Kids are curious creatures…always wondering and asking a zillion questions! The early years present a unique opportunity to foster creativity and curiosity for life.
Make the best of this time by indulging your budding Einsteins in science activities for preschoolers.
Preschool Science experiments are a great way to entertain kids while fuelling their critical thinking skills and challenging their innate curiosity.
Teaching science in the early years helps kids build an enquiry based mindset and hone a host of skills ranging from motor control, STEM to even language!
There is simply no reason you should not try hands at these delightful, mind building preschool science activities!
Preschool Science Experiments
Quick and easy, these preschool science experiments are extremely fun to do and assure lifelong learning benefits.
Make sure to include a few funny science jokes to add humour into learning to increase student retention and engagement.
1. Pepper and Soap Experiment
One of the most loved and easy preschool science experiments, the Pepper and soak experiment never fails to amaze and delight kids.
Simply fill a flat bowl with water and sprinkle black ground pepper over the water.
Next, dip your child’s finger into dish soap (or any other liquid soap) and let them touch the surface of the water.
And just like magic, the pepper will quickly move away to the sides of the plate creating a dramatic effect!
Such an easy experiment to introduce young children to surface tension and at the same time teach them about hygiene the hands-on way!
2. Make Rain in In a Glass
This is a classic science activity for preschool and kindergarten kids that boosts critical thinking skills. All you need is a clear plastic cup, shaving foam, food colouring and a dropper.
Step 1: Fill the cup two-thirds with water.
Step 2: Spray shaving foam on the water to form a nice puffy layer.
Step 3: Mix food coloring with some water and using a dropper gently add the coloured water to the shaving foam.
After a few squirts of coloured water, you will see the first drops of coloured rain making its way through the cloud into the water. Such a delight to watch.
Simply the best science experiment to teach preschool about the weather and clouds.
3. Make Bubbles
Blowing bubbles in the one of the most fun activities for kids. What’s interesting is how much kids can learn with this super simple activity.
Teach your kids how to make bubbles and sneak in math and science concepts into play.
Quick Tip: Make sure you are not the only one talking! Get your students talking by throwing in a few This or That Questions for Kids here and there.
4. Elephant Toothpaste
This science experiment for kids is a big hit with kids. Kids simply love the foam produced in this experiment.
Quick Tip: Add literacy, numeracy, arts and motor skills with these Easy To Do At Home Preschool Ideas.
5. Magical Milk
Colourful Science Activities for Preschoolers always get little one excited and Magical Milk is just that!
Take some milk in a wide mouth bowl. Add food colouring to the milk using a dropper or a pipette. It is a great fine motor exercise for young kids.
Next, take a cotton swab and dip it in dish soap. Touch milk with this tip to see the explosion of colours! We guarantee lots of wows and oohs!
Quick Tip: Throw in some fun Preschool Math Activities for well rounded learning experience.
6. Dancing Raisins
Dancing raisins is one of those preschool science activities that are inexpensive, easy and take just two minutes to set up.
What’s more, it is a wonderful way to teach kids about buoyancy. No wonder it is a favourite with parents and teachers.
Fill a clear glass three-fourth with club soda. Drop-in a few raisins and see them sink to the bottom of the glass.
But soon enough, they will float back to the surface and fall back again! That’s quite a dance to watch for young kids.
For kindergarten and grade 1 kids, it can easily transform into a STEM enquiry wherein they try to find the reason behind the dancing raisins.
Drop a hint and ask them to observe how the bubbles stick to the raisins and you’ll be surprised how quickly they will decode the science behind dancing raisins.
Related: Quick fun activities like these are a great way to boost your child’s learning. And so are 10 Minutes Math Games that sharpen Mental Math skills.
7. Bouncy Rubber Egg
Turn an ordinary egg into a bouncy ball with this easy preschool science experiment. Drop it from a short distance to see it bounce!!
Such a fun and easy science experiment for preschoolers!
Related: Don’t forget to add in humour with these Science Jokes for Kids.
8. Oozing Blood Potion
Kids love trying their hands at gross and yucky preschool science experiments and this baking soda experiment fits the bill perfectly!
Simply take a dish and add tomato puree to it. Using a spoon, add baking soda to the purée and mix it.
The acids present in tomato purée react with the vinegar to make oozing bubbles making this bubbling blood potion experiment.
Such a simple science activity and always a hit with children. Don’t wait for Halloween to try this one!
Related: Also try your hands at these amazing Baking Soda Experiments for kids.
9. Rainbow Oobleck
No kid can say no to this sensorial science activity inspired by their favourite Dr Seuss. Few science experiments for preschoolers match the fun of this cool & easy activity.
And once you have made this stunning concoction, try making Magical Colour Changing Oobleck that is sure to baffle your kids!
Related: Build a Science Lab at Home for your science lover with our practical, easy tips!
10. Lava Lamp
Lava lamp is a simple preschool science experiment that never fails to amaze kids! It is easy, quick and pocket friendly, making it one of the most loved experiments with parents and teachers as well.
Related: Try your hands at DIY Puffy Paints! They are super easy to make that even little kids can’t go wrong with them.
11. Throbbing Heartbeat
How fun is it to watch your own heartthrob? Yes…we are talking about literally watching your heartbeat with this super easy and super simple science experiment.
All you need is a toothpick and play dough. Roll a small cube of playdough and stick a toothpick in it. Place this dough-toothpick assembly on the back of your child’s wrist.
Your child can now actually watch her heart throbbing as the toothpick moves with every heartbeat
Such interesting science experiments are a great, hands-on way to teach kids about the human body and make science fun!
Related: Check out more interesting Fun things To Do With Toothpicks to keep your children entertained.
12. Make Colour Changing Flowers
Your preschooler will simply love this magical experiment that changes the colour of flowers! Easy to set-up, this simple science experiment is sure to ignite your little one’s curiosity and get them thinking.
13. Make Ice Cream In a Bag
This is such an exciting STEM experiment for kids! They will love making ice cream in a bag while picking up a lot of science in this fun science activity.
14. Leak Proof Bag Experiment
Kids love playing with water and this science activity lets them have all the fun but without really getting wet!
15. Bring Dried Leaf To Life
This is one of the magical preschool science activities for kids that brings a dried leaf to life…almost! We bet your children will be amazed and ecstatic with this science activity!
What you need is a few dried leaves and a bowl of water. Ask your child to crumble the dried leaf and see how easily it crumbles.
Now, another dried leaf and place it in the bowl of water for a few hours.
Now, take out the dried leaf from the water and ask your child if they can crumble it. Not anymore!!
Related: Explore more Plant Science Activities here!
16. Skittles Rainbow Experiment
This is a classic science activity for preschool, kindergarten and grade I students that is fun and easy. Such simple science experiments for preschoolers are a wonderful way to nurture the love for STEM and ignite curiosity.
Related: Learn What is STEM Learning and how it can help your kids better learners to give the best learning experience to your kids.
17. Magnet Play Containers
Magnets are intriguing and a must for experiments for preschoolers. These simple magnet containers make experimenting with magnets fun and easy. Also, there are so many creative ways you can make these containers for endless hours of exploration
18. Salt Water Density
One of the easiest water density experiments for preschoolers, this one requires common kitchen items like salt, grapes and a clear glass of water.
Fill the glass with water and ask your preschooler to drop a few grapes into the glass. The grapes will sink at the bottom.
Now, gradually add teaspoons full of salt to the water and mix it. After about 4-5 teaspoons of salt, the grape will start floating in the water.
As the salt dissolves into water, it increases its density. Soon enough, the water is dense enough to make the grape float.
Quick Tip: Also try these Magical Harry Potter STEM Activities & Science Experiments to baffle your kids and sneak in learning.
19. Water Volcano
This experiment never fails to amaze kids and adults as well! A fun way to teach kids preschool science, Water Volcano is a must-try.
For this fun experiment, you will need:
- A glass jar
- A small bottle
- Water
- Red Food colouring
- Ice
Step 1: Take the glass jar and fill it with water. Add ice cubes to chill the water.
Step 2: Heat little water and add red food colouring to it.
Step 3: Take the small bottle, an old essence oil bottle would work perfectly, and fill it halfway with the warm coloured water from step 2.
Step 4: Place this small bottle in the glass jar.
The warm water will flow upwards against the force of gravity and form a layer of red water on top of clear water! Simply mesmerising!!
Related: Check out more Water Science Experiments to make science fun!
20. Explore Colors with Chemical Reactions
Chemical reactions are fun and this easy-peasy amazing experiment makes adds in colours to notch up the fun factor.
Take four small glasses and add food coloring along with two tsp of baking soda to each glass. Place them in a deep dish (or cake tin) and let your kids pour vinegar in the glasses!
As baking soda reacts with vinegar, a bubbly frothy concoction rises up the glasses filling up the dish and making kid jump with excitement.
21. Ocean In a Bottle
Another classic experiment for preschool, this one is for kids who simply love science. This fun science activity lets kids create their very own ocean in a bottle for hours of fun!
Related: Teach your kids about Habitats the experiential way with our STEM journal.
22. Pirate Treasure Chests
This is a super fun activity for preschool and kindergarten children. The best part is how it sneaks in science and chemical reactions to make the science hands-on for young kids.
23. Dancing Ghost
Make a ghost dance to your tunes with this cool science activity for kids. Simply take a facial tissue and cut out a small ghost shape from it. Make spooky eyes on the ghost cutout for added drama.
Next, blow a balloon and rub it on your hair really fast for about 20seconds. Bring this charged balloon close to the ghost and you will see it fly towards the balloon.
Quick Tip: Use a single ply of tissue paper to make your ghost lighter and hence easier to lift up!
Related: Love spooky stuff? Check out our kid-friendly Ghost Facts and Movies for Kids!
24. Static Electricity Butterfly
Here is another cool static electricity demonstration for kids that is fun and easy to set-up. We bet your kids will love it.
25. Water & Oil Art Experiment
Have fun making art with this creative activity for preschool that blends science with arts.
26. Balloon In a Bottle
This science activity is nothing short of a magic trick and is a great way to keep young kids wondering.
Such science activities work wonders with critical thinking and logical thinking skills and require little prep.
27. Sink or Float
This is one of the easiest science activities that makes understanding buoyancy easy.
What you will need:
- 2 Oranges
- Water
- Glass vase
How to do it:
Fill the vase three-fourths with water. Let your preschooler peel an orange (great for motor skills!) and drop it into the vessel. The peeled orange will sink to the bottom.
Next, ask them to drop an unpeeled orange in the vase. This orange will float.
By common logic, unpeeled orange should float, as it is lighter! But in this case, it is the lighter object that sinks! Can your kids (or you!) guess why?
Orange peel is porous and packs in many air pockets, which give it the necessary upthrust to make it float. When the orange is peeled, these air pockets are removed thus sinking a peeled orange.
28. DIY Screaming Cup
Make a fun screaming cup aka chicken in the cup while teaching your kids about the science of sound. Easy to make, this screaming cup will delight your preschooler as well as older kids.
Related: Explore Sound Activities for Kids and help your kids learn the science of sound.
29. Walking on Raw Eggs
This is one of the most loved outdoor science activities. Perfect on a sunny day to banish boredom.
30. Beans in a Bag
Get your kids planting beans in a bag and observe seeds transforming into leaves, stem and roots. Just the perfect way to get young ones started on gardening for kids.
31. String Telephone
Kids love to pretend play and what could be a better way to add to their pretend play than a DIY string telephone.
32. Balloon Amplifier
Certainly one of the easiest preschool science activity, balloon amplifier is a hands-on science activity to experiment with sound.
All you need to do is inflate a balloon and tie a knot. Now ask your kids to make a tapping noise with fingers while holding the balloon close to their ear. The balloon will amplify the sound and make it appear louder.
33. Floating Letters
Such a fun science activity to club with literacy for preschool and kindergarten.
34. What Sweetener Do Ants Prefer?
Nature-inspired science activities are perfect for teaching kids about the environment and igniting their curiosity about their surroundings.
This science activity does just that! It’s a fun experiment that every young kid would enjoy.
35. Ice-cream In a Bag
No wonder kids simply love this experiment! It’s easy, fun and the end result is delicious.
36. Mentos Geyser
This one is a classic that never goes out of style. It is one of those experiments that brings fun every single time. And just so easy!
37. Inflating Balloons
This baking soda and vinegar experiment is a wonderful science-backed way to inflate balloons!
38. Unicorn Fizz
This is a no-fail experiment that you can try with kids anytime with simple pantry ingredients.
39. Grow a Salt Crystal
Let your kids try their hands at making salt crystals at home and in the process learn about the states of matter and solubility.
40. Freeze & Free
One of the most fun science projects for kids, Freeze and Free is a favourite with pre-k and kindergarten kids. A hands-on lesson on the States of Matter, this is one of the simplest and easiest science investigation for young kids.
41. Valentine Heart Tower
Inspired by valentine day, the task is to make the tallest tower out of paper hearts! This may sound easy-peasy but it’s far more challenging than what meets the eye.
Cut out 2 to 25 paper hearts and make a neat slit at the bottom of all the hearts. Now, challenge your kids to make the tallest tower using hearts.
Related: Have a kid who loves construction? Check out Engineering Activities for Kids to them mindfully entertained and polish their innate engineering skills.
42. Shrinking Habitat
This is a hands-on Winter STEM experiment to teach kids how climate change is impacting habitats of some of their favourite animals including penguins, polar bears and seals to name a few.
What you will need:
Plate
Water
Clay/ Animal figurines of Seal or Bear or Penguin
Big Box/Tray
Blue Food Colouring
How to do it
Step 1: Pour water on the plate and set it in the freezer to get a sheet of ice.
Step 2: Use clay to make a seal or a polar bear if you don’t have their animal figurines.
Step 3: Take out the ice sheet from the plate by pouring warm water on the back of the plate. This will be your sea ice.
Step 4: Pour water in the plastic box till its half full. Add blue food colouring to make it look like sea water.
Step 5: Place the ice sheet in the plastic box.
Step 6: Position your animals (we used a Penguin) on the ice sheet.
Step 7: Take the assembly and place it outdoors in a sunny spot.
You will observe as the time passes, the ice sheet starts to melt gradually. Thus, decreasing the area (habitat) for your animal to live on.
This is exactly what is happening at the poles. Polar Ice is gradually melting due to global warming, thus, destroying the habitat of polar animals.
Quick Tip: Club this winter-inspired activity with Winter Books for Kids for complete learning experience.
43. Muffin Tin Coding
Introduce preschool and kindergarten kids to coding with this easy coding activity for kids. Screen free and hands-on, this is a must try for budding brains.
44. Hot Water Balloon Experiment
Such a fun and easy demonstration of how hot air expands and cold air contracts. Sure to get little minds excited and buzzing.
45. Fake Snow
Kids simply love getting their hands in fake snow and making sculptures without getting cold hands.
Fake snow is easy and super quick to make. And while kids make this this fun pretend snow, they can learn a lot about measurement and simple science of mixing.
46. Vanishing Penny
This is one of the most fun and easy science experiments for kids of all ages. The only thing you need for this science experiment is a clear glass, water and a penny.
Take the penny and place it on a table. Put a clear plastic glass over it and try looking at it from the side of the glass.
Next, fill the glass with water and try to spot the penny again from the same side. Is it still there? The penny has magically vanished.
47. Jelly Bean Science
This is a fun science activity for preschool that lets them experiment with jelly beans! Simple, fun and definitely entertaining.
48. Walking Water Experiment
One of the classic science experiments for preschoolers, this one teaches kids about absorption as well as colour mixing. The rainbow colours make it very attractive and fun for kids.
Related: Love rainbows? Here are some Cool Facts about Rainbows that your kids will love!
