Year 1 Science: Hard and soft
Part of the Year 1 Science properties of materials chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page · Download worksheet (PDF) · Answers (PDF)
Hard and soft
A property tells you what a material is like. One property is how it feels when you press it. Hard things do not squash when you press them. Stone and wood are hard. Soft things squash when you press them. A sponge is soft, and so is cotton wool.
Look at these three things. Which one would squash?
Key ideas
- A property is what a material is like.
- Hard things do not squash when you press them.
- Soft things squash when you press them.
- Press gently with your thumb. Do not press anything sharp.
Key words. Hard means it does not squash when you press it.
Method. Test the stone, then choose the word that fits it.
- Test the stone. Try it gently, or look at the picture.does not squash
- Choose the word that fits. It does not squash when you press it, so it is hard.hard
- Write the answer. hard
Check. Test it again the same way, and the word stays the same. ✓
Watch out. Test first, then choose the word. Do not guess from the name.
Key words. Soft means it squashes when you press it.
Method. Test both things, then find the one that is soft.
- Look at both things. Test each one in the same way.metal spoon or sponge
- Find the one that is soft. It squashes when you press it, so it is soft.sponge is soft
- Write the answer. sponge
Check. The other one is hard, so only sponge is soft. ✓
Watch out. Test both things before you choose. Do not choose by the name or the colour.
Key words. Hard means it does not squash when you press it.
Method. Test both things, then find the one that is hard.
- Look at both things. Test each one in the same way.sponge or wooden block
- Find the one that is hard. It does not squash when you press it, so it is hard.wooden block is hard
- Write the answer. wooden block
Check. The other one is soft, so only wooden block is hard. ✓
Watch out. Test both things before you choose. Do not choose by the name or the colour.
Watch out
Watch out: a thing can be big and still be soft. Do not decide from how it looks. Press it gently and see whether it squashes.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Let your child press a cushion, a wooden spoon and a sponge, one at a time, with a gentle thumb. Ask: “Does it squash?” Then ask: “Is it hard or soft?”
Try it at home (with a grown-up)
Press a sponge gently with your thumb. Then press a wooden spoon in the same way. Which one squashes? Which one stays the same? Say “hard” or “soft”.
Exercise 8A Hard and soft
Key words. Soft means it squashes when you press it.
Method. Test the cotton wool, then choose the word that fits it.
- Test the cotton wool. Try it gently, or look at the picture.squashes
- Choose the word that fits. It squashes when you press it, so it is soft.soft
- Write the answer. soft
Check. Test it again the same way, and the word stays the same. ✓
Watch out. Test first, then choose the word. Do not guess from the name.
Key words. Soft means it squashes when you press it.
Method. Test the sponge, then choose the word that fits it.
- Test the sponge. Try it gently, or look at the picture.squashes
- Choose the word that fits. It squashes when you press it, so it is soft.soft
- Write the answer. soft
Check. Test it again the same way, and the word stays the same. ✓
Watch out. Test first, then choose the word. Do not guess from the name.
Key words. Hard means it does not squash when you press it.
Method. Test the wooden block, then choose the word that fits it.
- Test the wooden block. Try it gently, or look at the picture.does not squash
- Choose the word that fits. It does not squash when you press it, so it is hard.hard
- Write the answer. hard
Check. Test it again the same way, and the word stays the same. ✓
Watch out. Test first, then choose the word. Do not guess from the name.
Key words. Soft means it squashes when you press it.
Method. Test the cotton wool, then choose the word that fits it.
- Test the cotton wool. Try it gently, or look at the picture.squashes
- Choose the word that fits. It squashes when you press it, so it is soft.soft
- Write the answer. soft
Check. Test it again the same way, and the word stays the same. ✓
Watch out. Test first, then choose the word. Do not guess from the name.
Key words. Hard means it does not squash when you press it.
Method. Test the metal spoon, then choose the word that fits it.
- Test the metal spoon. Try it gently, or look at the picture.does not squash
- Choose the word that fits. It does not squash when you press it, so it is hard.hard
- Write the answer. hard
Check. Test it again the same way, and the word stays the same. ✓
Watch out. Test first, then choose the word. Do not guess from the name.
Key words. Soft means it squashes when you press it.
Method. Test the sponge, then choose the word that fits it.
- Test the sponge. Try it gently, or look at the picture.squashes
- Choose the word that fits. It squashes when you press it, so it is soft.soft
- Write the answer. soft
Check. Test it again the same way, and the word stays the same. ✓
Watch out. Test first, then choose the word. Do not guess from the name.
Key words. Hard means it does not squash when you press it.
Method. Test the stone, then choose the word that fits it.
- Test the stone. Try it gently, or look at the picture.does not squash
- Choose the word that fits. It does not squash when you press it, so it is hard.hard
- Write the answer. hard
Check. Test it again the same way, and the word stays the same. ✓
Watch out. Test first, then choose the word. Do not guess from the name.
Key words. Soft means it squashes when you press it.
Method. Test both things, then find the one that is soft.
- Look at both things. Test each one in the same way.stone or cotton wool
- Find the one that is soft. It squashes when you press it, so it is soft.cotton wool is soft
- Write the answer. cotton wool
Check. The other one is hard, so only cotton wool is soft. ✓
Watch out. Test both things before you choose. Do not choose by the name or the colour.
Method. Think about what a cushion does when you press it.
- Look at what Tom did. Tom pressed the cushion, and it squashed.cushion: squashes
- Decide the word. A thing that squashes when you press it is soft.squashes = soft
- Write the answer. soft
Check. Press a cushion yourself. It squashes, so it is soft. ✓
Watch out. Squashing means soft. Hard things stay the same shape.
Method. Think about what hard means.
- Look at the spoon. A hard thing does not squash when you press it.metal spoon: hard
- Think about pressing it. If it is hard, pressing it will not change its shape.press: no squash
- Write the answer. No. It does not squash, so it is hard.
Check. Press a spoon gently. It keeps its shape. ✓
Watch out. Pressing a hard thing does not change its shape.
Method. Make a prediction first, then plan a fair test.
- Make a prediction. A prediction is a sensible guess before you test.The sponge will squash, and the stone will not.
- Plan the test. Test each thing in the same way, so the test is fair.Press the sponge, then the stone, one at a time, with a gentle thumb.
- Write the answer. The sponge will squash and the stone will not. Press each one gently with your thumb to find out.
Check. Press both and check: the sponge squashes and the stone does not. ✓
Watch out. Make your guess before you test. Then check what really happens.
Key words. Hard means it does not squash when you press it.
Method. Test each thing for this property, then put it in the right group.
- Look at each thing. Ask: does it have this property?stone, wooden block, sponge, cotton wool
- Put each thing in one group. Each thing goes in only one group.Hard: stone, wooden block. Soft: sponge, cotton wool.
- Write the groups. Hard: stone, wooden block. Soft: sponge, cotton wool.
Check. Count the things in the groups. There are 4 in all. ✓
Watch out. Test each thing first. Do not sort by colour or size.
Method. Look at all four things. Think about which one is different.
- Look at each thing. Think about whether it is hard or soft.stone, wooden block, metal spoon: hard. sponge: soft.
- Find the one that is different. Three things are hard, so the soft one is the odd one out.sponge is the odd one out
- Write the answer. Sponge. It is soft, and the others are hard.
Check. Press each one. Only the sponge squashes. ✓
Watch out. Look for the one that is different from the rest, and say why.