Key Stage 2 design and technology · Make

KS2 design and technology: choosing the right materials

In Key Stage 2, children choose materials on purpose rather than just using what is to hand. They look at what a material does (its functional properties) and how it looks and feels (its aesthetic qualities), and they test samples before deciding. This applies to construction materials, textiles and ingredients, and it is where design and technology meets the science of materials.

Choosing materials, explained

The programme of study says that when designing and making, pupils should be taught to select from and use a wider range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their functional properties and aesthetic qualities. Alongside this, they use a wider range of tools and equipment accurately. The key idea is that a material is chosen for a reason, and that the reason should be one the designer can explain.

Functional properties describe how well a material does a job. Examples include strength, stiffness, hardness, flexibility, whether it is waterproof or absorbent, how long it lasts, how well it keeps heat in, and how heavy it is. Aesthetic qualities are about appearance and feel: colour, pattern, texture and finish. In food, they include taste, smell, appearance and texture. A good design usually needs both. A lunch bag that is wipeable but unpleasant to look at or touch will not appeal to its user, and a beautiful one that tears will not be fit for purpose.

The three families of materials in the curriculum are construction materials, textiles and ingredients. Construction materials include paper, card, wood, plastics and metals, among others. Textiles are fabrics such as cotton, wool, felt and synthetic fabrics, and children learn that different fabrics have different qualities. Ingredients are chosen for what they do in a recipe as well as for their flavour. For example, in a baked product, flour helps to give structure. Components such as fasteners, wheels, buttons and switches are also chosen with care.

Children are encouraged to test, not guess. They might load card strips with weights to compare stiffness, drop water on fabric samples to find which is waterproof, or taste and rate ingredients. Tests must be fair: only the material changes, and everything else, including the amount of water, the size of the sample and the time, stays the same. These tests connect to the science of the properties of materials taught in the primary curriculum.

In real design, the best material on a test is not always the one chosen. Cost, how easy it is to work with, the available tools and what the user prefers all matter. A child who can explain why they accepted a small compromise is showing good design thinking.

Words your child will hear

Property: A feature of a material, such as how strong, flexible or waterproof it is.
Functional: Concerned with how well something does its job.
Aesthetic: Concerned with how something looks, feels, smells or tastes.
Absorbent: Able to soak up liquid. A towel is absorbent.
Flexible: Able to bend without breaking.
Durable: Able to last a long time and withstand wear.
Textile: A fabric or cloth, such as cotton, wool or felt.

What the National Curriculum says

The programme of study for Key Stage 2 says:

When designing and making, pupils should be taught to select from and use a wider range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their functional properties and aesthetic qualities
When designing and making, pupils should be taught to select from and use a wider range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks [for example, cutting, shaping, joining and finishing], accurately

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Try it: choosing a fabric for a swimming bag

A class is designing a drawstring bag to carry wet swimming kit home. They have three fabric samples of the same size: plain cotton, felt and a coated nylon. Which fabric should they choose? (The results below are typical, not fixed.)

List what the bag must do and what the users want. This separates function from appearance.

Function: stops water leaking out
Function: tough, can be washed
Appearance: bright, pleasant to touch

Plan a fair test of waterproofness. Measure and cut each sample to the same size. Fix each one over the top of an empty clear cup with an elastic band, so the fabric makes a slight dip. Pour the same amount of water, 20 mL, into each dip and wait five minutes. Only the fabric changes.

Record what happens.

Cotton: water dripped into the cup
Felt: soggy, some water in cup
Coated nylon: cup stayed dry

Decide on function. Only the coated nylon meets the first requirement, so cotton and felt are ruled out, however pleasant they are to touch.
Now consider appearance and the other criteria. The coated nylon comes in several colours. Ask the users which they prefer, and check the price against the budget. If it is too expensive, the class could look for another waterproof fabric.

They should choose the coated nylon, because the fair test showed it was the only sample that kept water in (function). They would then pick its colour and pattern using the users’ opinions (appearance), and check the cost.

Common mistakes and how to help

Thinking appearance doesn’t matter if the product works

In science, a result is judged on whether it works, so children carry that over to design.

What helps: Ask who the user is. A product that nobody wants to use isn’t fit for purpose, however good it is functionally. Appeal is part of the design criteria.

Believing the strongest material is always the best choice

“Strong” sounds like a good thing in every situation.

What helps: Talk about the job. A purse made of very thick leather might be strong but too stiff and heavy to use. The best material is the one that fits all the needs.

Thinking that all of one kind of material behaves the same way

Children learn labels such as “plastic”, “wood” or “metal” and assume each label has one set of properties.

What helps: Test samples. Some plastics are bendy and others are hard, and some woods are much harder than others. Properties belong to the particular sample you are using.

Assuming that heavier or thicker means stronger

Big, chunky things feel solid, so they seem as if they ought to be tougher.

What helps: Compare a thick sponge with a thin sheet of card. The sponge is thicker but squashes easily. Testing with weights gives better evidence than guessing.

How to help at home

Property hunt. Choose a few household objects and ask why each is made of the material it is. Why is a saucepan handle often plastic or wood rather than metal? Why is a raincoat plastic-coated? Think about the job first.
Absorbency test. Compare a few types of kitchen paper or cloth. Put the same number of drops of water on each and see which soaks it up best, keeping everything else the same.
Choose a container. Ask your child to choose the best container for a packed lunch or a pet’s food from what you have, and to explain their choice in terms of function and appearance.
Fabric feel box. Collect scraps of different fabrics and sort them by how they feel, how stretchy they are and how well they hold water. Let your child describe each in words.
Taste and texture. Compare a few ingredients, such as different types of biscuit or apple, and describe the taste, texture and look. Check for allergies first. It builds the vocabulary for food design.

Builds on

Key Stage 1: Using tools safely
Key Stage 1: Choosing materials

Leads on to

Key Stage 3: Workshop tools and machines
Key Stage 3: Computer-aided manufacture
Key Stage 3: Choosing materials by properties