CONTENTS
Draft curriculum content
This page is based on the draft Year 1 content for Technology, which is currently open for feedback. Schools are not required to implement changes until the consultation process is confirmed.
Have your say:
In Year 1, your child begins to imagine and be curious about how things are designed, made, and improved.
They learn to break tasks into steps as they turn their ideas into simple creations. They explore properties of different materials and begin to see how their choices affect people and the environment. This helps them develop curiosity, creative thinking, problem-solving abilities, and introduces practical skills.
Design, make and innovate#
With your child, you could:
- explore different materials like sticks, petals, woven flax, fabric, paper, buttons, and talk about their properties (hard, soft, flexible, stretchy, rough, smooth)
- work together to plan and make simple creations, like a model made out of recycled materials
- discuss how creations can be changed to improve them or make them more useful, for example, by looking at old and new toys, or using no-waste wrapping for a litter-free lunch
- talk about how they made a creation, the steps they took and what helped them, and if there’s anything they might want to change
- find an object at home, like a chair or a raincoat, and talk with your child about the materials used to make it, what they notice and wonder about the materials, why they’ve been used, and whether they’ve been recycled or upcycled. This could include everyday things like buttons or a zip to help close a raincoat.
What the teacher will focus on#
The teacher will support students in noticing and exploring how everyday objects are made, their purpose, and why they matter. Teachers guide students to develop questions to think about how to solve everyday problems, then plan, make and improve a simple creation. This lays the foundation for students to start learning about a design process.
For example, by the end of Year 1, your child may be able to:
- talk about everyday problems that need solving and encourage creative thinking
- identify something to make that helps to solve a problem or helps others
- plan and draw ideas before making; for example, sketching a puppet before crafting it
- use materials safely to create simple products; for example, using scissors and glue to make a treasure box
- test to see what works, and improve their creations; for example, adjusting a nīkau leaf waka to float better
- experiment with hard and soft materials to see how well they work, for example, compare cardboard and fabric for strength and flexibility
- explore a range of products, like styles of hats or lunchboxes, and see how the different materials each product has been made from affect the way it’s used.
