Design Thinking in Grade 1

Design thinking is a great way to help students develop their problem-solving skills and creativity, and it can be adapted to different age groups. In this blog post, we’ll focus on how first-grade teachers can introduce design thinking to their students and provide engaging activities that they’ll enjoy.

Introducing Design Thinking to First Graders

The best way to introduce design thinking to first-grade students is through a story. You could read “The Three Little Pigs” and use it as an opportunity to talk about how the pigs used design thinking to build their houses. You can then explain that design thinking is a process that helps us solve problems and build things.

Design Thinking Challenges for First Graders

Here are a few design thinking challenges that are accessible and relevant for first graders:

1. Create a birdhouse: Students can work in pairs to create a birdhouse using recycled materials, such as cardboard boxes, plastic bottles, or tin cans. They can use scissors, tape, and glue to put their birdhouses together. Once they’re done, they can test their birdhouses by seeing if a toy bird can fit inside.
2. Design a new playground: Students can work in small groups to design a new playground for their school or community. They can draw their ideas on paper, and then use clay or recycled materials to create a model of their playground. Once they’re done, they can present their designs to the class and talk about why they chose certain features.
3. Build a bridge: Students can work in pairs to build a bridge using popsicle sticks and glue. They can test their bridges by seeing how much weight they can hold.

Tips for This Grade Level

First graders may find some design thinking concepts more interesting or challenging than others. Here are a few concepts to keep in mind:

1. Empathy: Encourage students to think about the needs of others when they’re designing something. For example, when designing a birdhouse, they should think about what birds need to survive and create a house that meets those needs.
2. Brainstorming: Teach students to generate lots of ideas before settling on one. For example, when designing a new playground, students can come up with a list of different features they’d like to include before deciding which ones are most important.
3. Testing: Encourage students to test their designs and make improvements. For example, when building a bridge, students should test it and then try to make it stronger if it’s not sturdy enough.

Recommended Building Materials

For first-grade students, it’s best to stick with materials that are easy to work with and not too expensive. Some suggested materials include:

• Cardboard boxes
• Popsicle sticks
• Clay
• Construction paper
• Tape
• Glue

In Conclusion

Design thinking is a great way to engage first-grade students and help them develop their problem-solving skills and creativity. With the right lesson ideas, design thinking challenges, and materials, students can have fun while learning how to think like designers.

If you found this content helpful, you might enjoy this series of Imagineerz blog posts and check out Get Started with Design Thinking!