Easy and Fun Preschool Science Activities

Include preschool science activities in your preschool curriculum and see how their little faces lift up

Include preschool science activities in your preschool curriculum and see how their little faces lift up!

Kids naturally loves to explore. They love learning new things and experiments will possible be their highlight of the day.

Hearing the words Science, Biology, Zoology, will make you think that it is only for much older children, but that is where we are wrong. Kids, especially preschool age, ask zillions of questions. I'm sure you sometimes wish they can just keep quiet for one moment but we should embrace those questions as they do not last long. You will be educating your preschool children by just answering their questions.

Stimulate them with good books. Topics such as dinosaurs, space, animals and nature will keep them busy for hours. I've seen my son with his library books. It is amazing how much they learn. If you feel intimidated by all the questions, because you do not know all the answers, then this will be a good time to learn with them. It is fun and will build a stronger relationship between you.

There are so many preschool science activities that can be done. Activities with colors, water, magnets and many more. You just need to choose something that is appropriate for their age.

To explain science to your preschooler you will need to explain that science is a part of their everyday lives, whether they throw a ball, push a truck or go down a slide, it is all science.

How do I start preschool science activities

• Read to them and do not expect them to grasp all the information at once. They will probably remember more with the hands-on-activities. Try not to explain too much. Only introduce one activity at a time.

• Discuss about this activity for a few days. They need time to absorb the information. Use your everyday activities like bathtime, to talk about floating/sinking.

• Answer their questions with a smile - yes, sometimes it is difficult especially if they can't stop and they do not even give you a chance to respond to their initial question.

• Check for understanding. Ask them whether it is hot or cold today and what they should wear in that weather etc.

Preschool science activities are not just a subject, it is very important and it teaches your preschooler the basics of how the world works. We are not going to talk about the deeper science such as fossils, we will only do activities that are easy to understand and that can help them in their everyday life.

One of the most loved experiments are the Volcano. You will find these type of preschool science activities on almost all science sites.

How to make a Volcano?

• Place an empty baby food jar on a clean Styrofoam tray.

• Surround the jar with play dough to look like a volcano/mountain.

• Place a drop of red food coloring and a tablespoon of baking soda in the jar.

• Then add vinegar to your volcano to make it erupt.

Air and Wind

We can't see air, but it is all around us. There is even air in our bodies (lungs). Everything around us can be influenced by air.

• Blowing up a balloon

• Blowing air into a glass of water

• Blowing bubbles

• Wind blowing the leaves

• Your hair gets blown about

• A windsock telling you where the wind is coming from

Experiment - Whizzing balloon

• Thread a straw on a long piece of string

• Inflate a long ballon and stop the air from coming out with a clamp

• Tape the straw to the balloon

• As them to hold the other side of the string and then release the clamp

Gravity

• What goes up, must come down - it is called gravity. Examples of gravity.

• Go up a slide, you slide down. You do not just stay in the air.

• You jump up you come down.

• You throw a ball in the air, it came down again.

Experiment - Gravity painting

• Mix some very runny paint in different colors

• Take a white card board and pour some on the top of the board.

• Tip the card up and down, sideways and see how the paint forms patterns - Thanks you gravity.

Floating and Sinking

Some things float, some don't. Why? Size, matter, weight and other materials.

Experiment - What floats and what not.

• Find various articles such as clay, blown up balloon, apple, flower, leaves, magnet, money, pebbles, crayons etc.

• Draw up a chart and let them guess which articles will float and which will not.

• Do the experiment and see how many they have right.

Preschool science activities are a very important milestone. Why, because it develops thinking skills and help with gross and fine motor skills.

My body

Do they know that their fingerprint is unique? If no, then do not tell them, let them first do the experiment.

1.  Experiment (Finger prints)

• Give your child a paper with the names of all the family members on it.

• Make sure that there is enough space for everyone's fingerprint next to the name.

• Rub a think coating of lipstick on their fingertips and start making prints.

• Let them look at all the fingerprints and ask them if they are the same.

• This is a good time to discuss how special God made each one of us.

PS: There are 3 types of fingerprints: Arch, Loop and Whorl. Interesting indeed.

2.  Experiment - Senses (Taste)

• Start with peeled slices of uncooked potato and apple

• Cover their eyes with a blindfold

• They need to hold their nose with one hand - not allowed to smell at all.

• Let them take a bit of each slice and tell you which is which

PS: It is hard to tell the difference, because you need your smell senses as your tongue can only distinguish between: salt, sweet, bitter.

Water

What goes under the water but never gets wet.Try this experiment.

Experiment - Tissue in water

• Fill a big glass bowl with water.

• Let them put some tissue into the bottom of a drinking glass

• Make sure when you turn it up side down that it does not fall out.

• Hold the glass upside down and push it straight into the water without tipping it.

• Touch the bottom and then take it out.

• What happend? Still dry!

Preschool science activities must not become a tedious job for you. Start with simple experiments and work your way up as your children leads you!

Enjoy preschool science activities with good science preschool books.