Year 2 Science Resources and Lesson Plans
Explore ready-to-teach Year 2 Science resources, lesson plans and schemes of work designed to support the Year 2 Science curriculum. Covering key National Curriculum Science topics including plants, animals including humans, living things and their habitats, and uses of everyday materials, our Year 2 Science lessons include practical activities, simple experiments, worksheets and opportunities to develop children's Working Scientifically skills.
Popular Year 2 Science Schemes of Work:
What should children learn in Year 2 Science?
Year 2 Science builds on the observations and practical experiences children developed in Year 1. Children explore living things, plants, animals and materials in greater depth while continuing to develop their Working Scientifically skills through simple investigations, comparisons and data gathering.
Explore living things and habitats
Identify whether things are living, dead or have never been alive, explore different habitats and microhabitats, and investigate how plants and animals depend on their surroundings to survive.
Investigate how plants grow
Observe and describe how seeds and bulbs grow into mature plants, and investigate how water, light and a suitable temperature help plants grow and stay healthy.
Learn about animals and humans
Explore how animals, including humans, grow and change, investigate their basic needs for survival and learn how exercise, healthy eating and hygiene help humans stay healthy.
Explore uses of everyday materials
Compare the suitability of different materials for particular uses and investigate how some solid materials can be changed by bending, squashing, twisting or stretching.
Everything you need to teach Year 2 Science
Planning the whole year? Our Year 2 Science Bundle brings together ready-to-teach schemes of work covering the key Year 2 Science curriculum topics, including living things and their habitats, plants, animals including humans and uses of everyday materials.
Explore the Year 2 Science Bundle →Ready for the whole year
Explore our Year 2 Science Resources
Browse our complete collection of Year 2 Science resources, lesson plans and schemes of work. Discover engaging Year 2 Science topics including living things and their habitats, plants, animals including humans and uses of everyday materials, with practical activities, experiments and ready-to-teach lessons designed to support the Year 2 Science curriculum and develop Working Scientifically skills.
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Planning Year 2 Science
When planning Science in Year 2, build on children's experiences from Year 1 with plenty of opportunities for practical investigation and observation. Year 2 Science topics should cover living things and their habitats, plants, animals including humans and uses of everyday materials, helping children make connections between what they observe and the scientific ideas they are beginning to understand.
Continue to develop Working Scientifically skills throughout each topic by encouraging children to ask simple questions, observe closely, perform simple tests, identify and classify, and gather and record data. Year 2 Science experiments and activities can also encourage children to use their observations and ideas to suggest answers to questions, helping them become increasingly confident in discussing and explaining what they discover.
Planning Science for your whole school? Explore our Science Curriculum Packs →Frequently Asked Questions about Year 2 Science
What Science topics are taught in Year 2?
The Year 2 Science curriculum covers four main areas: living things and their habitats, plants, animals including humans, and uses of everyday materials. Children also continue to develop their Working Scientifically skills through observations, simple tests, classification, data collection and practical investigations.
What do children learn about living things and their habitats in Year 2?
Children learn to identify whether things are living, dead or have never been alive. They explore different habitats and microhabitats, investigate how habitats provide for the needs of plants and animals, and begin to understand simple food chains.
What do children learn about plants in Year 2 Science?
In Year 2, children observe how seeds and bulbs grow into mature plants. They investigate what plants need to grow and stay healthy, including water, light and a suitable temperature, building on their knowledge of plants from Year 1.
What do children learn about animals including humans in Year 2?
Children explore how animals, including humans, have offspring that grow into adults. They investigate the basic needs of animals for survival and learn about the importance of exercise, eating the right amounts of different foods and good hygiene for humans.
What materials are taught in Year 2 Science?
Year 2 children explore the uses and properties of everyday materials, including wood, metal, plastic, glass, brick, rock, paper and cardboard. They compare the suitability of materials for different purposes and investigate how some solid materials can be changed by squashing, bending, twisting and stretching.
What are the Working Scientifically skills in Year 2?
Working Scientifically should be developed throughout Year 2 Science rather than taught as a separate topic. Children learn to ask simple questions, observe closely, perform simple tests, identify and classify, gather and record data, and use their observations and ideas to suggest answers to questions.
What Science experiments can you do in Year 2?
Year 2 Science experiments might include testing materials for different purposes, investigating what plants need to grow, observing plants and animals in a microhabitat, comparing how different materials can be changed or exploring the effects of exercise on the body. Investigations should give children opportunities to make observations, carry out simple tests and discuss what their results show.
How is Year 2 Science different from Year 1 Science?
Year 2 builds on the foundations established in Year 1. Children move from identifying and describing familiar plants, animals and materials towards exploring habitats, growth, survival, healthy living and the suitability of materials for different purposes. Their practical enquiry and Working Scientifically skills also become increasingly developed.
Are PlanBee Year 2 Science resources aligned with the National Curriculum?
Yes. PlanBee's Year 2 Science lesson plans and schemes of work are designed to support the National Curriculum for Science in Year 2, covering the statutory subject areas as well as opportunities to develop Working Scientifically skills.
What is included in PlanBee Year 2 Science lesson plans?
PlanBee Year 2 Science resources provide ready-to-teach lessons with detailed lesson plans, teaching slides, differentiated activities and worksheets. Practical activities and investigations are incorporated throughout, helping teachers deliver engaging Year 2 Science while reducing planning and preparation time.
