Build a car that moves

Learn how to make the base of a moving vehicle from card

Build a car with axles that moves! Budding inventors engineer the base and body for a model car made from card with wheels and axles. This is a fun practical activity for participants to make a simple 3D shape from a 2D net. The KS1 DT activity then introduces axles and wheels to enable the car to move.

Activity info, teachers’ notes and curriculum links
In this activity, pupils will make the base of a moving vehicle to understand how cars are designed and how axles work to allow cars to move.

Download the free resources!
All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download and are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs.

Tools/resources required
Copies of the car base handout, printed on card, 1 per pupil (plus spares)
Axles, 2 per pupil – for example, wooden skewers
Plastic tubing – this can be short sections cut from drinking straws
Wheels, 4 per pupil
Scissors
Glue sticks

Optional:
Sticky tape or double-sided sticky tape
Hole punches (ideally single hole punches)
Coloured pencils
Pre-made model of the base, for demonstration (this could be made large size, for example by printing out on A3 card)

Download the activity sheets for free!

The activity sheet includes teacher notes, guidance, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved UK nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales

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