Materials Teaching Resources
Explore the properties of materials and where they are found with your students this school year! Explore worksheets, hands-on activities, lesson plans and more teacher-created resources for teaching students about materials found in nature and made by humans.
The printable and digital resources in this collection are aligned with the Australian science curriculum, and each one has undergone a careful review by a member of the Teach Starter teacher team.
Is this your first year teaching about materials? Or perhaps you're simply looking for some fresh information and ways to teach this science topic? Read on for a primer from our teacher team, including a materials definition to share with your students, plus explanations of the differences between matural and man-made materials!
What Are Materials? A Kid-Friendly Definition
Do you need a way to explain what materials are to your students? Here's a helpful definition from our teacher team that you can add to your lessons:
A material is a substance that is used to make an object. For example, a desk can be made from wood. Wood is the material.
Materials can come from nature, but they can also be man-made.
- Plus Plan
Combining Materials PowerPoint
Explore everyday objects, the materials they’re made from, and why those materials are chosen with an engaging, interactive Combining Materials PowerPoint Presentation.
- Free Plan
Types of Materials Flashcards
Explore things made of wood, glass, plastic, metal and other materials with our printable Types of Materials Flashcards.
- Plus Plan
Which Material is Best? Worksheet Pack
Explore everyday objects, the materials they’re made from, and the properties that make them useful with our Which Material Is Best? Worksheet Pack.
- Plus Plan
What If? Choosing Materials Worksheets
A set of 6 templates to use when investigating the properties of materials.
- Plus Plan
Mixed Materials Task Cards
Explore the different materials that things are made of and why those materials were used with our printable Mixed Materials Task Cards.
- Plus Plan
What’s It Made Of? Materials PowerPoint (F)
Explore the world and discover the materials we use to make everyday objects with our ‘What’s It Made Of?’ Materials PowerPoint Presentation.
- Free Plan
Materials in the Classroom Worksheets
Observe and identify the materials used to make things in the classroom with a set of printable Materials in the Classroom Worksheets.
- Plus Plan
What’s It Made Of? Material Sorting Activity
Identify everyday objects made of paper, wood, metal, and more with a hands-on Material Sorting Activity.
- Plus Plan
Material Properties Worksheets (4-5)
Explore the properties that make materials useful with our printable Material Properties Worksheets for upper years' students.
- Plus Plan
Properties of Materials PowerPoint
Explore the world of materials and the traits that make them useful with a Properties of Materials PowerPoint presentation.
- Plus Plan
Functional and Structural Properties of Materials Worksheets (4-6)
Explore and identify the properties of materials with a set of Functional and Structural Properties of Materials Worksheets for upper-primary grades.
- Plus Plan
What’s It Made Of? Comparing Materials Worksheets (F-1)
Observe and compare objects made of different materials with our What’s It Made Of? Comparing Materials Worksheets.
- Plus Plan
Why Do We Use That? Properties of Materials Game
Explore the properties that make different materials useful with an interactive, self-checking Properties of Materials Game.
- Plus Plan
Material Properties Worksheet Pack (F-2)
Identify objects made from different materials and note their properties with a printable Properties of Materials Worksheet Pack.
- Plus Plan
Combining Materials Worksheets
Explore ways that different materials are used and why they’re chosen with a set of Combining Materials Worksheets.
- Plus Plan
Material Sorting Worksheets (Year 4)
Explore materials made of metal, fibre, glass, and more with a printable set of Material Sorting Worksheets for Year 4.
- Free Plan
Recycling With Heat Worksheet
Explore how reversible and irreversible changes lend themself to recycling with a printable Recycling With Heat Worksheet.
- Free Plan
Observing Matter - Foundation Year Science Game
Practise observing the properties of matter with an engaging science game for foundation year students.
- Plus Plan
Material World PowerPoint - Processed and Natural Materials
Discover the difference between processed and natural materials with an instructional slide show.
- Plus Plan
Manmade vs Natural Materials Worksheets
Identify examples of natural and processed materials with a set of Man-Made vs Natural Materials Worksheets.
- Plus Plan
Pick the Best Property - Materials Game
Identify the properties that are most important in making things with an Interactive Properties of Materials Game for Year 4.
- Plus Plan
Materials and Their Properties Worksheets (F-1)
Explore the properties of different materials with a set of printable Materials and Their Properties Worksheets for little learners.
- Plus Plan
Types of Materials - Printable Anchor Charts
Introduce your students to the different types of materials with a pack of printable anchor charts.
- Plus Plan
Recycling Plastic and Glass Worksheet Pack
Explore the role of heat in recycling materials and boost reading comprehension skills with a Recycling Plastic and Glass worksheet pack.
- Plus Plan
What's It Made Of? Identifying Materials Interactive Game (F-1)
Learn to recognise what things are made of with our ‘What’s It Made Of?’ Identifying Materials Interactive Game.
- Plus Plan
Material World Classroom Display (F-2)
Kick off your Materials Unit with a printable ‘Material World’ Classroom display kit.
- Plus Plan
Mixed-Up Materials Bingo Game
Practise identifying materials with an exciting Mixed-Up Materials Bingo Game.
- Plus Plan
Bend, Twist, or Stretch Worksheet Pack
Explore physical changes in different materials with a printable Bend, Twist or Stretch? Worksheet Pack for Year 2.
- Plus Plan
My Rock Collection - Google Slides E-Book
Introduce your students to the world of rocks and minerals with a digital Rocks book for foundation and year 1 students.
- Plus Plan
Uses of Materials Sorting Activity
Explore the materials objects are made of with a fun sorting activity for students.
- Plus Plan
Properties of Materials Task Cards
Explore materials and their most valuable traits with a set of printable Properties of Materials Task Cards.
- Free Plan
Searching For Natural and Processed Materials Activity
Explore the environment, identify common materials, and learn where they come from with a scavenger-hunt-styled Natural and Processed Materials Activity.