6 best science experiments for preschoolers
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Einstein was never a child. Or at least that’s how it seems when we look at a picture of a wild-looking man with big hair as if recovering from a nasty fork-in-power-socket incident!
While Einstein may not be an overly aesthetic advertisement for science, he is, nevertheless, synonymous with most human images that the word 'science' generates.
So it’s up to us to fill his shoes with small feet and let our own little modern-day Einstein’s adventure begin.
Science experiments for kids
We’re not talking explosions here, are we? No, the sort of science experiments we recommend for kids doesn’t involve mixing hydrochloric acid with potassium to see how much potentially skin-dissolving fluid your kids can create.
These are low level, extremely safe experiments with a ‘Wow!!!” factor and no ‘Ouch!!!” factor; they’re designed to show tiny kids that big, fun things can happen when you use your hands to do something other than push buttons on a mobile phone.
That is the key, be it science experiments, nature play or just finding ways for our kids to interact with the real world, instead of that other world so popular these days.
If we can get our kids discovering real-world sights and sounds, we might just keep them off those phones for longer.
Let’s get the scientific ball rolling with 6 of the best science experiments for kids.
6 Science experiments for preschoolers
1: Ice and salt
A nice visual one to start. Simply provide your little one with a bowl of ice and a bowl of salt and start sprinkling the ice with salt for a spectacle of melting wonder.
2: Colour mixing
All you need here is water and food colouring. Fill some clear plastic cups with water and let your little one go to town adding colour after colour for a kaleidoscope sure to keep them amused for a blissfully quiet hour.
Learn how to introduce numbers to preschoolers by applying some of the tried-and-true ways that make learning to count fun in our previous post.
3: Foaming rainbow
Right, let’s get a little trickier.
For this you’ll need baking soda, food colouring, glitter, dishwashing liquid, a glass jar, small plastic containers and a tray.
Fill the jar halfway with vinegar, a few drops of food colouring and some glitter. Add a little dishwashing liquid, stir and place the jar on a tray.
Now the fun part – ask your toddler to add a heaped teaspoon of baking soda and stir the mixture. Watch it foam! And keep stirring and adding baking soda and vinegar to make the reaction last!
4: Magnetic magic
Fill a clear plastic container with nuts, bolts, paper clips and any other metal odds and ends you can find. Now give your child a good strong magnet and show them how to move the metal bits around inside the container by placing the magnet on the outside.
5: Sink or float
A great one to get kids thinking. All you need is a large bucket/bowl of water and a range of small objects from around the home. One by one guess whether an object will sink or float and then drop it in the water. A great way to start some early scientific conversations.
6: Water and oil
A nice simple one to finish. Oil does some crazy things when poured into water and your kids will be mesmerised by the reactions.
