CONTENTSOn this page
Draft curriculum content
This page is based on the draft Year 2 content for Science, which is currently open for feedback. Schools are not required to implement changes until the consultation process is confirmed.
Have your say:
In Year 2, your child will continue to observe everyday plants, animals and materials to develop their ideas and predictions of how different objects and organisms behave.
They use basic science words and start to connect their ideas to what they see and do. They’re learning that science involves noticing, wondering, and sharing ideas clearly. With support, they begin to understand that explanations should be based on what they observe.
With your child, you could:
- put household objects into groups based on what they are made from
- experiment with a range of household materials, such as flour, water, soap and utensils, and ask questions like:
- Can it be bent?
- Can it be stretched?
- Can it be squeezed or twisted?
- Will it be the same after it has been bent, stretched or squeezed?
- Can it be broken into smaller pieces?
- How easy or hard would it be to break an object into pieces?
- try bending, stretching, and twisting different materials, asking which ones spring back to their original shape and which ones stay bent.
What the teacher will focus on
The teacher will focus on developing your child’s understanding of how natural and man-made materials behave by investigating how people use specific materials for various purposes, such as building, cooking or creating everyday objects.
They will be encouraged to test, compare and discuss why certain materials are chosen for specific tasks. Through hands-on activities and simple experiments, your child will learn to make observations, ask questions and think like a scientist while connecting what they learn to the world around them.
For example, by the end of the year, your child may be able to:
- describe everyday natural and man-made materials and how they behave, for example, thick and dry wood is hard to bend, paper can be squeezed to make it smaller
- group objects by the materials they are made of or how they behave, for example, rubber and paper can change shape, wood and paper are made from trees
- experiment with the best use of different materials based on their characteristics, for example, a glass can hold water, metal pots are used on a stovetop to heat food rather than using plastic
- begin to carry out simple tests to explore how different materials behave, for example, ask, can it be folded, can it be squeezed or stretched?
Motion and forces#
With your child, you could:
- experiment with how objects can be made to move, by pushing or pulling, throwing, kicking or bouncing
- visit a playground and observe how objects can move in different ways, for example, a ball bounces, a child slides down a slide
- notice how surfaces and shapes make moving an object easier or harder, for example, bouncing a ball on concrete versus grass, or the best surface for using a rolling pin
- play with some playdough or slime together and discuss how it can change shape when pushed or pulled
- explore how magnets can push or pull objects without touching them. Which objects are attracted to magnets? Can you make two magnets push away from each other?
What the teacher will focus on
The teacher will focus on developing your child’s understanding of how different materials and objects behave when you apply forces, such as pushing or pulling. Students will explore the way that some objects are easy to move, and others are more difficult, and the way that material properties, such as strength, flexibility, and weight, influence this.
They will also learn how these properties help in everyday life, for example, that wheels help cars move, that rubber bands stretch and that heavier objects require more effort to move. This helps children connect scientific ideas about forces and materials to the world around them.
For example, by the end of the year, your child may be able to:
- group objects by how they move when pushed or pulled, for example, rolling, sliding or staying still
- explore how different objects move when you push or pull them for example, by racing a toy car, sliding a box, rolling a marble or trying to move a rock
- predict how different objects might behave when pushing them, for example, a sponge in water, playdough cut-outs, moving a heavy box.
With your child, you could:
- grow plants from seed and notice what plants need to grow and how they grow better when cared for
- observe a range of plants and animals and discuss the stages of their lifecycle by predicting what happens next, for example, babies grow into adults, seeds become fruiting plants, saplings grow into trees, a caterpillar becomes a chrysalis
- read books together that explain the lifecycle of different animals, for example, egg–caterpillar–chrysalis–butterfly, egg–chick–chicken.
What the teacher will focus on
The teacher will focus on developing your child’s understanding that all organisms, humans, animals, plants, and fungi, have a lifecycle. Children will explore how organisms are born, grow, reproduce, and eventually die. They will learn to observe and describe the different stages of a lifecycle, notice similarities and differences between species, and understand that these processes are a natural part of life.
Through hands-on activities such as planting seeds, observing animals, or tracking changes in plants over time, students will develop a curiosity about the natural world and begin to make connections between what they observe in the classroom and the world around them.
For example, by the end of the year, your child may be able to:
- describe how all animals, including humans, begin life as babies and grow into adults, noticing how they change along the way
- investigate the unique life cycles of different animals, from mammals and birds to fish and insects, and what makes each one special
- understand that caring for plants as tiny seeds, by watering and feeding the soil, helps them grow and produce food
- identify the basic needs of plants, soil, water, air, sunlight, and space, and explain why each is important for healthy growth.
Body systems#
With your child, you could:
- discuss the fact that all organisms have needs, food, water, air, space, sunlight
- observe and compare how animals and plants find food and water and protect themselves from harm
- choose five favourite animals or plants and find out what helps them survive in their environments.
What the teacher will focus on
The teacher will help your child explore what organisms need to survive and how their bodies help them live in different places. Your child will learn that animals need food, water, oxygen, and space, while plants need water, light, carbon dioxide, and space. They will find out that animals and fungi get nutrients from other organisms, but plants make their own.
Children will also learn how body parts and behaviours help organisms survive (for example, a kiwi’s beak helps it find food in the soil), and how organisms sense and respond to things like light, heat and touch.
For example, by the end of the year, your child may be able to:
- give several real-life examples of how organisms need food, water, air, sunlight and space to survive and grow
- describe how animals find what they need to survive
- identify ways animals protect themselves, for example, tuatara have spines on their backs, stink bugs release a bad smell to stop other animals from eating them.
Ecosystems#
With your child, you could:
- explore local habitats in your garden, by a stream or at the beach
- discuss how insects, plants and other animals in the garden or on a farm all interact together to survive and grow
- read books together about different plant and animal habitats, both local and from around the world
- observe the birds and animals in your garden or a local park to see what parts of their body or behaviour help them in their habitat.
What the teacher will focus on
The teacher will focus on developing your child’s understanding of habitats and how organisms depend on each other to live and grow.
For example, by the end of the year, your child may be able to:
- recognise and describe familiar habitats, for example, a coastal habitat includes sandy beaches, saltwater and plants and animals that live near the sea
- explain how connections between organisms in a habitat are connected and how that habitat helps them survive
- describe how plants and animals have features or behaviours that help them live in in a particular habitat.
