The Sense of Smell — Interactive Lesson (KS1)

What tells your brain that something smells like a rose? This 21-slide interactive lesson teaches the sense of smell, from how the nose works to identifying real scents.

Learning About the Sense of Smell in KS1 Science

Children learn that smell is one of the five senses, understand how the nose detects smells and sends this information to the brain, identify and differentiate between common scents, and recognise the importance of smell in everyday life. They discover that tiny ‘olfactory receptors’ inside the nose act like smell detectives, catching scents and sending messages to the brain, and identify scent types such as fruity, vanilla, minty, earthy, wood, smoky, citrus and floral.

What’s Included

• 21-slide interactive lesson on the sense of smell
• Learning objectives on how smell works and identifying scents
• Olfactory receptors explained in child-friendly terms
• Eight scent categories, from fruity to floral
• Click-to-reveal scent identification with instant feedback

Key Benefits for Students

• Builds understanding of how the nose and brain work together
• Names and categorises a wide range of everyday scents
• Links smell to everyday activities such as eating
• Instant feedback on answer questions

Why Teachers Love It

• No prep — ready for whole-class teaching on an interactive whiteboard
• A structured lesson that can be split across sessions
• Self-marking questions support independent practice
• Suits small groups and whole-class sessions
• A memorable addition to a five senses topic

Love this? You’ll love…

• The Sense of Sight — Interactive Lesson (Ages 5–7)
• Identifying Objects and Materials — Interactive Lesson & Activities (KS1)
• What Do Animals Eat? — Interactive Lesson (KS1)

A dependable addition to a KS1 science topic, giving children a clear, engaging way into how the sense of smell works. This lesson pairs naturally with a sense of sight lesson to build a fuller five senses topic.

Bring the senses to life — Add to Basket.

FAQs

What year group is this for?
KS1 — Years 1–2 (ages 5–7).

Does it cover different types of scent?
Yes — eight scent categories are introduced.

Is it self-marking?
Yes, with instant feedback on the questions.