Design Your Toy

Overview

This 45-minute lesson is the fifth lesson in the Year 1 History unit Toys Through Time. It encourages pupils to draw on their learning about toys from the past and present by designing their own toy. Pupils will use their imagination and historical understanding to create a toy design, considering how it is made and used. The lesson integrates history with elements of art and design, fulfilling requirements of the National Curriculum for England for History and cross-curricular skills development.

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National Curriculum Links

History

• Pupils should be taught to:
  • Know about changes within living memory and understand where toys fit into historical timelines (NC: KS1 History, Years 1-2).
  • Ask and answer questions about the past, using information they have gathered.
  • Understand and use historical vocabulary related to changes over time (e.g., old, new, past, present).

Art and Design

• Pupils should be taught to:
  • Use a range of materials creatively to design and make products.
  • Share ideas through talking and drawing (National Curriculum: Art and Design, KS1).

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

• Encouraging cooperation and listening skills during partner and group work activities.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils will:

1. Understand that toys have changed over time and that toys can be designed to suit different ages and materials.
2. Use historical knowledge to imagine and design their own toy, thinking about materials and how it would be played with.
3. Communicate ideas visually through sketches and orally by describing their toy.
4. Show respect for others’ ideas in partner sharing.

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Resources Needed

• Paper for sketching (A4 or larger)
• Pencils, crayons, coloured pencils
• Examples or images of toys from past lessons (to refer back to)
• Large display board or whiteboard for group brainstorming
• Material samples (e.g., fabric, wood texture paper, plastic shapes) – optional tactile materials to inspire
• Toy vocabulary word bank displayed (e.g.,: wooden, plastic, soft, pull, push, roll)

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Lesson Structure

1. Starter (5 minutes)

• Recap previous lessons briefly with a quick whole-class discussion:
  "What kinds of toys have we learned about?"
  "How were toys made in the past compared to now?"
• Show a few images of old and new toys for visual stimulus.

2. Guided Discussion & Brainstorming (8 minutes)

• Invite pupils to discuss in pairs what kind of toy they would like to design. Prompt with questions:
  • Is your toy old-fashioned or modern?
  • What materials will you use? (Encourage reference to examples - wood, plastic, fabric)
  • How will your toy be played with? (e.g., push, pull, throw, cuddle)
• Collect ideas on the board to create a group word and idea bank to support children’s vocabulary and ideas.

3. Main Activity: Design & Sketch (20 minutes)

• Pupils individually design their own toy on paper:
  • Draw their toy with colour and detail.
  • Label materials and how the toy works or how it is used.
  • Encourage creativity but refer to historical knowledge about materials and simple mechanisms.
• Scaffold for less confident pupils: simple templates or choice cards with common materials/actions.

4. Sharing and Reflecting (8 minutes)

• Children pair up and explain their toy design to a partner.
• Selected pupils volunteer to share their designs with the whole class, highlighting imaginative or historically inspired features.
• Teacher emphasises vocabulary and historical understanding demonstrated.

5. Plenary (4 minutes)

• Class vote: Which toys use old materials? Which use new materials?
• Summarise: “Toys have changed a lot, and now you have designed one of your own! Next time, we will look at how toys are made.”

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Differentiation & Inclusion

• Support:
  • Provide additional prompts or sentence starters, e.g., “My toy is made of _____ and it _____.”
  • Offer pre-drawn outlines for pupils who find drawing difficult.
• Extension:
  • Encourage pupils to create a simple story about their toy (how it’s played with).
  • Use comparative language to describe their toy versus traditional toys.

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Assessment Opportunities

• Observation of pupil participation in discussion and brainstorming.
• Review of sketchbooks to assess understanding of materials and historical reference.
• Assessment of oral explanation for vocabulary use and understanding of how toy works and is played with.
• Use assessment notes to inform final lesson preparation on making or understanding toys.

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Teacher Notes

• Emphasise connections between history and design: understanding the past helps us innovate today.
• Encourage imagination but gently steer children to consider realistic materials and simple play mechanisms to remain age-appropriate.
• Use positive reinforcement to build confidence in sharing ideas and using new vocabulary linked to the topic.

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This lesson will nurture historical understanding, creativity, and communication skills in an integrated, hands-on way, perfectly aligned with the KS1 National Curriculum for England.