Are you looking for a fun and educational science activity to do with your preschoolers? Learning incorporates more than just reading books or memorizing facts; science activities provide an opportunity to explore, experiment, and discover natural phenomena in engaging ways.
This particular activity teaches preschoolers about the states of matter using simple household items that you probably already have – all while keeping them entertained and engaged! Read on to learn how to conduct this interesting and informative preschool science activity that focuses on the three states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas.
This post includes a Preschool Science Activity for Kids Introducing States of Matter.
A wonderful resource for introducing science to kids is a book called Nurturing the Young Scientist: Experiences in Physics for Young Children by Meg Murphy Fedorowicz. Super hands on and concrete ideas! This activity introduces the concept of states of matter and would be great at circle time or in a large group.
States of Matter Science Activity
Gather together with your child or children and…
- Ask that they hold hands very tightly and say: “Solids are made of particles that are very close together.”
- Then have them stretch their arms while continuing to hold hands and say: “Liquids are made of particles that are further apart.”
- To end, have the children stand with fingertips lightly touching, barely brushing one another and say: “Gases are made from particles that are barely touching one another.”
Simple Introductory States of Matter Activity
Water is the perfect example of introducing states of matter to kids because it can exist in three different states: liquid, solid & gas. It always has the same chemical properties no matter which state it is in. Plus, there are great hands-on visual ways to demonstrate states of matter using water.
Observation:
- Liquid – Run a faucet, look outside on a rainy day or pour a pitcher of water into a glass
- Solid – Ice is a simple example. We also looked at different types of ice and snow images on Google Images.
- Gas – This one is fun because gas is invisible so you can’t technically see it. Remind your child of how air exists even though we can’t see it. Ask your child to breath on to his hand a few times slowly: “What do you feel on your hand?” Explain: “The “wetness” is water vapor. We breath water vapor, or a gas.
Changes in States of Matter:
- Watch an ice cube melt. Do it in person in different temperatures. There are also several YouTube videos of ice melting with a time lapse.
- Watch steam rise from a pot of boiling water
I have several activities within this area. I hope to get to many of them this winter. I’ll be sure to share with you. In the meantime, you might want to check out:
- Preschool Geography {Air}
- Preschool Geography {Clouds}
- Preschool Geography {Land, Air & Water}
- Preschool Geography {Land Forms}
- Preschool Science {Soup Souffle}
- Preschool Science {Watch Hot Air Rise}
Thanks for reading! I hope that we inspired you. Please leave a comment! I love hearing from you!
Marnie