Top 19 Science Experiments for Kids They Can Do At Home

The world always needs more scientists, so it’s essential to help children develop a love for science at a young age. One way you can help kids gain interest in science is to help them perform experiments or projects that are fun and exciting. Use this list of science experiments for kids to help your children learn about all things science!

There are many branches of science; biology, physics, chemistry, astronomy, geology, and so much more! The science projects in this article cover various sciences to help your kids figure out which sciences they enjoy most. There are plenty of experiments that are perfect for indoors, such as at home or in the classroom, and some experiments that are better performed outdoors. 

Tips for Doing Science Experiments with Kids

1. Make Sure You Have Extra Ingredients

Kids get excited, skip steps, spill things, etc. If something goes wrong and you have to restart the experiment, the kids will be very sad if you can’t make the project happen because you don’t have enough materials or ingredients.

Consider getting double the ingredients you need for the experiments, this way, you will have extra if something goes wrong, or you can do the experiment twice if everything goes right! 

2. Ensure Proper Safety Gear

Do you know what they say? Kids will be kids, which means they aren’t the most responsible when they get overly excited. Make sure you have all the necessary safety gear; eye protection, gloves, lab coats, something to hold long hair back, etc. 

3. Talk About Safety Ahead of Time

Before getting started, talk with the kids about safety precautions. When kids get too excited, safety goes out the window. To make sure they understand, call out their name to get their attention, and have them repeat back to you everything you said. This will help them remember the safety information you gave them. 

4. Let the Kids Help As Much As Possible

As frustrating as it can be when kids try to help sometimes, it’s great for them when they can. Kids will retain more information and learn more from the experiment if they are helping rather than just watching. So if the experiment is safe enough for children to help, don’t be afraid to take off the training wheels and let them help whenever possible. 

5. Keep it Simple

For your sanity, the kid’s safety, the amount of clean-up, etc., it’s okay to do simple, easy science experiments. Kids don’t need anything fancy to get excited. You can have them throw an egg at the wall, and they will be ecstatic! Plus, if you can do more simple science projects, that’s better than only doing a few more extensive ones. 

6. Take Preventative Cleaning Measures

Science experiments get messy. So anything you can do to make clean-up more manageable, you should do it. A few things you can do to make cleaning up after easier are:

• Lay down plastic or towels
• Clean up stuff as you go
• Keep a trash can nearby to throw things away as you go
• Do experiments outdoors when possible
• Encourage the kids to help with clean up

Science Experiments for Kids to Do Indoors

1. Egg In A Bottle

The egg in a bottle experiment is a great way to teach about air pressure and temperature change. And best of all, it’s super easy to do. Add a cup of boiling water to a glass bottle with an opening slightly too small for an egg to fit through. Then you quickly place a peeled, hard-boiled egg on top and wait patiently. The egg will get sucked into the bottle. 

Materials needed:

• Hot water (boiled) 
• Hard-boiled egg – peeled
• Glass bottle

2. Making Oobleck

If you don’t know what oobleck is, it’s like a goop mixed with putty and slime. It changes its thickness and hardness when force is applied. This project is super easy. All you do is mix cornstarch and water together in a 2:1 ratio (two cups of cornstarch and one cup of water.) 

Materials needed:

• Cornstarch
• Water
• Food coloring (optional)

3. Balloon Blowing

Have you ever blown up a balloon without using your mouth? And no, a helium tank doesn’t count! All you need to do to make this happen is add about an inch of vinegar and an inch of water to an empty plastic bottle. Then, add one to two tablespoons of baking soda to a balloon. Carefully place the balloon over the mouth of the bottle, then dump the baking soda and watch it blow up the balloon for you!

Materials needed:

• Balloon
• Vinegar
• Plastic bottle
• Water
• Baking soda
• Funnel (optional, but makes things easier) 

4. DIY Slime

All kids love slime. And while it can be done indoors, it can still get a tad messy, so consider laying down some paper towels, maybe. To make slime, add a quarter cup of water and a quarter cup of Elmer’s glue to a bowl, and add some food coloring if you’d like. In a separate bowl, mix a half cup of water with a half tablespoon of borax and stir. Once the borax has dissolved, add that mixture to the first, and you’ve got slime! 

Materials needed:

• Water
• Borax
• Elmer’s glue
• Food coloring (optional) 

5. Coloring Flowers

Dying flowers is a simple, fun project that requires minimal effort and isn’t too messy. Simply find some white flowers, such as carnations or roses, cut off the ends of the stem, and place them inside different cups filled with water and food coloring. Come back in an hour or two, and then come back the next day and observe the flowers’ new colors. 

Materials needed:

• White flowers (carnations, roses, etc.)
• Food coloring
• Plastic cups or bottles
• Water

6. Rock Candy

Do you remember those rock crystal-looking suckers? Well, it turns out they are relatively simple to make. However, it’s a lengthy process! Depending on how large you want your rock candy to be, it can take anywhere between a few hours to a few days. Follow this rock candy tutorial for the complete list of instructions! 

Materials needed: 

• Mason jar
• Sugar
• Water
• Flavoring extract or oil
• Food coloring (optional) 

7. Secret Messages

You can teach your kids how to write secret messages with lemons! All you do is squeeze out the juice of a lemon into a container and add a tiny bit of water to it. Then get a cotton swab and dip it into the lemon juice and use it to write a message on a piece of white paper. Let it dry, and the message will disappear. However, if you hold the paper up to the light, the message will re-appear again. 

Materials needed: 

• Lemon
• Water
• Piece of white paper
• Cotton swab

8. Crushing Cans

This experiment is reasonably quick and easy but does require an adult’s help most of the time. It teaches about air pressure due to a rapid temperature change. First, take an aluminum can, fill it with about half an inch of water, and place it on a pan on the stove until the water begins to boil. Then, using tongs, you will quickly turn it upside down – setting it into a big bowl of ice water. The can will immediately crush. Kids love this because it almost seems as if it’s magic! 

Materials needed:

• Pan
• Aluminum can
• Water
• Ice 
• Bowl
• Tongs

9. Homemade Lava Lamp

Even though lava lamps aren’t as popular as they used to be, they’re just as fantastic. And making your own is pretty simple. You add water to an empty plastic bottle, about a quarter of the way full. Then fill the rest with an oil (vegetable, baby, etc.) until the bottle is just under full. Add food coloring if you’d like, and drop in an Alka seltzer tablet. 

Materials needed: 

• Plastic bottle
• Water
• Oil – vegetable, baby, etc. 
• Alka seltzer tablets
• Food coloring (optional) 

10. Magic Milk

Create a colorful and fun experiment using milk! Fill a shallow pan with about half an inch of milk. Add drops of food coloring in different areas of the pan. Take a cotton swab, dip it in dish soap, then dip it into a spot where there is food coloring in the milk and hold it there. Then sit back and watch the magic! 

Materials needed: 

• Milk
• Food coloring
• Dish soap
• Cotton swabs

11. Make It Rain

This science experiment is quick and easy and requires minimal effort or materials. All you do is fill a glass of water about half full, add a thick layer of shaving cream on top and smooth it out with a spoon or your fingers so that there are no gaps. Then take some water with food coloring and add it to the top of the shaving cream layer carefully and slowly. It can take five to ten spoonfuls sometimes. Eventually, the water will become too heavy and burst through the shaving cream, as the rain does the clouds. It’s an excellent opportunity to talk about the water cycle with your kids. 

Materials needed: 

• Glass
• Water
• Food coloring 
• Shaving cream

12. DIY Playdoh

Why buy playdoh when you can make it yourself with just a handful of ingredients? To make playdoh, mix three cups of flour, one and a half cups of salt, six teaspoons of cream of tartar, three tablespoons of vegetable or olive oil, three cups of water, and your food coloring of choice. 

Materials needed: 

• Water
• Flour
• Salt
• Cream of tartar
• Vegetable oil
• Food coloring

13. Seed Sprouting

Germination is essential for kids to learn about, as humanity relies on seeds for existence. It’s also one of the most accessible science experiments out there for kids to do. You place a damp paper towel and some bean seeds in a Ziploc bag, seal it, and tape it to a sunny window. Come back the next day, and the beans will have already sprouted. 

Materials needed: 

• Bean seeds
• Paper Towels
• Water
• Ziploc bag
• Tape

Science Experiments for Kids to Do Outdoors

1. Build A Volcano

A volcano is an iconic kid’s science experiment! Luckily, it can typically be done with household ingredients. Simply get a mason jar, or bottle of some sort, wrap it in tin foil if you wish, and add half a cup of water, about four tablespoons of baking soda, a squirt of dish soap, and some food coloring to it. When you’re ready, stir it up, add about two cups of vinegar and watch it erupt! 

Materials needed:

• Vinegar
• Baking soda
• A container of some sort ( large mason jar, 2L soda bottle, etc.) 
• Tin foil
• Food coloring
• Water
• Dish soap

2. Elephant Toothpaste

This experiment gets big, fast! It is best to do this outdoors. It only takes a few ingredients to make this big explosion. Start by adding half a cup of peroxide, a squirt of dish soap, and a few drops of food coloring to a plastic bottle and stir gently and set aside. Mix one tablespoon of yeast and three tablespoons of warm water in a separate cup, and stir for about thirty seconds. Pour the yeast mixture into the peroxide mixture and step back fast. 

Materials needed:

• Hydrogen peroxide
• Water
• Yeast
• Dish soap
• Plastic bottle
• Food coloring (optional)
• Plastic tub or container to catch the foam (optional) 

3. Make A Sundial

Making a sundial is a great way to teach kids about telling time before we had clocks. This experiment is very simple. You place a pencil into the ground in a sunny spot, then place a small object, like a pebble, where the shadow lies. Come back each hour and add another pebble to where the shadow lies. 

Materials needed:

• Pencil
• Small objects (such as pebbles, stones, paperclips, etc.)

4. Easy Explosion

Yes, this is an explosion, so adult help is necessary, and a location that can get a bit messy is best. Using baking soda and vinegar, you can create an explosion! The easiest way to do this is to put one tablespoon of baking soda onto a square of toilet paper or paper towel, wrap it up and secure it with tape, and drop it into a Ziploc bag with half a cup of vinegar in it. Zip the bag quickly, shake it up, and step back! 

Materials needed:

• Baking soda
• Vinegar
• Toilet paper
• Tape
• Ziploc bag

5. Make Giant Bubbles

Kids love bubbles, which means they will really love giant bubbles! These huge bubbles only require a handful of ingredients you likely already have at your house. While this experiment will be easier to partake in for older children, younger children will still enjoy watching the bubbles. So it’s perfect for all ages. Follow this in-depth giant bubble tutorial for a complete list of instructions. 

Materials needed:

• Purified water
• Dish soap
• Cornstarch
• Glycerine
• Sticks
• Metal washer
• String

6. Soda Explosion

This fun experiment can get messy, so be prepared for that! But it is easy, and the kids will have a blast. All you need to do is get a two-liter bottle of soda, drop in about 6-8 mentos and run! It’s best to get them all in simultaneously, as quickly as possible. So using some sort of make-shift tube or funnel can be helpful! A lot of people use a piece of paper rolled up. 

Materials needed:

• 2 Liter bottle of soda (diet is less sticky)
• Mentos
• Roll of paper or make-shift funnel for dropping in the mentos (optional but helpful) 

Final Thoughts: Science Experiments for Kids

Hopefully, these science projects will help pique your kid’s interest in the sciences and ask more questions. Science is an essential subject to teach children, and what better way to teach than hands-on? Letting your kids get their hands dirty and help perform science experiments is a great way to create more little scientists in the world. Happy experimenting!