How can you tell they’ve got it: Describing Material Properties?

If they’ve got it, you’ll see things like: Use at least five property words correctly: hard, soft, stretchy, shiny, rough, smooth, transparent, waterproof; Describe the properties of three different materials using at least two property words each; Explain why a property matters (e.g. 'waterproof means water doesn't soak through'). Or just try it together: Can your child pick up different objects and describe their properties — like 'this is smooth and shiny' or 'this is rough and bendy'?

Science Matter & Materials Ages 5–6

Describing Material Properties

Your child can describe what an object is like — smooth, shiny, rough, or bendy. They know why a property matters, like waterproof meaning water cannot soak through.

In curriculum terms

Describe simple physical properties of everyday materials such as hard/soft, stretchy/stiff, shiny/dull, rough/smooth, waterproof/absorbent, transparent/opaque

Ages are typical, not deadlines — follow your child’s pace. How to help at home →

How to tell they’ve got it

Tick these off as you see them — no test required.

Use at least five property words correctly: hard, soft, stretchy, shiny, rough, smooth, transparent, waterproof
Describe the properties of three different materials using at least two property words each
Explain why a property matters (e.g. 'waterproof means water doesn't soak through')

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Try this together

Can your child pick up different objects and describe their properties — like 'this is smooth and shiny' or 'this is rough and bendy'?

Where this sits on the map

Stuck here? Check the skills it builds on first. Confident? Here’s what it unlocks.

Builds on

Naming Everyday Materialsages 5–6Must name materials before describing their properties

States of Matter Vocabularyages 5–7Describing physical properties of materials uses solid/liquid/gas vocabulary introduced in the states of matter LANGUAGE node

Describing Material Propertiesthis skill · ages 5–6

Unlocks

Grouping Materialsages 5–6Must describe properties before using them to group materials

Changing Shapes of Solidsages 6–7Must know material properties before investigating how shapes change

Transparent, Translucent & Opaqueages 6–7Material properties knowledge (transparent/opaque) supports light investigation

solid = must come firstdashed = helps

Curriculum alignment

Where this fits in the official school curriculum — our best automated guess, not yet checked by a person.

Show candidate curriculum codes · 1 ACARA · 1 NSW · 2 VIC

Australian Curriculum v9 candidate

AC9S2U03low confidenceYear 2 · Science understanding

recognise that materials can be changed physically without changing their material composition and explore the effect of different actions on materials including bending, twisting, stretching and breaking into smaller pieces

NSW syllabus codes & stages only

STE-SCI-01low confidenceScience and Technology K-6 · Early Stage 1

Victorian Curriculum 2.0 codes & levels only

VC2S2U04medium confidenceScience · Foundation to Level 2 · Science Understanding strand

VC2S2U05low confidenceScience · Foundation to Level 2 · Science Understanding strand

These are candidate alignments generated by semantic matching — machine-suggested and unreviewed (v0.1), not official or verified mappings. For official curriculum content see australiancurriculum.edu.au, curriculum.nsw.edu.au and f10.vcaa.vic.edu.au. Don’t rely on them for registration or compliance purposes.

Nearby on the map

Grouping Materialsages 5–6 Naming Everyday Materialsages 5–6 Objects vs Materialsages 5–6 States of Matter Vocabularyages 5–7

All Matter & Materials skills →