An earthquake is like when you shake a big table, and everything on it starts to wobble and move. The ground we walk on is like a giant table, made of huge pieces called tectonic plates. These plates fit together like a puzzle, but sometimes they bump into each other or slide past one another. When this happens, it makes the ground shake, just like when the table shakes.
Think of the Earth like a big jigsaw puzzle. The pieces are always moving, but very slowly. Sometimes, they get stuck, and they build up a lot of energy, like when you wind up a toy. When they finally move, all that energy is released, and the ground shakes. That’s an earthquake!
Another way to think about it is like when you pull a rubber band really tight. When you let it go, it snaps back quickly. The ground does something similar during an earthquake. It’s like the Earth is letting go of a stretched rubber band, and that’s why it shakes.
During an earthquake, you might feel the ground move, see things fall, or hear a rumbling noise. It’s the Earth telling us it’s adjusting its pieces.