science experiment for kindergarten classroom

16 Science Experiments for Kindergarten: Nurture Curiosity and Learning with These Simple Experiments

4 Easy Science Experiments for Kindergarten

1. dancing raisins.

Materials :

2. Magic Milk

Watch as we demonstrate the magic of milk in this fun science experiment for kindergarteners. Using just a few household ingredients, your students will learn about chemical reactions and colors.

3. Baking Soda and Vinegar Volcano

4. rainbow celery, 4 fun science experiments for kindergarten, 5. colorful bubble snake.

In this video, you’ll learn how to make a colorful bubble snake using just a few household ingredients. It’s a fun and easy science experiment that will captivate your kindergarten learners.

6. Exploding Milk

7. walking water.

Young minds will be delighted as they witness the magic of water “walking” between cups while exploring the wonders of capillary action and color mixing.

In this video, you’ll learn how to make water “walk” using just a few household ingredients. It’s a fun and easy science experiment that will teach your kindergarten learners about capillary action.

8. Balloon Rocket

4 christmas science experiments for kindergarten.

Make the holiday season both enjoyable and educational for your kindergarteners by infusing science into your curriculum. These festive experiments will not only spark curiosity but also make learning more fun and memorable. have a blast experimenting with these cool Christmas science projects!

9. Fizzy Candy Canes

Looking for a fun and exciting science experiment to do with your kids? Look no further! Our candy cane fizzle experiment puts a unique spin on the classic baking soda and vinegar reaction. It’s all thanks to the powerful chemical reaction that creates carbon dioxide gas, resulting in that cool and exciting fizzing and bubbling effect. Get ready to experience a hands-on science lesson unlike any other!

10. Crystal Snowflakes

Introducing a magical winter experiment that will leave children feeling like creative geniuses! By using pipe cleaners and a top-secret solution made with natural borax and hot water, kids can craft their very own one-of-a-kind snowflakes. Watch in amazement as the borax molecules dance around the pipe cleaner, creating a stunning crystal formation that perfectly mimics the intricate beauty of real snowflakes.

Lean how to make crystal snowflakes in this fun science experiment for kindergarteners. Your students will learn about crystal formation and shapes in a fun and engaging way.

11. Peppermint Oobleck

12. melting snowman.

Looking for an exciting science experiment that will mystify your kids? Look no further. This super cool experiment involves the power of chemical reactions to make a snowman melt right before your eyes. With just a few simple ingredients like baking soda and vinegar, you’ll create a reaction that produces carbon dioxide gas. As it foams and fizzes, it’ll look like the snowman is melting away.

Learn how to make a melting snowman in this fun science experiment for kindergarteners. Your students will learn about the properties of different materials and states of matter.

4 Thanksgiving Science Experiments for Kindergarten

13. apple volcano.

Looking for a fun and educational experiment for your little ones? Try this one where they get to create a mini volcano! By combining vinegar and baking soda, a cool chemical reaction occurs and carbon dioxide gas is released. The build-up of gas in the apple causes it to erupt like a volcano.

14. Corn on the Cob Popcorn

Immerse yourself in a hands-on learning experience where you can see firsthand the magic that happens when heat, steam, and pressure work harmoniously together. Delight in the excitement of watching dried corn kernels transform before your very eyes as they burst open, creating the beloved snack we all know and love – popcorn!

Learn how to turn corn on the cob into popcorn in this fun science experiment for kindergarteners. Your students will learn about heat energy and transformations.

14. Pumpkin Guts Sensory Play

16. cranberry science experiment.

Experience the magic of buoyancy and density with this exciting experiment for children! Discover how cranberries can float in water thanks to the air pockets inside them. But wait, adding salt dissolves and reduces the density of water, causing these little berries to sink!

Additional 4 Science Experiments for Kindergarten

17. elephant toothpaste.

In this video, you’ll learn how to make elephant toothpaste using hydrogen peroxide and yeast. This experiment is a fun and exciting way to teach young learners about the science of chemical reactions and how they can cause a foamy

18. Magnetic Painting

This exciting magnetic experiment provides a dynamic and imaginative way to introduce children to the fascinating world of magnetism. With this hands-on approach, children will be enthralled as they use magnets to craft their own vibrant and one-of-a-kind works of art. Young minds will be captivated by the endless possibilities offered by the power of magnets, making for an unforgettable educational experience.

19. Egg in Vinegar

Prepare to witness a transformation as an ordinary eggshell dissolves, revealing a mysterious and captivating expansion of the shell itself. Children and adults alike will be amazed by the chemical reaction that unfolds before their very eyes, igniting a curiosity for the wonders of the world around us.

In this video, you’ll learn how to dissolve the shell of an egg using vinegar. This experiment is a great way to teach young learners about chemical reactions and how they can cause a change in the physical properties of an object.

20. Ice Cream in a Bag

In this video, you’ll learn how to make ice cream using a plastic bag and some ice. This experiment is a tasty way to teach young learners about the science of freezing and how it can transform liquids into solids.

3 Services to Help with Science Experiments

Spark curiosity with the wonders of science in your kindergarten classroom! By introducing easy science experiments for kindergarten, your little learners can explore the amazing world around them while also developing important problem-solving and critical thinking skills. Dive in with abundant online resources, collaborate with fellow teachers, and experiment with different activities until you find the perfect fit for your unique classroom. Let’s embark on a thrilling journey of discovery and make learning an exhilarating adventure!

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Kindergarten Science Experiments

These fun and easy kindergarten science experiments will be a hit with your kids. They are all hands-on and engaging STEM activities for kids!

Simple Kindergarten Science Experiments

If you’re looking for easy and entertaining science experiments to enjoy with your kindergarten students, you’ve come to the right place.

I’m passionate about sparking my kids’ curiosity through science investigations, and we’ve made it a goal to do even more of them. We’ve curated a collection of our favorite science activities.

Knowing that many of you are also eager to discover science experiments and activities suitable for kindergarten students, I’ve decided to share them right here with you.

If you’re in search of science activities tailored for kindergarten, this resource is bound to be a great help to you. Bookmark and come back to it as we will continue to add more experiments to this page as we do them.

Favorite Science Experiments for Kindergarten

These are some of our most popular STEM activities for kindergarten.

Your kids will love watching the colors race together in the Skittles experiment. Their reactions to the Fireworks in a Jar experiment and Lava Lamp experiment are always fun to watch!

You will be able to explain the science, prompt them to ask questions and answer questions as they ask them.

Science – Capillary Action

Capillary action occurs because water is sticky since water molecules like to stay together (cohesion). Thanks to adhesion, water sticks to other substances and moves along their walls. Learn more about capillary action with the three colorful experiments!

Science – Fun with Water

Most kids love water! Your students will learn so much with these fun hands-on science activities!

More Science Fun

Here are some more fun and exciting experiments for your kindergarten students! The kids will have a blast while they engage with these hands-on science lessons.

Educational Benefits of Science Experiments

Apart from the visual fun, experiments offer numerous benefits for students:

• Critical Thinking:  Kids will experiment with different variations and use trial and error to figure out how to manipulate the experiment. Be sure to ask questions to help foster your students’ curiosity. Invite them to ask you questions as well!
• Chemical Reactions:  They will be introduced to chemical reactions, creating curiosity about the interactions between substances.
• Fine Motor Skills:  Kids will help with these fun science experiments. They will be able to help setup the activity, pour, mix, and so much more.
• Creativity: Experiments are a great way for kids to explore their creativity. They will be able to try so many different fun variations.
• Building Confidence and Self-Esteem : As kids conduct experiments and have successful results, their confidence will really grow! This will encourage them to tackle challenges with excitement and perseverance.

We hope your kindergarten students love these engaging science activities! Looking for more fun science? Check out our Science for Preschool post .

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Kindergarten Science Activities: Experiments, Art Projects, And Video Resources

October 3, 2023 //  by  Lauren Du Plessis

Science experiments completed from a young age have proven to display amazing benefits such as: improved problem-solving and observation skills, as well as increased curiosity levels. Follow along as we dive into varied and exciting experiments that your kindergarten class is sure to love!

1. How Germs Spread

Learn about the spread of germs in this simple science experiment. Pair your students off and sprinkle glitter onto one students’ damp hands. Then encourage them to shake hands with their partner and watch how the germs, representing glitter, spread.

Learn More: Gift of Curiosity

Looking for fun and educational kits for kids? Check out our Favorite Subscription Boxes for Kids

2. Colorful Ice Cube Delight

This fun-filled, fizzy experiment is a great outdoor activity and perfectly demonstrates the chemical reaction between acids and bases.

Learn More: The Play-Based Mom

3. Will it Sink or Float? 

Learn More: Buggy and Buddy

4. Growing Jack o’ Lantern

This is the perfect Halloween-themed activity and allows students to grow their own balloon Jack o’ Lantern by producing a chemical reaction using 2 simple ingredients.

Learn More: Education.com

5. Divine Slime 

Get stuck into this fun hands-on science project with your Kindergarten class- they’ll love getting creative with unique feeling substances.

Learn More: Mommy Poppins

6. Dancing Rice

This is one of those fascinating experiments for kindergarten learners. Make the grains of rice dance through a water-vinegar mix shat has been dyed using drops of food coloring!

Learn More: Green Kid Crafts

7. Make a Lava Lamp

Make your very own lava lamp with the help of simple household ingredients. Personalize your lamp according to your favorite color- adding a couple of color droplets to your bottle.

Learn More: Science Fun For Everyone

8. Design a straw boat

Keep spirits high and brains alert with this straw boat project. Students should be instructed to create a floatable structure that successfully holds the weight of 25 pennies.

Learn More:  Education.com

9. Dry Erase Man

Using a whiteboard marker, draw a stick figure on a plate or the bottom of a glass bowl. Add water to watch your drawing come to life and start moving around the surface.

Learn More: Science Fun

10. Turn Bean Seeds Into a Bean Plant 

Green thumbs will have a blast as they grow sprouts from beans in paper towel strips. To embed this experiment into the curriculum, analyze the factors, such as sunlight, air, and water, that help the beans grow.

Learn More: Mom Junction

11. Craft Chromatography Butterflies 

Coffee filters take on a new purpose in this vibrant experiment. Chromatography is a kid-friendly science experiment that allows for the separation of various mixtures.

Learn More:  123 Homeschool 4 Me

12. Cloud in a Glass Jar

Jar-style experiments allow students to learn about grand-scale occurrences in a small, measurable manner. Create a cloud in a jar during a science lesson by using warm water, a closed jar, hairspray, and ice. Enjoy similar printable worksheets via the website linked below!

Learn More: Little Bins for Little Hands

13. Balloon Juice Box Racer

Incorporate this easy experiment into any lesson regarding recycling or air pressure by using a used juice box and other materials to build a car. For added excitement, we’d recommend having your students race their creations to see who is faster!

Learn More: Hello Wonderful

14. Watch Water Move Through Cabbage

This funky experiment visually demonstrates how plants work by absorbing colorful water and eventually ending up with dyed leaves.

Learn More: Itsy Sparks

15. Magic Tea Bag Rocket

Elements of magic are perfect for capturing the attention of Kindergarten students. Launch teabag rockets and wow the class. Be sure to have plenty of tea bags on hand as your students are going to want to repeat this experiment a couple of times!

Learn More: Paging Fun Mums

16. Melt your crayons 

Craft new, whacky crayons using pieces of old broken ones. Melt the wax and remold them into any shape you desire. This is a wonderful idea for younger grade classes who often require many coloring resources.

Learn More: Fun with Mama

17. Create Sensory Bottles

This fun sensory activity appeals to learners in a unique way and is sure to get them excited to learn! Get the students to experiment with smells and see if they can match the smell to its correct label and make scent bottles.

Learn More: Things to Share and Remember

18. Make a Sun Dial

The use of a sundial used to be common practice back in the day, but can still be incorporated into modern-day play as a unique approach to learning how to tell the time.

Learn More: Happy Brown House

19. Static Electricity Experiment

Use a balloon to demonstrate the effects of friction in causing static electricity. This inexpensive science experiment will be a good laugh for the class if the students are willing to use static electricity to make their hair stand up!

Learn More: Mess for Less

20. Instant Ice

Learn about the process of nucleation with this simple science activity that requires a plastic bottle and other simple materials.

Learn More: Only Passionate Curiosity

21. Turn Old Paper into New Paper

Explain that we can transform things from old to new by recycling them. Demonstrate this concept with paper!

Learn More: Think Earth

22. Make Edible Glass

Using a pantry of kitchen ingredients, make edible sugar glass to demonstrate the change of molecules when heat is applied!

Learn More: Go Science Kids

23. Rainbow Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiment

Make a rainbow from colored baking soda and add a vinegar mixture to make it fizz and come alive!

Learn More: Happily Ever Mom

24. Learn With Magnets

Make magnetic sensory bottles to help students learn about what objects are attracted versus which are repelled. We recommend the use of a variety of items such as pipe cleaners, a piece of paper, rubber bands, and a paper clip.

Learn More: Left Brain Craft Brain

25. Light Refraction Experiment

Dabble with light refraction when completing this quick and easy experiment.

Learn More:  Look We’re Learning

26. Water and Pencils in a Bag Experiment

Students are challenged to stick pencils through a bag without having it leak – how fun!

27. Defy Gravity

In this fun science experiment, defy gravity with the help of magnets and paper clips.

28. Make Magic Milk

This sure won’t disappoint your students and it’s just as good of an art project as it is a preschool science experiment!

Learn More: Fun Learning for Kids

29. Ice Painting Extravaganza

This activity gives budding artists an opportunity to get messy whilst enjoying a painting extravaganza with a scientific twist! To prepare, fill ice cube trays with watercolor paint and water before freezing. Then, once frozen, have your littles use the blocks to paint on paper and observe how the melting ice influences their art.

Learn More: YouTube

30. Growing Green Thumbs with Chia Pets

Cultivate your students’ green thumbs with a quick and exciting chia pet activity. All you need are terracotta planters and chia seeds to get going. Once you have the necessary materials, guide your students through the planting process and watch their faces light up as they observe their ‘pets’ sprouting vibrant green ‘hair’.

Learn More: Burger Fit

31. A Day of Shadow-Play

A sunny day is a perfect time for a lesson on light and shadows. Guide your students through a day of tracing and observing their shadows. Encourage them to note how their shadows change in size and position throughout the day. 

Learn More: Happy Mom Hacks

32. Bugs, Bugs Everywhere!

Transform your little ones into mini entomologists with a bug hunt. Equip them with magnifying glasses and lead them on a bug discovery adventure. As they locate them, spend time discussing the different bugs they encounter and instill a sense of wonder for these tiny creatures.

Learn More: Kidspot NZ

33. Tornado Twirling in a Jar

Prepare for gasps of amazement with a fun science experiment! Fill a jar with water, add a splash of vinegar, and a few drops of dish soap. Screw the lid on tightly, give it a good shake, and let your students watch in awe as a mini cyclone forms.

Learn More: Playing With Rain

34. A Globe, a Flashlight, and the Mystery of Night and Day

Demystify the concept of night and day using a globe and a flashlight. As the flashlight ‘sun’ shines on the globe ‘Earth’, explain how its rotation creates day and night. Your students will love seeing this cosmic ballet play out right in their very classroom.

35. Thermometer Craftiness

Engage your students in a crafty science challenge! Lead them in creating a homemade thermometer using a clear bottle, water, rubbing alcohol, and a straw. When putting their craft to the test, discuss how the rising and falling liquid reflects temperature changes.

Learn More: Lemon Lime Adventures

36. Can You Hear Me Now? 

This is no ordinary phone call! Get your kiddos to play with the transmission of sound waves by constructing a rudimentary telephone using cups and a string. 

Learn More: Mom Brite

37. Bubbling Over with Excitement

Unleash a flurry of excitement with homemade bubbles! With water and dish soap, engage your students by having them create bubbles of different sizes. As they compete to form the biggest, discuss the factors that affect the size and lifespan of a bubble.

Learn More: Project Nursery

38. The Magic of Composting

Teach the importance of recycling with a hands-on composting activity. You can do this by creating a compost bin to monitor the decomposition process; inviting your students to note how different items decay at different rates.

Learn More: National Geographic

39. Secret Messages 

This next activity will help you add a dash of intrigue to your lessons! Lemon juice and water create invisible ink that reveals itself under heat; leading your learners into a portal of chemical reactions. They can write secret messages and reveal them with heat, all while explaining the underlying chemistry.

40. Classroom Weather Watchers

Turn your classroom into a meteorological observatory by having your kiddos craft homemade weather instruments to observe and record weather changes. This will connect their learning to real-world applications like never before!

Learn More: Inventors of Tomorrow

41. Dive into a Flower’s World

Next up, explore the intricate life of flowers. First, give students a microscopic view of a flower’s world. Then, have them dissect a flower and identify its parts whilst discussing the role each part plays in the plant’s life cycle.

42. Journey Back in Time with Fossils

Time travel has never been easier! Leap back in time with DIY fossils. Using coffee grounds, flour, and salt, let your students create their own ‘fossils’; sparking conversations about geology and Earth’s history.

Learn More: Crafts by Amanda

43. Air Pressure Wizards 

Summon the magic of meteorology as you have your students step into the shoes of meteorologists and DIY a barometer. With a jar, a balloon, and a straw, they’ll discover a wealth of knowledge about changes in air pressure, and how it influences the weather.

Learn More: Go Science Girls

44. Sensory Nature Walk

Invite your students to explore the world by taking them on a multi-sensory nature exploration! A nature walk will let them listen, smell, touch, and see their environment in a whole new light; igniting a deep appreciation for nature.

Learn More: Fireflies and Mudpies

45. Shoebox Habitat Creations

Foster your kindergarteners’ creativity and empathy for living creatures. To begin, have them create shoebox habitats for animals of their choice. Then, spend time discussing the needs of each animal and the importance of suitable habitats.

Learn More: Teacher’s Mag

46. Egg Drop Architects

Turn your classroom into a physics lab with a simple egg drop challenge. The quest? Have your pupils design a structure that protects an egg that’s dropped from a height. 

47. Afloat in a Sea of Salts

Make the mystery of the Dead Sea come alive in your classroom. By testing buoyancy in different salt solutions, your students will learn why certain objects float while others sink.

Science experiments completed in Kindergarten are amazing opportunities for increasing academic ability from a young age. Elements of play, which can be seen throughout the above experiments, are encouraged in younger classes as they help to; reinforce more complex concepts and help students understand them in a simple manner.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is taught in kindergarten science.

Very basic concepts such as physical science and earth science are explored in the Kindergarten years. Principles of investigation and experimentation are also studied in these formative years whilst students develop their natural innate curiosity levels.

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Kindergarten Science Activities and Experiments

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50 Easy Science Activities For Preschoolers

Curious kids turn into junior scientists with these fun and easy preschool science experiments . Th ese science activities for preschoolers are doable and use simple supplies for home or in the classroom. Plus, you can scale any of these activities to use with kindergarten through elementary-age students!

Science for Preschoolers Engages the Senses

Preschool science encourages observations of the five senses, including sight, sound, touch, smell, and sometimes taste. The more kids can fully immerse themselves in an activity, the greater their interest will be !

Kids are naturally curious creatures, and once you have piqued their curiosity, you have also activated their observation, critical thinking, and experimentation skills.

These science activities are perfect for the senses, allowing play and exploration without adult-led directions. Kids will naturally start to pick up on the simple science concepts presented just by having a fun conversation about it all with you!

• 5 Senses Exploration Station
• 5 Senses Coloring Book (Free)
• 5 Senses Discovery Bags
• Apple Taste Test with the 5 Senses
• Pop Rocks and 5 Senses

Awesome Science Activities for Preschoolers

💡 Many of the preschool science projects below can be adapted to your kids’ current level. Also, these are perfect for kids of multiple ages to work together in small groups.

Click on each link below for full instructions. Also, look through our seasonal preschool science activities and grab the free science experiment cards!

• Spring Preschool Science Experiments
• Fall Preschool Science Experiments: apples and pumpkins
• Winter Preschool Science Experiments

Check out how different materials absorb water with this simple what absorbs water activity. 

ALKA SELTZER CHEMICAL REACTIONS

Make an Alka Seltzer Rocket , try a simple Alka Seltzer Experiment or a homemade Lava Lamp to check out this neat chemical reaction.

BAKING SODA AND VINEGAR EXPERIMENTS

Who doesn’t like a fizzing, foaming eruption? From an erupting lemon volcano to our simple baking soda balloon experiment. . Check out our list of baking soda science activities to get started!

BALLOON RACE CARS

Explore energy, measure distance, build different cars to explore speed and distance with simple balloon cars. You can use Duplo, LEGO, or build your own car.

BALLOON ROCKETS

Gas, energy, and power! Make Go power! Set up a simple balloon rocket. All you need is a string, a straw, and a balloon!

BURSTING BAGS

Definitely take this bursting bags science activity outside! Will it pop? This science activity will have you on the edge of your seat!

BUTTER IN A JAR

The science you can spread with a tasty homemade butter, after a good workout for the arms anyway!

BUTTERFLY LIFE CYCLE

Explore the butterfly life cycle with a free printable pack and butterfly sensory bin idea. Or create an edible butterfly life cycle instead!

Explore the simple fun of bubbles with these easy bubble experiments ! Can you make a bubble bounce? We have a recipe for the perfect bubble solution too.

Check out even more bubble fun with 2D bubble shapes or 3D bubble shapes , bubble painting , and bubble snakes !

BUILDING BRIDGES

This bridge building activity is an easy engineering project for young kids. It starts with the planning and designing process and ends with the building process. Construct your own bridge from simple supplies.

BUILDING TOWERS

Kids love building, and building structures is a great activity that incorporates many skills and is also frugal. Check out a variety of building activities .

CANDY SCIENCE

Play Willy Wonka for a day and explore candy science with floating m&m’s, chocolate slime, dissolving candy experiments, and more!

CELERY AND FOOD COLORING

Watch how water moves through a plant with a simple celery food coloring science experiment!

CHICK PEA FOAM

Have fun with this taste-safe sensory play foam made with ingredients you probably already have in the kitchen! This edible shaving foam, or aquafaba as it is commonly known, is made from the water chickpeas are cooked in.

COLOR MIXING

Color mixing is a science. Learn colors through play with these preschool color activities .

CRYSTAL GROWING

Growing crystals is simple! You can easily grow your own crystals at home or in the classroom with our simple recipe. Make a rainbow crystal , a snowflake , hearts , crystal eggshells , and even crystal seashells.

DENSITY {LIQUIDS}

Can one liquid be lighter than the other? Find out with this easy liquid density experiment!

DINOSAUR FOSSILS

Be a paleontologist for a day, make homemade dinosaur fossils , and then go on your own dig . Check out all our fun preschool dinosaur activities .

DISCOVERY BOTTLES

Science in a bottle. Explore all kinds of simple science ideas right in a bottle! They are perfect for themes, too, like these Earth Day ones!

Test how strong an egg is with this easy eggshell strength experiment. Find out what happens to an egg in vinegar , and try our mess-free egg drop challenge for young kids.

Have you ever changed the color of a flower? Try this color-changing flower science experiment and learn about how a flower works! Or why not try growing your own flowers with our list of easy flowers to grow .

What goes up must come down. Have young kids explore concepts in gravity around the house or classroom with simple objects you already have.

FIZZING LEMONADE

Explore the senses and a little chemistry with our fizzy lemonade recipe.

ICE CREAM IN A BAG

Homemade ice cream is yummy, edible science with only three ingredients! Don’t forget the winter gloves and sprinkles—this gets cold!

ICE MELT SCIENCE

An ice melt activity is a simple science you can set up in many different ways with many themes. Ice melting is a wonderful introduction to a simple science concept for young kids! Check out our list of ice activities for preschool.

Try the classic expanding ivory soap experiment! One bar of ivory soap can be very exciting! Also see how we experimented with one bar of soap and turned it into either soap foam!

Another must try science experiment using oil and water, a lava lamp experiment is always a favorite!

LETTUCE GROWING ACTIVITY

Set up a lettuce growing station. This is fascinating to watch and pretty quick to do. We watched the new lettuce grow taller each day!

Magic milk is one of our most popular science experiments. It is also just plain fun and mesmerizing!

What’s magnetic? What’s not magnetic? You can set up a magnet science discovery table for your kids to explore and this fun magnet activity !

MIRRORS AND REFLECTIONS

Mirrors are fascinating and have wonderful play and learning possibilities plus it makes for great science!

BOUNCY EGG EXPERIMENT

Ah, the egg in vinegar experiment. You need a little patience for this one {takes 7 days}, but the end result is really cool!

OOBLECK {NON-NEWTONIAN FLUIDS}

Oobleck is 2 ingredient fun! A simple recipe using kitchen cupboard ingredients, but it is the perfect example of a non-newtonian fluid. Also makes for fun sensory play. Make classic oobleck or colored oobleck.

Take the penny boat challenge and find out how many pennies your tin foil boat will hold before sinking. Learn about buoyancy and how boats float on water.

Make a simple pulley that really works, and test out lifting loads.

Learn about the science of rainbows as well as fun rainbow-themed science experiments. Check out our fun selection of simple-to-set-up  r ainbow science experiments . 

RAMPS AND FRICTION

We use cars and balls all the time with our rain gutters! Even flat pieces of wood or stiff cardboard work! Newton’s laws of motion really come alive with simple toy cars and homemade ramps.

ROCK CANDY (SUGAR CRYSTALS)

Another tasty science activity as you explore how sugar crystals form!

FOUR SEASONS

What’s the reason for the seasons, perfect for kids?

SEED GERMINATION

Our simple seed jar science activity is one of our most popular science activities for preschoolers. It is an excellent way to see how a seed grows!

THE 5 SENSES

Let’s explore the senses! Young kids are learning to use their senses every day. Set up a simple 5 Senses Science Table for exploring and learning how their senses work! Our candy taste test and senses activity are fun, too.

SHADOW SCIENCE

Explore shadows in several ways! Make shadows with your body (fun outdoor play and learning idea) and animal shadow puppets to check out!

Every kid should build a volcano with a simple chemical reaction, baking soda and vinegar! Build a sandbox volcano or a LEGO volcano ! Learn about fun volcano facts too!

Young kids learn by exploring, observing, and figuring out the way things work with hands-on activities. This volume activity encourages all of the above and is simple to set up.

WATER EXPERIMENTS

There are all kinds of fun science activities you can do with water. Use your STEM design skills to build your own water play wall , observe refraction of light in water , explore what dissolves in water or even try a simple solid liquid gas experiment .

WATER XYLOPHONE

Learn a little bit about the science of sound with a simple water xylophone.

WEATHER SCIENCE

Explore weather with rain clouds and tornados or even make a water cycle in a bottle!

TORNADO BOTTLE

Create a tornado in a bottle and study the weather safely!

We made both an indoor and outdoor zip line this year. Explore science concepts through play.

How to Teach Science to Preschoolers

Teaching science to preschoolers is a wonderful way to spark their curiosity about the world around them. Making the learning process fun, engaging, and age-appropriate is essential.

Make sure to check out…

• STEM for Toddlers
• STEM for Kindergarten
• STEM for Elementary

Begin by incorporating hands-on activities and experiments that encourage exploration and observation. Use simple and relatable examples from their everyday lives, such as observing plants grow, mixing colors, or exploring the properties of water.

Encourage questions and provide simple explanations that align with their level of understanding. Picture books can also be valuable tools for teaching science concepts. Add fun themes and colors for the holidays and seasons!

Additionally, fostering a sense of wonder and excitement about the natural world will lay a strong foundation for their future scientific learning. Remember that patience, repetition, and a nurturing environment are key to helping preschoolers develop a lifelong love for science.

Helpful Resources

Check out the links below to prepare yourself, your family, or your classroom for these easy preschool science experiments and activities. The key to success is in the preparation!

• Preschool Science Center Ideas
• Sensory Science Activities
• Fine Motor Activities
• Preschool Math Activities
• STEAM Books with Activities for Kids
• Make a homemade science kit that’s inexpensive!

Science Activities By Age Group

• Science for Toddlers
• Science for Kindergarten
• Elementary Science by Season
• Science for 1st Grade
• Science for 2nd Grade
• Science for 3rd Grade
• Science for 4th Grade
• Science for 6th Grade
• Science for Middle School

Printable Preschool Pack

Get ready to explore this year with our growing Preschool STEM Bundle ! Or grab the individual packs.

What’s Included:

There are 12 fun preschool themes to get you started. This is an ” I can explore” series! You’ll find both seasonal and non-seasonal themes appropriate to preschool learning throughout the year.

Each unit contains approximately 15 activities, with instructions and templates  as needed. Hands-on activities are provided to keep it fun and exciting. This includes sensory bins, experiments, games, and more! Easy supplies keep it low-cost, and book suggestions add learning time.

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Hi, this sounds like a neat activity for young toddlers to explore for texture. Could u please share the ingredients. My profession is in childcare. The children would like this activity I believe. Again, please share your slime recipe. Thank you!! LaTonia Jackson Armstrong

Hi! You simply need to click through the liquid starch slime link or get your recipe here box. However, I would suggest one of our taste safe slime recipes for toddlers as regular slime contains borax, sodium borate, or boric acid. These slimes should not be tasted!

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It’ fun for kids to experiment and science activities of any kind are a great way to encourage kids to explore. I will encourage my son about this hope so he will enjoy it. Thanks for the sharing such a interesting article.

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40 Fun & Easy Preschool Science Experiments

Welcome to our collection of fun and easy science experiments, especially handpicked for our tiniest tinkerers and budding scientists. These experiments provide a safe and engaging environment for children to observe, question, and discover.

Activities on this list aren’t about complex theories or lengthy explanations; they’re about the joy of discovery, the magic of “why,” and the thrill of the “aha!” moment.

In the age of preschool kids, curiosity knows no bounds. Every raindrop is a mystery, every shadow a playful game, and every bubble a burst of joy. At this tender age, the line between magic and science is delightfully blurred, making it the perfect time to embark on whimsical experiments that tickle the imagination while fostering a foundational love for the wonders of the world.

Guided by experienced educators, each experiment is thoughtfully crafted to ensure age-appropriate materials, simple instructions, and plenty of opportunities for hands-on exploration.

1. Floating Dry Erase Rainbow and Shapes Experiment  

The Floating Dry Erase Rainbow and Shapes Experiment is a captivating preschool science activity that engages young minds while introducing fundamental concepts of buoyancy and color mixing.

Learn more: Team Cartwright

2. The Oil and Water Experiment- Density Science

By combining oil and water in a clear container, students observe the distinct separation between the two substances due to their different densities.

Learn more: Play Trains

3. Make Ice Grow

This experiment sparks curiosity and wonder and teaches children about the states of matter and the scientific principle of freezing.

Learn more: Teach Preschool Org

4. Ice Cream in a Bag

The “Ice Cream in a Bag” experiment is a delightful preschool science activity combining hands-on fun and a tasty treat.

Learn more: Ice Cream in a Bag

5. Magic Milk

The “Magic Milk” experiment with fizzing milk is a captivating preschool science activity that combines chemistry and visual spectacle.

Learn more: Magic Milk

6. Walking on Raw Eggs

By placing raw eggs in a row on the ground and carefully stepping on them, students discover that the eggs can withstand their weight without breaking.

This experiment not only sparks excitement and awe but also encourages children to question and investigate the strength and structure of objects.

Learn more: Housing a Forest

7. Unicorn Fizz 

The “Unicorn Fizz” experiment is a delightful preschool science activity that brings together a sense of wonder and the magic of unicorns.

Learn more: Unicorn Fizz 

8. Unpoppable Bubbles

This hands-on and interactive activity encourages exploration, experimentation, and a sense of achievement when bubbles refuse to burst, making it a must-try for young scientists ready to challenge the laws of bubble physics.

Learn more: Unpoppable Balloons

9. Melting Ice

It’s a simple yet engaging activity that lays the foundation for understanding the principles of thermodynamics and encourages scientific inquiry, making it an ideal experiment for young learners eager to explore the wonders of science.

Learn more: Melting Ice

10. Exploring How Water Travels Through Leaves

The “Exploring How Water Travels Through Leaves” experiment is an exciting preschool science activity that allows children to discover the wonders of plant biology.

Learn more: Buggy and Buddy

11. Pepper and Soap

By sprinkling pepper onto a bowl of water and then gently touching the surface with a soapy finger, students witness the mesmerizing movement of pepper particles as they scatter away from the soap.

Learn more: Pepper and Soap

12. Rain Cloud in a Jar

This hands-on activity encourages observation, critical thinking, and a deeper understanding of weather phenomena, making it an exciting and educational experience for young learners eager to explore the science behind rain.

13. Making Color Disappear

The “Making Color Disappear” experiment is a captivating preschool science activity that introduces children to the magical world of color mixing.

Learn more: Making Color Disappear

14. Elephant Toothpaste

This hands-on and engaging activity fosters scientific inquiry, observation, and a sense of wonder, making it a must-try for young scientists eager to explore the fascinating world of chemistry.

Learn more: Elephant Toothpaste

15. Play Dough Volcano

This is a sensory and interactive activity that encourages exploration, observation, and scientific inquiry, making it a must-try for young scientists eager to unleash their inner volcanologists and have a blast while learning about the wonders of the natural world.

Learn more: Play Dough Volcano

16. Skittles Rainbow

By arranging a circle of colorful Skittles candies on a plate and adding a small amount of warm water, students can observe as the colors dissolve and blend together, creating a beautiful rainbow pattern.

Learn more: Skittles Rainbow

17. Rainbow Tower

By layering different liquids of varying densities, such as water, oil, and colored syrup, students can create a stunning rainbow tower in a clear container.

18. Balloon-Powered Car

By constructing a simple car out of everyday materials and attaching a balloon as the power source, students can witness the car zooming forward as the air escapes from the balloon.

19. Wind-Powered Car

By constructing a simple car using lightweight materials and attaching a small sail, students can observe how the wind propels the car forward.

20. Travelling Waters

The “Travelling Waters” experiment is a captivating preschool science activity that explores the concept of water absorption and movement.

21. Leak-proof Bag

Get ready to discover the wonders of a leak-proof bag experiment! This engaging pre-school science activity is a must-try for young explorers

Learn more: Leak-proof Bag

22. Magnetic Discovery Bottles

By filling transparent bottles with a combination of water, glitter, and an array of magnetic objects, children can witness the mesmerizing dance of magnetic forces.

Learn more: Magnetic Discovery Bottles

23. Water Xylophone

As they experiment with water levels and observe the corresponding changes in pitch, they’ll develop a deeper understanding of sound and vibrations.

24. Balloon Rocket Science

This hands-on activity not only sparks excitement but also introduces basic physics concepts in a playful and interactive manner.

25. LEGO Ice Excavation

Get ready to embark on a cool and captivating journey with LEGO ice excavation! This thrilling preschool science experiment is a must-try for young adventurers.

Learn more: LEGO Ice Excavation

26. Edible Butterfly Life Cycle

As they assemble and devour their edible creations, children will gain a deeper understanding of the miraculous transformation that butterflies undergo.

Learn more: Little Bins Little Hands

27. Penny Boat

As they experiment with different shapes and sizes, they’ll learn about buoyancy, weight distribution, and the principles of floating.

28. Salt Painting

Get ready to unleash your creativity with salt painting! This exciting pre-school art activity is a must-try for young artists. By using a mixture of salt, watercolors, and paper, children can create stunning and textured paintings.

Learn more: Salt Painting

29. String Telephone

This hands-on activity not only sparks imagination but also introduces the concept of sound transmission and vibrations.

Learn more: String Telephone

30. DIY Straw Rockets

Get ready for an exciting DIY adventure with straw rockets! This thrilling preschool science experiment is a must-try for young rocket scientists.

Learn more: DIY Straw Rocket

31. Dancing Corn

Through this simple yet enchanting experience, children will grasp the concept of air pressure and buoyancy in a fun-filled manner.

32. Egg Drop Challenge

The Egg Drop Challenge not only sparks enthusiasm for science but also nurtures teamwork and perseverance in little ones.

Learn more: Egg Drop Challenge

33. Rubber Egg (Egg in Vinegar)

Welcome to the fascinating world of the “Rubber Egg” experiment, where curious young minds will witness the extraordinary transformation of a regular egg into a bouncy, rubbery wonder!

34. LEGO Zipline

By constructing a simple zipline using LEGO bricks and a string, children get hands-on experience with the principles of gravity, motion, and engineering.

Learn more: LEGO Zipline

35. Blow Cup Challenge

The Blow Cup Challenge is a delightful and captivating preschool science experiment that will leave young learners amazed and eager to explore.

By blowing air into the cup, they witness the fantastic force of air pressure propelling the rocket upwards.

Learn more: Erintegration

36. How Strong Is the Spaghetti?

Through hands-on experimentation, they discover the principles of balance, stability, and load-bearing capacities.

This experiment not only encourages creativity and problem-solving but also introduces early engineering concepts in an engaging and approachable manner.

Learn more: Frugalfun4boys

37. Simple Static Electricity Experiment

The Simple Static Electricity Experiment offers an electrifying experience for preschoolers that sparks curiosity and wonder.

In this captivating activity, children explore the fascinating world of static electricity by rubbing balloons against different materials and observing the surprising effects.

38. Sedimentary Rocks Model

The Sedimentary Rocks Model offers an immersive and educational preschool science experiment that takes young learners on a fascinating geological adventure. In this hands-on activity, children get to create their own sedimentary rock models.

Learn more: Preschool Powol Pockets

39. Layers of the Earth

Through hands-on exploration, children will create a simplified Earth model using different materials to represent its layers: the crust, mantle, and core.

By understanding the composition of our planet, they’ll gain insight into the forces that shape the Earth’s surface and its interior.

Learn more: Red Ted Art

40. LEGO Pendulum Painting

By experimenting with different string lengths, weights, and paint colors, they discover how the motion of the pendulum influences the patterns it creates.

Learn more: LEGO Pendulum

Similar Posts:

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17+ Fun and Easy Science Experiments for Kids

1. Lava Lamp

2. raising water, 3. water walking, 4. orange fizz, 5. rainbow jar, 6. colorful foam, 7. dancing raisins , 8. rock candy, 9. magic milk, 10. mold test, 12. simple circuit.

Do you want to make science fun for your children? In that case, close science textbooks for a minute and organize kids’ science experiments in your classroom. 

When your kids see how everything is science, from baking soda to oranges, they will be more interested in learning science. So, this post will walk you through fun kids’ science experiments that only take two minutes to set up. 

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Ingredients Required :

A plastic bottle, fizzing tablets, vegetable oil, water, food coloring.

How to Set Up:

• Fill a plastic bottle with water (1/4th part) and vegetable oil (remaining amount). 
• Add food coloring and wait for a few minutes before putting a fizzing tablet in the bottle. 
• Then, turn off the lights and flash a light on a lava lamp to observe colorful blobs building. 

Jar, water, small votive candles, food coloring, matchstick. 

• Pour the colored water into a shallow dish and place a small votive candle in the middle. 
• Lighten the candle and quickly place an empty jar over it. 
• Watch the candle burning slowly. This will eventually raise the water level in the dish. 

Tissue paper, six paper cups, and six different food coloring. 

• Pour water into all six paper cups and add different food colors to each one. 
• Using tissue paper, arrange them in a circle to create a bridge between cups. 
• Wait for a few minutes to complete this kids’ science experiment. Your child will be amazed to see water walking from one cup to another.

An orange and baking soda. 

• Slice an orange into different sections for this simple kid’s science experiment. 
• Then, dip a section into baking soda and ask your students to take a bite. 
• When orange bubbles form in your students’ mouths, they will surely enjoy this experiment. 

A jar, six glasses, sugar, food coloring. 

• Pour water up to an equal level in all six glasses and put different food colors in each glass. 
• Glass 1 – 2 sugar scoops,
• Glass 2 – 4, etc. 
• Once the sugar dissolves in the water, use a water dropper to pour colorful water into an empty jar. 
• Due to different density levels of water, colored water will form separate layers in the jar, making it look like a rainbow. 

A soda bottle, ½ cup hydrogen peroxide liquid, dry yeast, warm water, a small cup, safety goggles, and liquid dish soap. 

• Put on your safety goggles and pour hydrogen peroxide liquid into a bottle. 
• Add food color and liquid dish soap into a bottle. Shake it. 
• In a small cup, mix warm water and yeast for 30 seconds. 
• Finally, let your students pour the yeast mixture into a bottle to form colorful foam. 

Raisins, warm water, vinegar, a cup.

This is a simple kids’ science experiment for young STEM students. Just pour water and vinegar into a transparent cup along with some raisins. The water and vinegar reaction will keep raisins floating and engage your students. 

A jar, saucepan, water, sugar, food coloring, skewer, clothespin, thread. 

• Pour water into a saucepan and place it over the stove. Keep adding sugar into the Water until Water reaches saturation level (no more sugar can dissolve in water). 
• Cool the water down and pour it into a jar along with your favorite food coloring. 
• With the help of a skewer and clothespin, hang a thread in the middle of the jar. 
• It takes time for the crystallization process to start, but gradually dissolved sugar will wrap around the thread to create rock candy. 

A tray, milk, food coloring, toothpick sticks, liquid dish soap.

Magic milk is a fun kids’ science experiment for preschoolers. Just pour milk into a tray and add dollops of different food colors. The color will remain in the milk until kids use toothpick sticks dipped in liquid dish soap to twirl milk as they please. 

Three bread slices, ziplock bags.

This is a quick kid’s science experiment to teach your students the importance of handwashing. Give three bread slices to your students and ask them to put them in different ziplocks. Before that, make them touch one bread slice with regular hands, one with water-washed hands, and another with sanitizer-clean hands. When they see how fast mold grows on the bread they have touched without washing their hands, they will never touch food without cleaning their hands. 

11. Balloon Blowing Trick

Balloons, vinegar, baking soda, a bottle 

• Take a balloon and pour vinegar into it. 
• Put some baking soda in an empty bottle. 
• Attach a balloon over the mouth of a bottle so that vinegar slowly pours inside it. 
• The reaction between vinegar and baking soda will produce gas, blowing up the balloon. 

Ingredients Required: 

Battery, small bulb, wires

How to Set Up:  This electricity experiment helps teach kids about electrical circuits. Connect one end of a wire to the positive terminal of the battery and the other end to the metal base of the bulb. Connect another wire from the negative terminal of the battery to the side of the bulb. Watch as the bulb lights up, showing how electricity flows through a circuit.

13. Leak Proof Bag

A ziplock bag sharpened pencils, and water.

Leak Proof bag experiment helps you teach unique water properties to your students. Pour water into the ziplock bag and ask your students to add pencils to it. They will be amazed to see how water didn’t leak despite all the pencil holes. 

14. Water Cycle

A ziplock bag, water, food coloring.

Filling a ziplock 1/4th with colorful water and placing it near your classroom window, you can show students how sunlight evaporates water to form rain, and the cycle keeps on repeating. 

15. Egg Challenge 

Eggs, straws, duct tape. 

You don’t have to do anything in this kid’s science experiment. Just give your students some straws and duct tape to create a mechanism to prevent eggs from breaking when you drop them out of your classroom window. 

16. Walking Ink-man

Markers, water, a tray.

With this kid’s science experiment, you can make your student’s eyes pop out. Draw a stick person on a tray using an ink marker and pour water into the tray. The insoluble nature of ink in water will make your ink character float over the water and amaze your class. 

17. Understand Liquid Density 

A jar contains different liquid items like honey, vinegar, soap, and rubbing alcohol. 

A simple experiment to make your class understand the density of different liquid products. Take an empty jar and ask your students to pour liquids into it to see which one floats on top of the other. 

18. Seed Germination

Source  

A jar, different seeds

Make your students understand the seed germination process with a simple classroom experiment. Request your class to bring different seeds like chickpeas, lentils, corn, etc. Show them how different seeds can germinate in a dark and humid bottle simultaneously.  

Make Science Fun With Simple Kids Science Experiments 

As you can see, everyday things lying around your class and home can turn into a great science experiment for kids. You can easily teach concepts like crystallization, water cycle, and water saturation with an experiment rather than a textbook. 

We have already shared cool kids’ science experiments with you. However, you can set up different science experiments in your class based on your student’s age and intellectual level. 

Here are many more online educational resources for kids that will help with their learning experience and make them smarter.

Frequently Asked Questions 

Why is science education important for a child's early development .

Science education activities help develop many attributes among students, like communication skills, teamwork, analytical thinking, social understanding, problem-solving, logical mindset, and more. 

What are the benefits of science experiments for preschoolers?

There are several benefits of kids’ science experiments:

• It helps to stimulate a child’s natural sense of adventure and curiosity.
• Make children aware of their surroundings. 
• Motivates kids to be persistent problem solvers and analytical thinkers. 
• Teach essential elements of scientific reasoning to children.

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45 Easy and Fun Science Activities for Preschool

Introduce curious little minds to a world of discovery.

Every day is a new opportunity for toddlers to ask “Why?” over and over. Tap into that curiosity with these fun and engaging science activities for preschoolers. These simple experiments incorporate many preschool favorites like playing with bubbles or water, making arts and crafts, and, of course, making a mess!

To make things even easier, we’ve rated every one of these preschool science activities for preschoolers based on difficulty and materials.

Difficulty:

• Easy: These are low- or no-prep experiments you can do pretty much anytime
• Medium: These take a little more setup or a longer time to complete
• Advanced: Experiments like these take a fairly big commitment of time or effort
• Basic: Simple items you probably already have around the house
• Medium: Items that you might not already have but are easy to get your hands on
• Advanced: These require specialized or more expensive supplies to complete

Water Preschool Science Experiments

Stem challenges for preschoolers.

• Seasonal Preschool Science Activities

More Science Activities for Preschoolers

These water activities for preschoolers help teach little learners a variety of science concepts. (These can get a little messy, so you might want to try them outside.) Find even more water science activities here.

Make music with xylophone bottles

Difficulty: Easy / Materials: Basic

The classic experiment using varying levels of water in glasses or bottles is even more fun when you add some food coloring. Experiment with different water depths and mallet styles to make all kinds of beautiful music!

Learn more: Xylophone Bottle at Mama Papa Bubba

Surround kids with an oversized bubble

Difficulty: Easy / Materials: Medium ADVERTISEMENT

Kids (and let’s face it, adults too) will definitely get a kick out of this fun science experiment. While you’ll only need a kiddie pool, some dish soap, and a Hula-Hoop to make this a reality, the payoff will be big.

Learn more: Giant Bubbles at Make and Takes

Watch rice dance in water

There are lots of cool baking-soda-and-vinegar experiments out there ( ever made your own volcano ?), but this one is always a favorite with little ones. The acid-base reaction causes the rice to dance and jump around in the water for an effect that is just so cool!

Learn more: Dancing Rice at Green Kid Crafts

Reveal colors with chemical reactions

Preschool science experiments often include a combination of baking soda and vinegar like this one. Fill muffin tins with a drop of food coloring, then top it with baking soda. Finally, let kids squirt in vinegar to reveal fabulous foamy hues! (Be sure to wear eye protection for this one.)

Learn more: Fizzy Fun at Busy Toddler

See what sinks and what floats

This preschool science activity helps kids learn to construct a hypothesis, conduct a simple experiment, and then sort their findings by property.

Learn more: Sink or Float at Fun With Mama

Learn what dissolves in water

Engage in more water play by having kids predict which items will dissolve in water and which ones won’t. Have kids keep track of the results so they can see if they have anything in common.

Learn more: What Dissolves in Water? at Hands On as We Grow

Watch hot water rise and cold water sink

This early exploration into the concept of density is always impressive to see in action. Have kids discover how hot water rises and cold water sinks. Explain that the same applies to air, and see if kids can think of a way to observe that in action too.

Learn more: Water Density Experiment at Mombrite

Grow a paper towel rainbow

“Capillary action” might be a real mouthful for preschool science students, but they don’t need to remember the term to be impressed by this experiment! All you need are markers, a paper towel, and two glasses of water.

Learn more: Capillary Action Experiment at Mombrite

Make shaving cream rain clouds

This is a classic science activity every kid should try at least once. It helps them understand how clouds become so saturated with water that they must release it in the form of rain.

Learn more: Shaving Cream Rain Clouds at One Little Project

Blow bubble towers

There are lots of fun science activities you can do with bubbles to explore concepts like surface tension. Or you can just have a blast seeing who can make the tallest tower with bubbles and straws.

Learn more: Bubble Towers at Happy Hooligans

STEM challenges give students a chance to try solving problems on their own. Give them some basic supplies and instructions, then let them experiment until they find a solution to the challenge.

Rescue toys from hot lava

While you might not want pre-K kids climbing all over the classroom furniture to play “The Floor Is Lava,” they can do the same thing with their toys in this cute STEM challenge.

Learn more: Floor Is Lava at Forward With Fun

Build a catapult

Challenge students to build a catapult using just three items: Popsicle sticks, elastics, and a plastic spoon. You’ll definitely want to have an extra set of adult hands available as this can prove challenging for pre-K kids. Finally, bring plenty of marshmallows or pom-poms to launch.

Learn more: Make a Catapult at Education.com

Discover strength in shapes

Learn shapes while also practicing some basic science. Fold paper into various shapes to form columns and ask kids to predict which will be able to support the most books.

Learn more: Strength in Shapes at All for the Boys

Build an aluminum foil boat

Teach kids about buoyancy and physics while having fun in the process. First, give your students some tinfoil and challenge them to build a sturdy boat. Then, challenge them to fill the boat with as many pennies as they can without it sinking.

Learn more: Foil Boat Challenge at Little Bins for Little Hands

Waterproof a boot

Ask kids to select various materials and tape them over the free boot printable found at the link. Then, test their hypotheses to see which ones work best.

Learn more: Waterproof a Book at Science Sparks

Reach for the sky

Round up all your building blocks and try this whole-class project. What will students need to do to be able to construct a tower that reaches all the way to the ceiling?

Learn more: Tower Engineering Challenge at Mama Smiles

Link up the longest paper chain

This incredibly easy preschool STEM activity really gets kids thinking. The challenge? Create the longest possible paper chain using a single piece of paper. So simple and so effective.

Learn more: Paper Chain Challenge at Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls

Build an apple toothpick tower

Put a healthy spin on a classic STEM challenge by substituting apple pieces for marshmallows. Kids will have a tasty snack when they’re done!

Learn more: Apple Toothpick Tower at N. Family Club

Stack up plastic cups

Kids absolutely love stacking cups ! Turn the play into a STEM challenge by adding index cards into the mix. Kids can experiment to see if they can build taller towers with or without the cards.

Learn more: Solo Cup Engineering Challenge at The Salty Mamas

Craft a nest

Take a nature walk and pick up items like sticks, leaves, and more. Then, build your own bird nests to protect little eggs and hatchlings.

Learn more: Build a Nest at Pink Stripey Socks

Seasonal Science Activities and Experiments for Preschoolers

Whether you’re looking for Halloween science activities , winter science experiments , or Easter egg activities , find them all and more here!

Make pretend snow

No snow where you live? Make some yourself! Find easy recipes for “snow” using baking soda, shaving cream, cornstarch, and other household items. Experiment to find the one that works best.

Learn more: Make Pretend Snow at Elf on the Shelf

Explore how mittens keep you warm

Ask little ones if mittens are warm, and they’ll likely answer yes. But when they measure the temperature inside an empty mitten, they’ll be surprised by what they find. Learn about body heat and insulation with this easy experiment.

Learn more: Mitten Body Heat Experiment at Classroom Magic

Measure the water content of snow

Two inches of snow is not the same as two inches of rain. This easy winter science experiment measures the amount of water actually found in an inch of snow.

Learn more: How Much Water Is in Snow? at KC Edventures With Kids

Create salt crystal hearts

Difficulty: Medium / Materials: Basic

Make these pretty red crystalized hearts as Valentine’s Day decorations, or anytime you want to show someone some love!

Learn more: Salt Crystal Hearts at Red Ted Art

Grow grass in an eggshell

Difficulty: Medium / Materials: Medium

What’s more fun than a preschool science experiment that doubles as a craft? You’ll need eggs, soil, grass seeds, water, and a permanent marker to bring this project to life. Kids will especially love personalizing their eggshell.

Learn more: Egg Grass Heads at Mother Natured

Decompose a jack-o’-lantern

Difficulty: Easy / Materials: Medium

When Halloween is over, plop your jack-o’-lantern pumpkin in the garden and observe it each day. Kids learn how organic matter breaks down over time.

Learn more: Pumpkin Decomposition at Gift of Curiosity

Send a ghost flying with magnets

Use magnets along with a few other supplies to make a tissue ghost seem to float in midair! It’s the perfect spooky Halloween science activity for preschoolers.

Learn more: Flying Ghosts at STEAM Powered Family

Conduct experiments on marshmallow Peeps

Pick up a package of marshmallow Peeps (they’re available during many seasons of the year now), and try turning them into little boats. Experiment with different sail sizes and types, and figure out how to make the candy boats go faster.

Learn more: Marshmallow Peep Boat Challenge at Lemon Lime Adventures

Launch plastic egg rockets

Put on some safety goggles and get ready for lift-off! This simple experiment uses Alka-Seltzer tablets to turn eggs into rockets.

Learn more: Easter Egg Rockets at The STEM Laboratory

Dissolve colorful turkey “feathers”

Baking soda and vinegar experiments are always popular, and this one is so cute for the Thanksgiving season. Build your own little turkey with baking soda feathers, then watch them foam up and dissolve when you add some vinegar.

Learn more: Turkey Feather Science at 123 Homeschool 4 Me

These science activities and experiments give preschoolers a chance to explore all sorts of science concepts, from plants and animals to germs and gravity and beyond.

Slice apples to learn about oxidation

Here’s another classic preschool science activity: using apple slices to learn about oxidation (and how to prevent it). When you’re done, you’ve got a tasty snack to eat too.

Learn more: Apple Oxidation at Teaching With Jennifer Findley

Show why sunscreen is important

First, have your students make four construction-paper people, each with varying conditions. Wrap one in plastic wrap, cover another in sunscreen, put a hat on one and a set of sunglasses on another. Ask kids to hypothesize what will happen when they’re left out in the sun, then see if they’re right!

Learn more: Sunscreen Experiment at 123 Homeschool 4 Me

Engage in some shadow science

Learn about animals and shadow science with these adorable and easy puppets. Use them to act out some scenarios involving these creatures in their natural habitats.

Learn more: Shadow Science at Little Bins for Little Hands

Mix up some “magic” milk

A drop or two of dish soap will make food coloring dance and swirl across the surface of a shallow bowl of milk. Preschool science experiments often seem like magic, but this one is all about surface tension and chemical reactions.

Learn more: Magic Milk at Laughing Kids Learn

See how easily germs spread

We love a preschool science experiment that reminds little ones of the importance of good handwashing. Help them see why it’s so important with this simple experiment that uses glitter to stand in for germs .

Experiment with wax paper

This wax paper experiment is interesting from both a science and art perspective. Ask kids to think about why wax paper behaves differently than other paper they use for art projects.

Learn more: Wax Paper Resist at Housing a Forest

Predict and observe what will melt in the sun

You’ll need a hot sunny day for this preschool science experiment. Help students choose a variety of items to place into a muffin tin and have them predict which ones will melt. Set the tin out in the sun for an hour or two, then bring it in and record your results.

Learn more: Melting Science at Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls

Drop balls to introduce gravity

Gravity can be a complicated subject, but all pre-K kids need to understand the basics. Drop balls of all sizes to discover that they all fall in the exact same way.

Learn more: Gravity Experiment at Inspiration Laboratories

Head to the playground to explore gravity and friction

What goes up must come down! A playground slide is the perfect place to help kids understand gravity. This is a good chance to learn about friction too.

Learn more: Playground Science at Buggy and Buddy

Test objects with magnets

Magnets are undeniably a source of fascination for kids. At this stage, you can worry less about explaining how magnets work and instead just let kids explore which items are attracted to magnets and which aren’t. Sort the items into categories, then see if the items have anything in common.

Learn more: Magnets at PreKinders

See sound waves in action

This series of simple experiments lets kids see sound waves at work. Start by making waves with a Slinky , then move on to tuning forks and bouncing confetti.

Learn more: Sound Experiment at Hands On Teaching Ideas

Make an orange volcano

Making erupting volcanoes is a staple of any childhood! We love this easy volcano experiment using an orange, baking soda, and vinegar.

Learn more: Orange Volcano at The Art Kit Blog

Grow delicious rock candy crystals

Preschoolers love science activities that involve food. While crystal experiments are a hit with kids of any age, this one is perfect for the young crowd. It requires a little patience, but kids get to eat the yummy results!

Learn more: Kool-Aid Rock Candy at Growing a Jeweled Rose

Move pom-poms with air pressure

Understanding the idea that air can have enough force to move objects can be a little challenging, but this simple experiment brings that concept to life. We love that this experiment is affordable since most people (especially teachers) already have these materials on hand.

Learn more: Air Pressure Experiment at Kids Activities Blog

Make a balance scale

This simple balance scale is so easy to make yet provides endless opportunities for weighing all kinds of objects. Have kids assemble a scale from a plastic hanger, a few paper cups, and some string, then let them hypothesize which items will be heavier and which will be lighter.

Learn more: DIY Balance Scales at Go Science Kids

Like these science activities for preschoolers? Don’t miss the 30 Best Educational Toys and Games for Preschool .

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20 Easy to Do Science Experiments for Kindergarten & Kids

Simple Science Experiments For Preschool Children

Best science experiments for children.

Your child is at an age when the world around him/her seems exciting and plain old fun. It’s no wonder it’s the best time to introduce your kindergarten kids to the fascinating world and wonders of science. Here are a couple of easy kindergarten science experiments for your kids.

These cool kindergarten science experiment ideas can be done indoors and outdoors and will assimilate fine motor and observational skills in kids. Try these out at home and outside too.

• Sink And Float

Sink and float is a fun science game where you take a sheet of paper and label two columns as sink and float, respectively. You then tell your child to collect a couple of household and simple outdoor objects and try placing them one at a time in a big bowl or pan of water to see whether they sink or float.

The science behind this is that heavy objects sink while light objects float. Your kids will love it.

• Invisible Drawing 

Tell your kid to take a pan of water and mix in a few drops of dishwashing detergent. Get them a cotton swab and encourage them to draw or write their favorite letters on the bathroom window. After a hot bath or steam bath, they’ll notice that the letters or pictures they drew on the glass become visible despite the foggy surroundings.

The science behind this is that dishwashing detergent prevents water molecules from forming on the surface. Amazing!

• The Egg Game

Give your kid a glass and ask him to pour water till the halfway mark. Now, ask your kid to mix six tablespoons of salt and stir. Again, instruct your kid to gently add water till it the glass is almost full. Tell him/her to place the egg in the water and watch what happens. The egg will float because salt increases the density of the water.

• The Magnet Game 

Ask your kid to gather a few items from around the house and place them near a magnet one by one. The ones that are made from metal or nickel will get pulled in while the others won’t stick to the magnet. It’s a cool way to teach your kid about the magnetic properties of metals.

• Colour Theory Game

Take three glasses and fill them with water and add food colouring in each. Make sure the colours you add are red, yellow, and blue. Ask your kid to mix the colours and observe how new colours form. The science behind this is that red, yellow, and blue, are primary colours which can be used to create more colour variations.

Ask your kid to take three cups of water and fill them up to the brim. Cover one of them with a lid and tell him to put them all in the freezer. In the morning, remind your kid to take them out from the freezer and check them again. The cup with the lid will have noticeable cracks; the reason being water expands when frozen to cold temperatures, causing the cup to crack.

• The Balloon Experiment 

Inflate a balloon and place it near your kid’s ear. Gently tap it and watch him/her marvel at the outcome. The science lesson in this is that air molecules move and collide with each other, thus increasing sound waves.

• The Wave Game 

Take a bottle and fill 3/4 of it with water and the rest with castor oil. Add food colouring to the mix and ask your kid to turn it upside down or side to side. Colourful waves will travel from one end to the other, thus teaching them that the Earth’s gravitational pull causes waves as it rotates around the sun.

• The Gravity Game

Take a big watermelon and apple. Make sure you weight them each apart so that your kid realizes which one is heavier. Take them to a tall playground structure and ask him/her to drop both of them at the same time. If done correctly, both the objects will hit the ground at the same time. Your kid may be baffled at this experiment and ask how the heavier object didn’t reach the ground before the lighter one.

The answer is the Earth’s gravity attracts all objects with an equal pull and this pull’s force doesn’t change based on the weights of different objects.  Repeat this experiment with bowling balls, ping pong balls, and other objects and watch your kids’ curiosity unfold! Newton would be proud.

• The Water Lesson 

This little game involves three coffee cans, pieces of black construction paper, some tape, moist dirt, sand, and some time. Place the three cans in front of a sunny window on top of a radiation. Tape all the three with black construction paper except make sure that the second one is filled halfway with moist dirt and the third with sand. Ask your kid to make a hypothesis and check back after a while. Your kid will notice that the paper taped to the can filled with dirt will be drenched with moisture while the sandy can will have light traces of moisture, thus proving that soil retains water.

This lesson is also tied to their kindergarten curriculum and introduces them to their water cycle lessons too!

We understand your kid may be entering junior high any time which is why we have covered science experiments for children who are older than kindergarten kids too. Here are a couple of easy science experiments for kids of older age groups-

• The Shadow Game 

Everyday life provides many opportunities for this fun little game. Ask your child to investigate his shadow and guess where the light source comes from. What happens if he changes the shape of the shadow and takes objects like hula hoops and morphs it into different shapes? What happens if you change the direction the hula hoop is facing or if you move to a different spot outdoors or indoors? Explore this game with a lamp as well.

• Backyard Detectives 

Take your kid out on a detective adventure to the backyard or a park. Ask him to explore different species of plants, bugs, insects, and small-sized animal species. Teach them to observe trees and look for signs of animal life there. Have the leaves been eaten or has the soil been burrowed? Ask questions aloud like, ‘I wonder what the ants eat?’ or ‘I wonder how the caterpillar moves’ will teach you kid about the structures of organisms and how they meet their basic needs. Ask your child to wonder about which animals take shelter where and when they come out. Document these changes and capture outdoor moments on camera every season to make memories and have fun exploring hands-on learning.

• Playground Science

Take your kid to the playground and ask them to balance themselves on swings or play structures. Ask them to think about what they are doing and how long they are able to maintain balance based on different postures. Tell them to think about what happens when they push harder on the swing and why it happens. Playing on the swings will teach your kids about equal and opposite forces.

• Weather And Structure Games 

When taking your kid on car rides or bus trips, ask him to describe the shapes and number of clouds, whether the sun is visible or not or where light comes from, the differences between manmade structures, and describing what the weather is like. These observations will model their senses and enhance their understanding of their surroundings. Ask your child to reason why the moon follows them at the night and explain to them why that appears to be so but is not.

• Building Blocks 

Take your child to construction sites or places with bricks and stones. Ask him to look closely and notice whether the stone has multiple colours or how they differ in shape and texture. Explain to him how buildings are made and how the materials look and differ in their foundations. What kind of challenges do construction workers face during building constructions and why are the rooftops of houses slanted? These experiences will build your child’s observation skills and awareness of their environments.

• Kitchen Experiments 

The kitchen is a wonderful avenue for developing a sense of measuring and observing how changes take place (foundations of chemistry). Children of this age are curious and want to help out in the kitchen. Let your child do that by encouraging him/her to mix ingredients, play with recipes, and watch how changes occur when two ingredients mix and heat up on the pan. Make scrambled eggs and pancakes in front of your child and allow them to observe how the fire changes the shape and colour of the yolk and encourage him/her to describe what he/she is seeing.

• Coloured Flowers 

Capillary action is when water flows through small spaces without the help of gravitational pull or external opposing forces. This phenomenon is due to the high surface tension of fluids and it explains how a sponge draws water into it or how hair strands stay wet after a bath even if gravity acts on them. A fun experiment to demonstrate this is to take a bunch of white flowers, trim with angled cuts and place them in a cup of lukewarm water. Add a couple drops of food dye and colouring and let the flowers sit for a few hours, until they begin to change colours. Your kids will be left mind-blown with this experiment.

• Homemade Slime 

Slime ranks at the top of childhood memories and who doesn’t have fond memories of watching Ghost Busters as kids? For this cool little trick, take a 1/4 cup of water, 1/4 cup of white school glue, and add a few drops of food colouring to the mix. Add borax solution to the glue and water and mix. Continue kneading till it results in a texture you like and remove the slime from your bowl or cup and have fun.

• Paper Airplanes

Teach your kids a little bit about physics and origami by making a paper airplane. Let it fly and bend its corners to demonstrate how the plane changes its flight path.

This experiment is a little explosive in nature so make sure to stand back when watching it go. For this you need a can of diet coke and a mentos pack. Drop in a mentos (or two) in the can of diet coke can and watch it explode! Older kids absolutely love it!

Kids love quenching their curiosity and exploring the marvels of science. At these budding ages, let them explore, have fun, and try out these science experiments and activities for kids at home and outside while you’re at it!

Your kid will definitely think you’re cool and creative and give you props for your taste of adventure with these easy but fun indoor and outdoor science experiments!

Also read:  15 Amazing Memory Games For Kids

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Science Fun

Science Experiments for Kids:

Science experiments you can do at home!  Explore an ever growing list of hundreds of fun and easy science experiments. Have fun trying these experiments at home or use them for science fair project ideas. Explore experiments by category, newest experiments, most popular experiments, easy at home experiments, or simply scroll down this page for tons of awesome experiment ideas!

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21 Easy Science Activities for Preschoolers

Introduce science concepts to your preschool classroom with these activities and experiments.

• brightwheel
• Child development

Preschoolers may not fully understand science concepts yet, but doing science experiments is an excellent way to lay a foundation for future learning and exploration. Experimentation helps young children build a good relationship with science by making concepts fun and hands-on. 

In this article, we’ve featured simple experiments to teach preschoolers basic science concepts. But before getting into our list, let's discuss why science activities are important and what concepts children need to learn at this stage.

What are important science concepts for a preschooler to learn?

There are seven basic preschool science concepts. They include:

• Observing: This is the first concept children learn from science experiments. For example, when you present them with an object, they are able to use their senses to describe its color, size, shape, and texture. 
• Comparing: Once your preschoolers learn to observe items, you can introduce several items for them to compare. For example, which apple is bigger? Are the colors different? 
• Classifying: After observing and comparing, preschoolers can progress to grouping items. They can arrange things according to shape, size, texture, or color.  
• Measuring:  This is a more advanced skill, where preschoolers can practice measuring items for comparison instead of simply comparing the objects through observation. For example, they can use a weighing scale or tape measure to determine which banana is bigger. 
• Communicating:  After doing experiments, preschoolers have to learn how to report their results. This can be done through documentation, drawing, or verbal description. 
• Inferring:  Children can learn this skill through simple experiments in the classroom. For example, if your class has a thriving plant that you water consistently, the children might notice it has withered after school has been closed for an extended period of time. The children might come to the conclusion that the plant needs water. 
• Predicting:  This skill is gained by making guesses based on prior observations. Preschoolers will start by predicting easy concepts, like what melts or what floats, and advance as they learn more.

Importance of science experiments in early childhood

When children conduct experiments, they learn to observe, predict, and question the world around them, laying the foundation for analytical thinking. These hands-on activities also provide invaluable opportunities for children to experience the thrill of discovery firsthand, encouraging them to be active participants in their own learning process. Here we discuss more benefits of introducing science in preschool:

Fuels curiosity 

As an early childhood teacher, you are most likely bombarded every few minutes with questions about why things happen. Science allows children to investigate and learn more about the world around them. Encouraging children to engage in exploratory activities can help feed curiosity and even reduce the occurrences of challenging behavior. For example, a paint-mixing activity can help neutralize high energy and avoid distracting behavior.

Enhances the curriculum 

Science doesn't have to stand on its own—other parts of the preschool curriculum can be tied to science concepts. For example, during a temperature measuring experiment, children can practice number recognition. You can also extend the lesson by discussing arctic animals or the culture of people who live in cold climates. You could even incorporate an art class by deciding to draw arctic animals. 

Boosts literacy development 

Group science experiments can boost children’s communication skills. One way this is done is by discussing predictions or observations. Children must also use their critical thinking skills to predict what to expect from the experiments and express their thoughts about the experiment.

Builds a foundation for learning 

Science experiments foster a positive attitude toward science at an early age. The skills children learn at this stage can help them think critically, improve their problem-solving skills, and understand their world better. Concepts such as animals, plants, weather, and environment can impact a child's perspective of the world around them.

Keep families informed about what their child is learning in your classroom. With brightwheel's daily report feature , you can record photos and activities and share them with families. You can also create custom newsletters for longer updates showing your classroom highlights!

Science activities for preschoolers

Each of the activities listed below is designed to be fun, engaging, and packed with learning opportunities that introduce basic scientific concepts in a way that’s accessible and exciting for young learners.

1. Grow a rainbow

The concept behind this experiment is capillary action , which is the spontaneous flow of liquid into a porous material. However, preschoolers don't need to remember that to enjoy the action. Prepare to see their faces light up as the rainbow travels up the paper towel to make a complete rainbow. It's also a good opportunity for children to learn more about colors.

2. Sink or float 

In this experiment, children are challenged to predict what will sink and what will float . They can then do the experiment with different objects and record their findings. Remember to ask them to note which predictions they got right.

Additionally, when preschoolers use science-related terms, it expands their vocabulary. For example, science introduces them to words like species , lifecycle , habitat , and microscope .

3. Color-changing milk

This experiment is an introduction to the concept of surface tension, and requires only a few simple materials to get started. There are so many color changes during this experiment, so it's an excellent way to introduce preschoolers to observation and communicating their findings. After the experiment, ask the children when the color changes happened and why they occurred.

4. Water absorption

Understanding how different items absorb water is an important concept for children to understand in real life. This experiment will help preschoolers determine what to use when drying a spill and help them understand why they can use a napkin to wipe up a drop of water, but they need a towel to dry themselves after bathing.

5. What melts in the sun?

This is a good way to pass the time on a hot, sunny day and teach your preschoolers about melting points . Pick a mixture of items that can melt and items that don't melt and add them to a muffin tin. You could choose items such as a cube of cheese, ice, a rock, butter, or a coin. Before starting the experiment, ask the children to predict which items they think will melt and record their answers.

Place the tray in the direct sun and wait at least 15 minutes to see what happens to the items and then revisit their predictions to see which ones they got right. Later, ask them to name other items they think would melt.

6. Bubble towers

This bubble blowing activity will probably be one of your children’s favorite experiments. Add water and a few drops of dish soap to a plastic cup and have children blow out through plastic straws to make bubbles. The bubbles will grow and expand and spill over the edges of the cup. See who can create the biggest bubble tower!

7. Hands-on air pressure

Introduce your preschool class to the concept of air pressure with an experiment that gives a visual demonstration of moving an object with just air. Add two kitchen sponges to a plastic bag and place a plastic straw between the two sponges so one end is outside the bag and one is inside the bag. Seal the bag with tape. Blow into the straw to inflate the bag. Place a pom pom or cotton ball on a flat surface in front of the end of the straw and press hard on the sponges and watch the pom pom roll away.

8. Static comb

This easy experiment teaches the basics of static electricity , the friction force caused by the imbalance of positive and negative charges on a surface. The charges build up on the surface until they’re discharged. 

For this activity, take some colored paper and cut it up into small pieces. Scatter the pieces on a table. Grab a plastic comb and hold it over the pieces of paper and see what happens. Next, run the comb against your hair and hold it over the pieces of paper again. The comb will now attract the pieces of paper and they will get attached to the comb.

9. Magic dancing rice

This experiment shows the reactions of acids and bases. You’ll need vinegar, baking soda, a clean container, a spoon, rice, and water. 

Pour a cup of water into the container, then add a teaspoon of baking soda and stir. Sprinkle some rice in the mixture and observe what happens (the rice sinks because it's denser than water). Then add a teaspoon of vinegar to the water. You’ll observe that the vinegar reacts with the baking soda to form carbon dioxide bubbles.  

After a few minutes, the rice rises to the surface of the glass. Once the rice reaches the surface level, the gas is released, and the rice falls to the bottom of the glass, and the process continues to repeat.

10. Strong shapes

This science activity is similar to the game Jenga, and it’s a good way to introduce preschoolers to the concept of weight distribution . The idea is to make bases of different shapes—square, triangle, and cylinder—out of sheets of paper to see how much weight each base can support. Once the bases are ready, you can start stacking items such as books, one by one, on each base to see how it supports the items.

11. Glowing water experiment

This experiment introduces children to electromagnetic waves . For this experiment, you’ll need regular tap water, tonic water, a dark room, a black light, four glasses, fluorescent paint, and a highlighter pen. Fill glass one with regular tap water, glass two with tonic water, glass three with normal water and highlighter ink, and glass four with normal water and fluorescent paint. Put the four glasses in a dark room, place the back light 12 inches away from the glasses, and watch which glasses glow.

You’ll see that glass one doesn’t glow under black light. However, glass two glows brightly because the quinine in tonic water makes invisible ultraviolet rays visible. Glass three glows because highlighter ink contains phosphors, which react to the black light, causing the water to glow. Because fluorescent paint also contains phosphors, glass four will also glow under black light.

12. Egg and toothpaste experiment 

Convincing children to brush their teeth can be a challenge. This experiment presents an opportunity to show preschoolers how toothpaste protects teeth from discoloration.

For this experiment, you’ll need a dark soda like Coca-Cola, toothpaste, black coffee, four glasses, and four raw eggs. Pour black coffee into two glasses and pour the soda into the remaining two glasses. Coat two of the eggs with toothpaste. Place one plain egg in a glass of soda and one with toothpaste into the other glass of soda. Then place one plain egg in a glass of coffee and a coated egg in the other glass of coffee. Allow the setup to rest for at least 24 hours for desired results. 

You should find that the plain egg in the soda glass stains, while the one coated in toothpaste doesn’t. Similarly, the toothpaste-coated egg in coffee doesn’t stain, but the plain egg in the coffee does.  

This happens because when the plain eggs are placed in the liquids, the acidic contents react with the calcium carbonate to form stains. However, when the eggs are covered with toothpaste, the fluoride creates a protective layer around the eggs to prevent the acidic reaction from happening.

13. Ocean in a bottle

This simple experiment introduces children to the concept that water and oil don’t mix. For this experiment , you’ll need a funnel, blue food coloring, cooking oil, water, and a large, clear plastic bottle.  Fill the bottle with water and add several drops of food coloring. Ask your preschoolers to shake the bottle to disperse the food coloring and observe what happens.

14. Leak-proof bag

This experiment is fascinating, even for some adults. Did you know that you can push pencils through a bag full of water without the water spilling out? Well, it’s possible because the bag is made of a long flexible chain of molecules (polymers), so when the pencils enter the bag, molecules form a seal around them. You’ll need sharpened pencils and a gallon-size storage bag for the experiment. Fill the bag halfway with water and poke a pencil straight into one side and through to the other side. Allow the preschoolers to try this with as many pencils as they can.

15. Rain cloud in a jar

This experiment allows preschoolers to understand the idea behind water saturation as well as  explore clouds and rain in an engaging way. It shows children the process through which clouds get thick before the rain falls. 

For this experiment, you’ll need a large jar, pipettes, gel food coloring, and shaving cream. Mix the food coloring with water in a small cup. Fill ¾ of the large jar with water and spray some shaving cream on top to represent a cloud. Ask the children to use the pipettes to squirt the colored water on top of the cream. Soon the colored water will seep down through the cream (cloud) into the water, just like rain!

16. How to keep a tissue dry in water

This activity is a good way to explain how air pressure works. For this experiment, you’ll need a container, cup, water, and tissue. Instruct the children to push the tissue inside the cup and then fill the container with water. Have the children push the cup down into the water while keeping it straight. 

When done properly, no water touches the tissue. This is because the air pushes the water away from the cup. Lastly, instruct the children to place the cup inside the water again, tilting it this time. This lets air escape from the cup, allowing the water to wet the tissue.

17. Disappearing eggshell

This disappearing egg experiment is a good introduction to how different chemical agents react. In this case, the eggshells dissolve because they contain calcium carbonate. The latter dissolves in the vinegar to produce carbon dioxide gas and calcium ions. 

For the experiment, you’ll need a fresh egg, white vinegar, and a 16-ounce mason jar with a lid and ring. Place your egg in the mason jar and fill the jar halfway with vinegar. It’s important not to completely fill the jar, because the build-up of carbon dioxide could cause the jar to burst.  Cover the jar loosely to allow the gas to escape, and let it sit for at least 48 hours.

18. Floating egg

This experiment is a good way to explore the concept of density. You’ll need tap water, table salt, sugar, saline water, four raw eggs, four glass jars, and a tablespoon. Fill four glasses halfway: Fill glass one with water, glass two with salt water, glass three with sugar water, and glass four with saline water. Place an egg in each glass and observe. 

You’ll find that the egg in glass one sinks because the egg is denser than tap water. However, the egg in glass two floats because the salt increases the water’s density. Similarly, the egg in glass three floats. The egg in glass four sinks.

19. Dissolve objects

This experiment will help your preschoolers understand items that dissolve in water . When choosing substances for the experiment, be sure to include substances that won’t dissolve. Sugar, cornmeal, flour, oatmeal, orzo noodles, and colored sprinkles are good substances to consider. Encourage the children to predict which substances will dissolve before starting the experiment and compare the predictions with the results after completing it.

20. Thunderstorm formation

This is an interesting introduction to the concept of convection . Convection is the science behind why thunderstorms are more common during the afternoon when the sun heats up moist air near the land that rises into cold air.

For this experiment, you’ll need water, two cups, a container, and two colors of washable paint or food coloring. You can use red with warm water and blue with cold water.  In one cup, mix cold water and the blue coloring; in the other cup, mix red coloring and warm water. Then pour the cups of colored water at opposite ends of the container of room temperature water. Observe how the red coloring floats while the blue coloring sinks. 

This happens because warm water has a lower density than room-temperature water, while cold water has a higher density than room-temperature water. Eventually, the cold water becomes warm and starts to rise. Conversely, the warm water cools and starts to sink. This process is called convection.

21. Shadow play

This simple activity explores the science of shadows and can be linked to the concept of solar eclipses . O n a sunny day, take the children outside with a variety of objects of different shapes and sizes (e.g., toys, balls, blocks). Discuss how every object casts a shadow when it blocks the light from the sun, similar to how the moon blocks the sun during a solar eclipse.

Encourage the children to experiment with casting shadows in different ways, using their bodies or the objects provided. They can see how the size and position of the object can change the shadow. Link this back to the solar eclipse by explaining how the moon is like the objects the children are using, and it casts a shadow on Earth during an eclipse.

It's time to get to the lab

Encouraging children to participate in science activities sets a strong foundation for an interest in the subject. Integrating science experiments in early education equips children with the skills necessary to navigate and understand the complexities of the world, fostering a sense of wonder and inquiry that will serve them throughout their educational journeys and beyond.

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Free Play Matters: Promoting Kindergarten Children’s Science Learning Using Questioning Strategies during Loose Parts Play

• Published: 02 September 2024

Cite this article

• Han Qi Zeng 1 &
• Siew Chin Ng   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-1353-5971 1  

Early science inquiries and experiences increase young children’s awareness and interest for science. The importance of promoting science process skills which bolster children’s confidence to formulate and communicate personal ideas have been emphasised by international guidelines. As Loose Parts Play (LPP) is a form of free play involving open-ended play materials, its flexible nature promotes active exploration with materials that encourages children’s interaction with science-related experiences. This teacher action research aims to explore the influence of open-ended questions on children’s science process skills, as well as the scientific concepts that children are capable of exploring independently during play experiences. Analyses draw on video- and audio-recorded observation, child observation notes, and teacher journals. A total of 180 open-ended questions were employed by the teacher-researcher and 155 instances of science process skills were observed in a group of five-year-old children. Findings revealed that periods of uninterrupted play time followed by open-ended questions, extend children’s science process skills, and add complexity to their scientific exploration. Furthermore, children were observed to self-initiate exploration of scientific concepts, such as transforming materials and changing motion, during these uninterrupted play periods. Overall, this teacher action research highlights the pivotal role that educators play in young children’s playful learning experiences, where their timely use of open-ended questions has the capacity to facilitate children’s early science learning during LPP. This study serves to define an educator’s role within student-driven or child-initiated learning experiences, as well as guide educators in the utility of loose part materials, provision of uninterrupted play periods, and planning of open-ended questions to stimulate children’s science exploration.

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Acknowledgements

This paper is based on Han Qi Zeng’s teacher-inquiry project under the supervision of Siew Chin Ng. The authors wish to thank the Singapore University of Social Sciences Early Childhood Education faculty and the participating school for the field opportunity, as well as the children and teachers for participating in this research. The views expressed in this paper are the authors’ and do not necessarily represent the views of the institution.

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Zeng, H.Q., Ng, S.C. Free Play Matters: Promoting Kindergarten Children’s Science Learning Using Questioning Strategies during Loose Parts Play. Early Childhood Educ J (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-024-01741-6

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