What Is It Made Of? A Feely Bag Materials Activity for K–2

Young children learn about materials by touching, describing and sorting. A feely bag adds mystery, and the whole activity takes 20 minutes.

What you need

A cloth bag or a pillowcase
8 to 10 everyday objects made of different materials: a wooden spoon, a metal spoon, a plastic cup, a glass jar (check it isn’t chipped), a paper bag, a fabric glove, a rubber ball, a sponge
Sorting trays or hoops, and labels (wood, metal, plastic, glass, paper, fabric, rubber)

Part 1: the feely bag

Put one object in the bag. A child reaches in without looking and describes it: “It’s smooth. It’s cold. It’s hard.”
The class guesses what it is, and what it’s made of.
Pull it out and check the guesses.

This builds vocabulary: smooth, rough, soft, hard, bendy, stiff, bumpy, cold, warm, heavy, light.

Part 2: sort the materials

Spread out all the objects. Ask children to sort them: “How could we put these in groups?” Let them choose: by material, colour, size or something else. Then introduce the material as one way to sort.

Questions to ask:

What is this made of? How do you know?
Which are made of the same material?
Can one material make different objects?

Part 3: why does it matter?

Choose a job: “I need a cup for hot chocolate.” Which materials could work, and which couldn’t? A paper cup would soak through. Metal gets hot to hold. This introduces the idea that properties (how a material behaves) decide what it’s good for.

Language support

Provide word cards with pictures, and encourage children to use sentence frames: “It’s made of ___. It feels ___.” Gestures and touching help English learners.

Safety

Check objects for sharp edges, and avoid anything small enough to be a choking hazard for the youngest children. Check for latex allergies if using rubber.

The full lesson is What is it made of?, the first in Test It, Choose It: Materials. Next: Which material keeps the rain out? Sign up for three lessons free.