Motion Graphs
Read distance-time graphs and describe how something moves.
Motion Graphs shows line graphs of a runner, skater, cyclist, bus or car, and asks children to turn a picture into a story. The first level uses one big idea: a steeper line means faster motion. Children pick the faster or slower line, and then read distance and time off the axes with units such as meters, seconds, kilometers and hours.
Later levels ask for the speed between two points, describe what happens in each segment, and spot the part where the object is stopped or moving back toward the start. Students also work out total distance and average speed including a rest. The last level moves to speed-time graphs, where the questions are about acceleration.
What children practice
- Compare lines on a graph to find the faster motion
- Read distance and time from a distance-time graph
- Calculate speed between two points on a graph
- Describe a segment as moving away, stopped or returning
- Find total distance and average speed including a rest
- Read speed-time graphs to find acceleration and slowing down
Levels
- Level 1: Steeper means faster
- Level 2: Read distance and time
- Level 3: Find the speed
- Level 4: Describe the motion
- Level 5: Total distance and average speed
- Level 6: Speed and acceleration
How it works
- Six levels move from steeper means faster to speed and acceleration.
- Five correct answers, plus the timer running out, let your child climb to the next level.
- A wrong answer prompts your child to try again.
- Every prompt has a speaker button, and each correct answer includes a short explanation.
Best for: A good fit for grades 6 to 9 when students are learning to read graphs of motion in science or want to connect slope with speed.
Tip for parents: Next time you take a walk or ride, note how far you went every few minutes and sketch a quick distance-time graph. Ask your child where the line would be steeper or flat.
Questions parents ask
Does Motion Graphs involve calculating speed?
Yes. Level 3 asks for the speed between two points using distance and time, and Level 5 asks for total distance and average speed for a whole trip. Levels 1 and 2 are about reading graphs, not calculating.
What units does the game use?
It uses metric units. Faster-moving things like a bus or car use kilometers and hours, and runners and skaters use meters and seconds. Speed is shown in matching units, such as meters per second or kilometers per hour.
Does it cover acceleration?
Level 6 does, using speed-time graphs. Children describe what the object is doing in each segment, find the acceleration, including a negative value when slowing down, and read the speed at a given time.
Ready to try it?
Motion Graphs is free with a parent account. A parent adds a child profile, and the child's progress is saved.