Kids are very curious and constantly want to learn about new things. In this respect, experiments for children are a good way to impart knowledge in a fun way. However, which experiments are there and for which age group are they suitable?
Read our article to get ideas for many exciting and cool experiments for kids. We will explain why experimenting is important and what learning impact the experiments offer. In addition, you will get information about which materials you need for the respective experiment.
Children Become Little Researchers through Experiments
Kids want to explore the world with all their senses. And it makes no difference whether they are kindergarteners or schoolchildren. They love to ask “why” and to observe and test hypotheses. Apart from the special learning effect, the main focus is, of course, on the fun of experimenting. This is because when children can discover their own phenomenon, it is easier for them to understand it.
Naturally, you have to adapt the experiment to the respective age. Experiments that require little effort and are also safe are suitable for children of kindergarten age. For elementary school children, water, air and fire experiments are ideal. Besides, electricity, light or magnets are also suitable for fun experiments for children. In this way, experiments can be carried out in kindergarten, at school or even at home.
In order to help children explore and discover, both chemistry and science experiments can be used. Below, we present many different experiments for you to try out. In most cases, you will only need materials that you can find around the house. Only a few experiments require you to buy additional materials.
Tip: To make the experiments especially exciting for children, introduce the experiment in advance. Then let the children guess what might happen during the experiment. Then perform the experiment. In this way, the excitement increases as to what the result will be.
1. Experiments with Water
There are incredibly many different water experiments. Water is a particularly exciting element and very easy to recreate, as it generally requires very few materials. Both of the following experiments with water are suitable for children as young as about four years old.
You will need the following for the first experiment:
- a glass
- water
- a piece of cardboard
Add water to the glass. How much water is in it does not matter. Now put the piece of cardboard on the glass opening and turn the glass 180 degrees. As soon as the glass is upside down, you can let go of the cardboard. Against all odds, the water does not shoot out of the glass, instead, the cardboard remains stuck underneath so that no water escapes.
Through this exciting and very easy experiment, children learn something about air pressure. Because there is less negative pressure in the glass than in the environment, a mini-vacuum is created. The outside pressure is greater, so the cardboard is pressed against the glass and ensures that no water flows out.
For the second experiment you will need:
- Two bowls
- Water
- Salt
First of all, fill both bowls with water. Then, add enough salt to one bowl to form a layer of salt on the bottom. Afterwards, put the two bowls in the freezer for a few hours. When you get the bowls out of the freezer again, children will be amazed. While the water freezes into ice, the water-salt solution does not. If the children now sprinkle salt on the ice, it will melt.
On top of every layer of ice, there is always a thin layer of water, because the air pressure causes ice to start melting. When we add salt on top of it, this layer can no longer freeze. So the air pressure works its way through the layers, which causes the ice to become more and more liquid. Moreover, this experiment has a good everyday relevance. In order to clear the roads of ice in winter, the winter road clearance service spreads salt on them.
2. Physics Experiments with Electricity and Light
Many people think that physics experiments are only suitable for older children. Of course, this is not true. This topic is so comprehensive that there are already great experiments for kindergarten children. However, this second experiment is a bit trickier and therefore more suitable for older children.
For the first experiment you will need:
- a glass jar with a lid
- water
- a coin
First of all, place the glass on top of the coin. Next, fill the glass with water up to just before the rim. Once the lid is placed on the glass, the children can no longer see the coin. So how does the coin simply disappear?
Well, the water is an obstacle to the light. Because the coin reflects the light rays, it can no longer be seen from the side. The lid is used because the coin would still be visible from above.
The second experiment is about making a battery. For this you will need:
- a potato
- a shish kebab
- a knife
- an LED
- two cables with crocodile clips
- four square copper discs with a hole
- four discs made of zinc
Using the knife, cut the potato into four slices of equal thickness. You do not need the edge pieces. Then, make a hole in the center of the potato pieces with the shish kebab skewer. Now put everything on the skewer in the following order:
Copper slice, potato, zinc slice, copper slice, potato, zinc slice, copper slice, potato, zinc slice, copper slice, potato, zinc slice.
The important thing is that the potato discs do not touch each other.
After that, bend the two legs of the LED apart. Next, connect one cable to each leg of the LED. Hold the other two ends to the outer metal discs. The LED will now light up.
Both metals and the juice of the potato trigger a chemical reaction. This produces electrons that can flow through the wires. Although electricity only flows when the circuit is closed.
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3. Fun Experiments with a Balloon
Balloons are great for crafting, as well as for experimenting. Experiments with balloons often involve the subject of air. In the following, we show you two cool science experiments for kids to do at home.
For the first experiment you will need:
- a balloon
- some adhesive tape
- a pin
Blow up the balloon and seal it well. After that, stick some tape anywhere on the balloon. No air bubbles should remain between the tape and the balloon. Now comes the exciting moment. At this point, a child is now allowed to stick a pin into the balloon. So what happens? Absolutely nothing. The balloon won’t burst.
This works because the tape is a kind of casing that is much more robust than the rubber of the balloon. So, the tape keeps the balloon stable around the hole. Now if we pull the needle out again, the air will flow out very slowly through the hole that has been created.
For the second experiment you will need:
- a balloon
- a bottle with a narrow neck
- a packet of baking soda
- vinegar
- possibly a funnel
First, fill the bottle with baking soda. To do this, you can use a funnel as needed. Then add at least three tablespoons of vinegar. You should then quickly put the balloon over the neck of the bottle. The balloon will lift and fill with air as if by magic.
Through the reaction of baking soda, vinegar and oxygen, carbon dioxide is released. The latter is gaseous and requires more space than is available in the bottle. Thus, the air escapes into the balloon, which then begins to grow.
4. Cool Experiments with Fire
Fire is very dangerous. For this reason, special care should always be taken when experimenting with fire. At first, such experiments should only be carried out when an adult is present. Furthermore, it is advisable to have a bowl or bucket of water ready in case the fire spreads suddenly. Also, remember to tie back the hair and push up the sleeves.
For the following experiment for children, you will need:
- a candle
- a lighter or match
Ignite the candle and wait until the wax turns liquid. Now everything must happen very quickly. Blow out the candle and hold a flame again a few centimeters away from the wick in the rising smoke. The candle will burn again, even though it was already extinguished.
Surprisingly, the candle can ignite even though the wick and the flame are not touching. An invisible fuse is formed by candle smoke. The children thus learn that even an extinguished fire can still be dangerous for some time.
Caution: There are countless videos on platforms such as YouTube in which dangerous experiments with fire are carried out. Please make sure that your children do not try these experiments.
What do you think about these cool science experiments for kids? Have you ever done any of them with your children? Let us know in the comments section below.
