Bridging Ages through Design: Grade 7’s PBL Experience – Busy Book Design for Little Learners

A Project Rooted in Empathy and Creativity

During the autumn semester (Week 5 – Week 20), all Grade 7 Design Technology students at SUIS Qingpu embarked on a hands‑on, interdisciplinary learning journey titled “The Little Explorer’s Busy Book.”

This project‑based learning (PBL) unit challenged students to design and create interactive educational books tailored for an exceptionally special audience — the kindergarten children in our school community.

Through this venture, students combined creativity, communication and user‑centred design while developing a deeper understanding of empathy, collaboration and real‑world problem‑solving.

From Design to Real Users

Each Grade 7 team applied the design‑thinking process — inquiring, planning, developing and evaluating — to produce a Busy Book filled with interactive features. Some incorporated early science concepts, shapes, textures and puzzles, bridging learning between Science, English and Design Technology.

Teachers guided them to think like designers who solve users’ needs, prompting questions such as “What will young children enjoy touching, reading or discovering?”

By the end of Semester 1, dozens of colourful, tactile books were completed — stitched, glued, illustrated and evaluated — ready to meet their eager young readers.

A Week of Exploration and Connection

To open Semester 2, the Design Technology Department and Kindergarten teachers co‑organised a five‑day collaborative reading event titled “The Grade 7 & Kindergarten Reading Week.” Each session lasted the length of one class, allowing multiple groups to interact.

For one full week, the library on the first floor transformed into a storytelling space buzzing with curiosity and laughter. Grade 7 students guided the younger learners through their handmade Busy Books — reading stories, playing matching games, exploring textures and answering endless “why?” questions.

Many Grade 7 students rose to the occasion with remarkable maturity and patience. They showed warmth, respect and creativity as they helped their little “clients” navigate each page. Their teachers observed that students truly embodied the PBL spirit — learning by doing and learning through sharing.

Student Reflections

Hippo (Class 7F) shared his thoughts on the learning experience:

“I approached the project seriously and spent a lot of time on completing it. I was immensely proud of the result. The project taught me a lot of useful skills, especially research skills — since my book was about the history of domesticating dogs — I learned a lot about this!”

Kitty (Class 7B) shared: “I made the pop‑up book with my friend Alina. We both like animals. The story is about ‘Kitty’, ‘Alina’ and ‘Mizzy’ (we are three friends). We made it just like us. We are best friends and we help each other. In the story, we take the current environmental situation into account — diseases, such as global warming, destruction of the forests and air pollution. We can learn many big truths and learn about teamwork and helping others.”

Their reflections highlight how students took ownership of their learning, applying both creativity and inquiry to topics that inspired them personally.

Lessons Beyond the Classroom

For many students, this collaboration offered eye‑opening lessons about leadership, empathy and communication. Several remarked on how challenging it was to keep young children engaged and manage a group — realising firsthand how much effort teaching requires. This new perspective gave them a deeper appreciation for their teachers and a stronger sense of responsibility and community.

Reflection and Next Steps

All Busy Books were proudly displayed in the first‑floor library. Soon, the exhibition will move to the Integrated Science corridor, connecting to the space where the books were originally imagined and built.

As Ms Kamila reflected:

“This was a truly meaningful PBL experience that allowed our students to become both creators and facilitators. Many of them took their mission seriously; they were polite, patient and caring with our youngest learners.”

Learning by Designing, Learning by Caring

“The Little Explorer’s Busy Book” stands as a shining example of how Design Technology connects imagination with empathy. By creating for real users, Grade 7 students learned that design is more than making — it is understanding, communicating and caring.

Through this vertical collaboration between Middle School and Kindergarten, SUIS Qingpu nurtured not only future designers and innovators, but also thoughtful, compassionate young people who use creativity to make the world a kinder place.

Bridging Ages through Design: Grade 7’s PBL Experience – Busy Book Design for Little Learners

Bridging Ages through Design: Grade 7’s PBL Experience – Busy Book Design for Little Learners