Inside: Our list of easy science experiments for preschoolers to try at home, perfect for nurturing your young learner's budding curiosity!
Children are natural scientists, instinctively curious about the world around them and eagerly explore, observe, predict, and discuss their discoveries.
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What are the benefits of hands-on science experiments for preschoolers?
Practical science experiments using household items can encourage children to develop the essential scientific skills of observation and questioning. Children will enjoy engaging their senses as they manipulate objects and note similarities and differences between materials.
Science experiments provide first-hand practical experiences which can be exciting activities for the whole family to enjoy. Science experiments also encourage children to explore and be curious as they get to describe what they observe, ask questions and learn about the ‘why’ and ‘how’ behind their observations. This exploration helps them develop a strong interest in Science that grows as they get older.
With many industries searching for candidates skilled in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths), early childhood can be the perfect time to introduce our little ones to the wonders of scientific discovery and nurture their love for Science!
In this article, let’s dive into ten easy science experiments for preschoolers using everyday household items, perfect for sparking curiosity and scientific exploration in your little ones.
10 Easy Science Experiments for Preschoolers
Preschool Science Experiment 1: Dancing Raisins
Materials
- Raisins
- Lemonade
- Glass
How to Carry Out the Science Experiment
This experiment is very easy to set up, simply pour a glass of fizzy lemonade, add in a small handful of raisins and sit back and watch the raisins dance!
The Science Behind the Dancing Raisin Experiment
When the raisins are first added to the lemonade they sink to the bottom of the glass because they are more dense than lemonade. Bubbles of carbon dioxide attach to the pitted surface of the raisins pulling them up to the top of the glass. At the top, carbon dioxide bubbles pop causing the raisins to fall back to the bottom again.
Here are some questions for your preschoolers:
- Are the raisins slowing down/speeding up?
- What will happen if we add more raisins?
- Could we change the temperature of the lemonade and what effect will this have?
This experiment can be extended further by trying different items instead of raisins such as dried pasta. Different fizzy drinks can be tested too.
Preschool Science Experiment 2: Oobleck
Materials
- Cornflour
- Water
- Food Colouring (optional)
- Large tray or Mixing Bowl
Oobleck is so simple to make - it only requires two ingredients! Children will love the process of making oobleck themselves and the sensory experience of scrunching oobleck and letting it flow through their fingers. Adding some plastic toys or tools like funnel, beakers, spoons or a colander will extend the fun play and exploration.
How to Carry Out the Science Experiment
Invite your preschooler to fill a cup with cornflour and to add it to the bowl/tray. Slowly add water mixing with their hands until a sticky, slimy goop forms. Two parts cornflour to one part water tends to work well. A small amount of food colouring can be added at this stage if desired.
The Science Behind the Oobleck Experiment
Oobleck is a non-Newtonian fluid as it doesn’t flow like liquids normally do. When corn flour mixes with water, the starch does not dissolve but remains in suspension. As you stretch oobleck long chain molecules will flow but when forced together, they stick to form a solid. When you make a ball, it feels solid but when it hits the tray it turns to liquid again.
Preschool Science Experiment 3: Fireworks in a Jar!
Materials
- A Clear Jar/Beaker
- Vegetable Oil
- Water
- A Selection of Water-Based Food Colourings
How to Carry Out the Science Experiment
To create colourful fireworks simply fill your jar ¾ full with water. In a separate bowl pour out roughly 4 tablespoons of oil and add 3 or 4 drops each of a selection of food colourings. Mix the food colourings to separate droplets further with a fork before slowly adding the oil to the top of the water.
The Science Behind the Fireworks in a Jar Experiment
As you observe, coloured drops start to fall from the oil creating fireworks in the water. This experiment demonstrates that oil and water do not mix. The food colouring droplets fall as they are more dense than the oil. As they dissolve in the water it looks like tiny, explosive fireworks!
Preschool Science Experiment 4: Feeding Caterpillars
Materials
- Paper towel
- Markers
- Pencil or Skewer
- Pipette
How to Carry Out the Science Experiment
Make the caterpillars from sheets of paper towel, a piece cut in half works best. Children can colour and draw patterns on the paper towel or add a face with a permanent marker before wrapping the paper around a pencil/skewer. To remove the caterpillar, scrunch the paper towel into the middle of the pencil before sliding it off.
Place your caterpillars on a plate or in a bowl and slowly add drops of water to them using a pipette. Observe what happens to the paper towel caterpillars!
The Science Behind the Feeding Caterpillars Experiment
Paper towels are made mostly of cellulose, a material that loves water. When you add water to the dry paper towel, the cellulose fibres soak up the water through capillary action. This makes the fibres swell up and fill with water, causing the paper towel to expand.
Preschool Science Experiment 5: Hidden Colours
Materials
- Muffin Tray
- Liquid Food Colouring
- Baking Powder
- White Vinegar
- Pipette
Children love to observe the chemical reaction between baking powder and white vinegar and there is always great excitement when carrying out this investigation.
How to Carry Out the Science Experiment
Add some baking powder to each space in a muffin tray, add some drops of food colouring and cover with more baking powder so that no colour is visible. Invite your children to add vinegar to the baking powder to activate the chemical reaction and reveal the hidden colour.
Children could predict what they think will happen when baking powder and vinegar are combined. They can use their senses to smell and listen carefully as gas bubbles are released in this irreversible reaction.
The Science Behind the Hidden Colours Experiment
When you mix baking powder with vinegar, they react with each other to produce carbon dioxide gas. The bubbles forming when you mix them – that's the gas being made.
Related: In my list of Halloween activities, you'll find a fun potion making activity using baking soda and vinegar (my kids love it)!
Preschool Science Experiment 6: Balloon Rocket
Materials
- A Balloon
- A Straw
- String
- Sticky Tape
How to Carry Out the Science Experiment
Tie a length of string in a straight line between two objects such as door handles or chairs. Before tying one end of the string, thread a straw through the string. Blow up a balloon and pinch the end tight with your fingers. Tape the straw to the balloon, release your fingers and watch your balloon rocket fly! If you can set up two strings side by side, this can be an exciting balloon rocket race for siblings!
The Science Behind the Balloon Rocket Experiment
As the air rushes out of the balloon, thrust moves the balloon forward along the string, showing how every action has an equal and opposite reaction.
Preschool Science Experiment 7: Bouncy Egg
Materials
- Raw Egg
- White Vinegar
- Large Jar
How to Carry Out the Science Experiment
Place the egg in a jar filled with vinegar over an extended period of time. After 24 hours, observe what happens to the egg: What does the egg shell look like? Are there bubbles? Is the egg getting bigger/smaller/floating or sinking?
After 24 hours, carefully change the vinegar without cracking the egg shell and let the egg sit in fresh vinegar for a further 2 to 3 days.
Over time the shell should be completely gone. You will be left with a membrane that covers the egg which you can carefully rinse. You can then gently bounce your egg from a few centimetres high in a tray.
The Science Behind the Bouncy Egg Experiment
The vinegar is acidic, and it reacts with the hard shell of the egg, which is made of calcium carbonate. The acid in the vinegar breaks down the calcium carbonate in the eggshell, releasing carbon dioxide gas. This reaction dissolves the eggshell, leaving the membrane.
The vinegar also contains water, and the water moves inside the egg through the semi-permeable membrane.. This makes the egg swell and become bigger!
Preschool Science Experiment 8: Magnet Maze
Materials
- Strong Magnet
- Paper Plate
- Markers
- Paper Clip
How to Carry Out the Science Experiment
Invite your children to create and draw their unique maze design on a paper plate. They can also draw and cut out a character that will be used to move around their maze.
Place a magnet underneath the paper plate, aligned with the starting point and the paper clip on the character. Gently move the magnet to guide the character through the maze towards the endpoint. The magnetic force will attract the paper clip, allowing your child to navigate the character along the maze's path using the magnet.
The Science Behind the Magnet Maze Experiment
Magnets attract certain metals like iron, nickel, and cobalt. When a magnet is brought near the paper clip, which is often made of steel containing iron, there is an attraction between the magnet and the paper clip, causing the paper clip to stick to the magnet. So when you move the magnet, it is able to pull the paper clip and the character drawn on it along the paper plate.
Related: Continue exploring about magnets with this Pool Noodle Fishing Game!
Preschool Science Experiment 9: Colourful Candy Patterns
Materials
- Plate
- M&M candies
- Warm
How to Carry Out the Science Experiment
This experiment fascinates my own children every time. It's a fun and visual way to observe the diffusion concept in action!
Invite your children to arrange some M&M candies in a pattern on the plate, making sure they are close together but not touching.
Slowly pour warm water onto the plate covering half of the M&M candies. Observe what happen without moving the plate.
The Science Behind the Colourful Candy Patterns Experiment
As the warm water touches the candies, the coloured coating (which is made of sugar and food colouring) begins to dissolve. The dissolved colouring starts to spread out into the water, creating a colourful pattern.
The dissolved colouring will move from an area of high concentration (the candy) to an area of low concentration (the surrounding water) through a process called diffusion. This causes the colours to spread outward from each candy, creating a beautiful display of colours.
Preschool Science Experiment 10: Simple Catapult
Materials
- 9 wooden Craft Sticks
- Plastic Spoon
- Elastic Bands
- Aluminium foil
- Pompoms
How to Carry Out the Science Experiment
Stack 8 wooden craft sticks together and tie an elastic band tightly around them. Place another stick below and perpendicular to the stack of sticks. Place a plastic spoon above the stack of sticks and in line with the single stick. Ensure the spoon's opening is facing upward.
Secure the two ends of the single stick and plastic spoon with an elastic band. Place balls of aluminium foil and pompoms on the spoon. Press the spoon down and release it to launch the aluminium foil and pompoms.
Children will have great fun launching their items while exploring levers and tension like how they can alter their catapult to create the highest, longest, most accurate shot.
The Science Behind the Simple Catapult Experiment
This launcher works by storing potential energy in the bent plastic spoon. When you bend the plastic spoon down, you're storing potential energy in them, similar to pulling back a rubber band.
When you release the bent stick, the potential energy stored gets converted into kinetic energy—the energy of motion. As the plastic snaps back, the stored energy rapidly releases, transferring to the small object in the spoon and launching it into the air.
Questions about Science Experiments for Preschoolers
Conducting easy Science experiments with your preschoolers can be a rewarding and fun experience! Here are some tips to make it educational, fun and safe:
- Keep it Simple: Choose experiments that are simple, safe, and easy to understand. Use everyday materials that are safe for kids.
- Make it Hands-On: Preschoolers learn best through hands-on activities. Let them explore, touch, and observe during the experiments.
- Use Everyday Examples: Relate experiments to things they already know. For instance, explain how a baking soda volcano works similar to a real volcano.
- Encourage Exploration: Ask open-ended questions to encourage curiosity and critical thinking. Let them predict what might happen before starting the experiment.
- Keep it Fun: Add an element of excitement by using colorful materials, creating visual effects, or turning experiments into a game.
- Explain Simply: Use age-appropriate language and simple explanations. Focus on the basic concepts being demonstrated.
- Safety First: Emphasise safety rules such as not tasting ingredients, washing hands, and asking for help when handling certain materials.
Baking soda, assorted food colouring, washing up liquid, plastic bottles, balloons, vitamin c tablets, elastic bands, string, vinegar, a pipette, a large tray and safety goggles.
Science activities in the early years develop curiosity, encouraging children to explore and ask questions. When children begin to question how things work or why they happen they develop problem solving skills and an understanding of the world around them. Carrying out practical Science investigations can benefit children in many different ways including critical thinking, collaboration, persistence and an understanding of trial-and-error method and Scientific Method.
Give these easy Science Experiments for Preschoolers a go!
These easy science experiments for preschoolers offer engaging, hands-on learning opportunities using everyday materials found at home. Encouraging curiosity and fostering a love for exploration at a young age lays the foundation for future learning. By engaging in these STEM-based activities, parents ignite the spark of curiosity, nurturing the budding scientists and innovators of tomorrow. These experiments not only make learning enjoyable but also pave the way for a lifelong fascination with the wonders of science.
You can also try these fun science experiments and activities with ice!
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