Fast and Slow: All About Speed

Things that move

Look around you. So many things move! A dog runs in the park. A leaf floats down from a tree. A car drives along the road. A ball rolls across the floor.

When something moves, it goes from one place to another. But here is a fun question: do all things move the same way? No! Some things move fast, and some things move slow.

What does fast mean?

Fast means something moves quickly. It gets where it is going in a short time.

Think of these fast things:

• A racing car zooming round a track 🏎️
• A bird swooping through the sky 🐦
• A cheetah running after its dinner 🐆

When something is fast, you might say "Wow, look how quick it goes!" Fast things are over in a flash.

What does slow mean?

Slow is the opposite of fast. A slow thing moves gently and takes a long time to get there.

Think of these slow things:

• A snail sliding along a leaf 🐌
• A tortoise walking in the grass 🐢
• A balloon drifting up into the sky 🎈

You can watch a slow thing for a long time. It does not rush. It takes its time.

Speed is how fast or slow

The word for how fast or slow something moves is speed.

• High speed = very fast.
• Low speed = very slow.

A plane has a very high speed. A baby crawling has a very low speed. Both are moving — but one is much faster than the other!

The same thing can change its speed too. When you start running, you go slow at first. Then you go faster and faster. When you stop, you slow down again. Your speed went up and then down.

How do we know which is faster?

Imagine two cars. How can we tell which one is faster? We race them!

We start them together. We watch. The car that gets to the end first is the faster one. The car that comes last is the slower one. Easy!

This is how we compare speed. We see which one wins the race.

Try it yourself: a rolling race

Let's race two toys to find out which is faster.

You will need: a big book or board, two toy cars or two balls, and a flat floor.

1. Lean one end of the book on a low pillow to make a gentle ramp. Not too high!
2. Hold both toys at the very top of the ramp.
3. Say "Ready, steady, go!" and let go of both at the same time.
4. Watch! Which toy reaches the bottom first? That one is faster.
5. Try again with a heavier ball and a lighter ball. Which one wins now?

Stay safe: keep the ramp low and gentle, and make sure no one is in the way of the rolling toys.

What we learned

Speed tells us how fast or slow something moves. Fast things zoom and get there quickly. Slow things take their time. We can race two things to see which one is faster. Now you can spot fast and slow things everywhere you go!

Want to know what makes things start to move in the first place? Have a look at Floating and Sinking to see how things move in water too.