Simple Machines Fun

Curriculum Links

Learning Area: Technology
Strand: Technological Knowledge – Understanding physical world concepts through technology
Level: Early Years / Preschool (Age 3-5)
NZ Curriculum Refresh: Supports development in the Physical World strand, emphasizing exploration of force, motion, and mechanics through hands-on discovery and play.

Key Competencies:

• Participating and Contributing: Collaborating and sharing ideas during building activities
• Managing Self: Engaging and persisting through trial and error
• Thinking: Making connections between actions and effects on simple machines
• Using Language, Symbols and Texts: Communicating ideas about their creations

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this 15-minute session, students will:

• Recognise and name simple machine concepts (like levers, wheels, pulleys) in their creations.
• Explore cause and effect by applying force and observing motion in their designs.
• Use everyday materials to design and build simple machines, testing ideas through hands-on play.
• Demonstrate curiosity and resilience by trialing different solutions and modifying their machines.

These align with the Technology curriculum’s Physical World strand focus on:

• Understanding properties and uses of materials
• Developing skills with tools and construction
• Exploring how forces and motion work in technological outcomes

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Resources Needed

• Everyday recycled materials (e.g., paper towel rolls, cardboard pieces, plastic bottle caps, string, fabric scraps)
• Craft supplies (tape, glue, scissors - teacher use only)
• Small lightweight objects (pom-poms, cotton balls, paper clips) for testing machines
• Space for building and moving around

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Lesson Outline

Time	Activity	Details & Teacher Support
0-2 minutes	Welcome & Explain the Challenge	Gather students, using simple language and visuals to describe: "Today we are inventors! We will build simple machines to move things or make work easier." Show examples if available (e.g., a lever or wheel made from cardboard).
3-8 minutes	Design & Build	Students choose materials and build a simple machine (lever, wheel, pulley, inclined plane). Encourage ‘trial and error’ exploration, prompting questions like: "What happens if you push here? Can you make it move better?" Teacher assists as needed, using physical demonstration and language linking to force and motion.
9-13 minutes	Test & Modify	Students test their machines by moving small objects, observing what works or doesn’t. Encourage them to fix or change parts to improve performance. Scaffold problem-solving and reinforce scientific vocabulary (“push,” “pull,” "turn," "move") naturally during play.
14-15 minutes	Share & Reflect	Students describe their machines using their own words and show how it works. Teacher summarises key ideas: forces make machines move, and it’s okay to try things many ways. Reinforce the value of persistence and creativity.

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Assessment Opportunities

• Observation: Teacher notes students’ ability to experiment with materials, verbalise ideas about motion, and demonstrate understanding of simple machines through play behaviours.
• Communication: Listen for use of simple scientific language and explanation of their machine’s function, indicating conceptual grasp.
• Engagement: Monitor persistence through trial and error and willingness to modify creations, reflecting the competency Managing Self.

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Teaching Tips

• Use plenty of positive reinforcement and encourage "what if" explorations, e.g., "What if you push from the other side?"
• Keep explanations short and concrete; use demonstrations rather than abstract terminology.
• Celebrate all attempts to create, and normalise mistakes as part of learning.
• Incorporate te reo Māori terms for key force/motion words to enrich language development (e.g., “pēhanga” for push, “toha” for pull).

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This highly hands-on, playful lesson aligns with the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh's Physical World strand for young learners, focusing on engagement through natural curiosity in technology concepts, especially exploring force, motion, and mechanics with simple machines. It supports key competencies and encourages scientific thinking through creative design and discovery by doing, while fitting the short attention spans and social dynamics of preschool children .