A cross-curricular approach to primary education involves integrating and applying knowledge and skills across different disciplines. Cross-curricular learning in Design and technology helps children to think critically while encouraging creativity and innovation.

What are the benefits of cross-curricular learning in Design and technology?

Kapow Primary’s Design and technology scheme of work adopts a cross-curricular approach. This benefits pupils in a range of different ways: 

Relevance: By drawing connections between different subjects, pupils understand the relevance of their learning. It enables them to see how different disciplines connect and relate to each other in the real world.

Skill development: Through cross-curricular projects, children develop essential skills, including problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and communication.

Engagement: Hands-on, project-based learning activities in Design and technology can significantly boost children’s engagement as they apply theoretical knowledge from other subjects in a practical context.

Deeper understanding: Applying knowledge from one subject to another can lead to a deeper understanding of both areas.

Time-saving: Teachers can target multiple objectives in less time.

Making cross-curricular connections in Design and technology

Cross-curricular learning opportunities are embedded throughout our Design and technology scheme to enrich learning, reinforce knowledge and create a more holistic educational experience. 

Design and technology lessons provide an opportunity to practise specific subject-based skills that are naturally aligned, such as:

• Strategic thinking, problem-solving, numerical skills and measuring in Mathematics
• Testing properties of materials in Science
• Creative and artistic skills in Art and design

Cross-curricular learning connecting to other subjects is more intentional and adds further depth, purpose and relevance.

Cross-curricular links in Kapow Primary’s Design and technology scheme

Here are some examples of cross-curricular learning in Design and technology:

Architectural thinking

Thinking like an architect involves multi-disciplinary skills from across the curriculum subjects, particularly Mathematics, Science, and Art and design. Architectural thinking is promoted through our structure-based Design and technology units such as: 

• Constructing a windmill in Year 1
• Making a model of Baby Bear’s chair in Year 2
• Year 3 Constructing a castle
• Pavilions in Year 4
• The Year 5 unit on Structures: Bridges
• Designing a playground in Year 6

Pupils from Haimo Primary School have created some fantastic playground models!

Balanced diet

Year 2 children can simultaneously learn about a balanced diet in Design and technology and about Health and wellbeing in RSE & PSHE. These two complementary units reinforce the notion that a healthy diet is necessary for a healthy life.

Children can build upon their understanding of healthy eating in our Year 3 Science Movement and nutrition unit and in Year 4 Geography, Where does our food come from?

Wellbeing and technology

In one of our Digital World units, Year 4 children design a timer to help time a mindful moment. This unit has an unusual combination of cross-curricular links between:

• Design and technology
• RSE & PSHE
• Wellbeing – where mindfulness feeds into the ‘take notice’ strand
• Computing – as children learn about programming and controlling products 

In today’s tech-driven world, Design and technology involves coding and digital elements, offering hands-on computing experiences. Further opportunities to apply programming skills are provided in our Year 5 Computing unit about micro:bits.

Our Design and technology and Computing specialists teamed up for a webinar about using micro:bits in your classroom. They explained the functions and features of the micro:bit and suggested how to use it in lessons.

History and toys

Some Kapow Primary Design and technology units focus on making toys. They all connect to History via the Year 1 unit How have toys changed? 

This connection is further reinforced when children in Year 6 make mechanical toys in our unit on automata toys. They learn about toys from Victorian times and how to make the moving mechanisms that powered them.

Cross-curricular links to History create a multi-layered learning approach to Design and technology. This encourages children to consider and evaluate their designs from another perspective.

Cross-curricular project work using Design and technology

Project work is another way to integrate cross-curricular learning into Design and technology. It can be taught over a few lessons, a few days, or sometimes even longer. We’ve added some ideas below with links to Kapow Primary lessons where relevant.

Stop-motion animation

Introduce your class to the fascinating world of stop-motion animation. Our Computing scheme features stop-motion lessons in key stage 1 and upper key stage 2. Here are some ideas:

• Combine Art and design with Design and technology skills to build sets 
• Create different characters or use textiles to make puppets
• Write imaginative scripts in English and practise recording them in character 
• Record the action using the stop-motion technology recommended in our Computing scheme
• Use maths skills to calculate a reasonable frame rate and check the video length

Grow a sustainable garden

Growing a sustainable garden is a long-term project that can involve just a few children or even the whole school, depending on the garden area. Pupils can:

• Learn about where our food comes from and ecosystems in Geography
• Study plant growth and pollination in Science
• Use the produce they have grown in different recipes in Design and technology 

Fashion collection 

Pupils make their own waistcoats, pouches or other items as part of a fashion collection inspired by different sources such as:

• Cultural identity studied in RSE/PSHE 
• Different historical periods and personalities, including explorers, the Romans, the ancient Egyptians, the Vikings, the Tudors or the ancient Greeks

Cross-curricular links within Design and technology teaching are rich and diverse. By making the most of these opportunities, you can deliver engaging, relevant and skill-building lessons that help children understand how learning is connected across different subjects.

Supporting information

• The D&T Association
• Deeper Learning: Why Cross-Curricular Teaching Is Essential – The Edvocate (theedadvocate.org)
• Cross-curricular activities: how to create meaningful learning opportunities (cambridge.org) – This article offers theoretical support for making the most of the learning opportunities when planning cross-curricular activities.