
    • B.The moon
    • C.The ocean
    Show answer

    The sun

The full course has 12 questions with instant feedback, stars and rewards. Create a free account to play them all.

Energy & Motion · Questions from parents

Frequently Asked Questions

What age is this course for?

Energy & Motion is a grade 4 science course for kids ages 9–10. That is Year 5 science in the UK and Year 4 in Australia. It also works well for review in the next grade, or as a challenge for a confident younger learner.

What will my child learn?

Sort stored and moving energy, roll balls down ramps to knock cups, and trace energy from the sun all the way to a kicked ball. Along the way they practice: Energy can be stored (potential) or moving (kinetic), and it changes from one to the other; Faster objects have more energy, and they transfer more of it in a collision; Energy transfers and changes form. The energy in a kick started as sunlight.

How long does the course take?

About 25 minutes in total, split into 3 short levels. Most kids finish it over two or three sessions. Progress is saved, so they can stop any time and pick up where they left off.

Is this course free?

Yes. Energy & Motion is one of the first 2 courses in Grade 4 Science. Create a free parent account and your child can start right away.

Does my child need to read well to use it?

No. Every lesson has a friendly read-aloud voice, questions are read aloud too, and the pictures help kids follow along. Confident readers can turn the voice off.

Can we use it for homeschool?

Yes. SkillBloom is built for homeschooling families. Kids work through lessons, games and quizzes on their own, and the parent dashboard shows what they finished and which skills need more practice. It works on phones, tablets and laptops.

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