Exploring science with your little one doesn’t have to be hard…
Engaging in simple, hands-on science activities is a great way to help your child learn more about the world around them. You can also help your little one develop early science skills, like asking questions, making predictions, using tools to solve problems, and more.
Luckily, it’s easy (and fun) to explore science with your toddler. Everyday activities like baking and gardening are a great way to get started. Here are 10 science activities to try with your child at home!
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10 Fun & Easy Science Activities for Toddlers
1 | Sink or float
Experiment with different objects to see if they sink or float in water. Try using a variety of objects like a sponge, coin, leaf, crayon, stone, cork, or any other household object. If you’d like, make a list — using words or pictures — to track which items float and which ones sink.
2 | Gardening
Encourage your little one to help take care of plants, indoors or in the garden. Toddlers can help water or dust plants, pull weeds, plant seeds, and more. This is a fun way for children to learn more about what plants need to live, grow, and stay healthy.
3 | Mix baking soda & vinegar
This classic science experiment helps children explore cause and effect (“What happens when I do this?”), as well as basic chemical reactions. You can also try making a lemon volcano — the citric acid in the lemon interacts with the baking soda to create a fizzy eruption!
4 | Explore natural objects
Take a walk outdoors and collect natural materials like flowers, grass, pinecones, stones, and twigs. At home, store these objects in a “treasure basket” for your child to explore independently. (Try offering your little one a magnifying glass for more fun!)
5 | Make a sensory bottle
DIY sensory bottles are tons of fun for toddlers. You can fill a sensory bottle with all kinds of materials: Water, oil, food coloring, glitter, water beads, and so on. By creating different kinds of sensory bottles, you can introduce scientific concepts like density, colors and color mixing, and even ocean zones in an engaging, hands-on way.
6 | Experiment with gravity
Cardboard ramps or tubes can be a great way to experiment with gravity at home. Simply roll a toy car down a cardboard ramp or drop popsicle sticks through a tube. You can also roll a ball down a slide, toss beanbags or scarves up in the air, or drop objects from different heights to see what will happen.
7 | Baking & cooking
Baking and cooking projects are another good way to introduce early science concepts like measuring, using tools, and creating simple chemical reactions. So invite your toddler to help out in the kitchen — any snack or meal is a learning opportunity. (Not sure where to start? Try making bread in a bag together!)
8 | Use tools to explore seeds
Toddlers love investigating everyday objects to learn more about them. So the next time you’re cooking dinner, try offering your child the scraps from whatever fruits or veggies you’re using, along with a spoon or some tweezers. Then encourage your little one to explore!
9 | Scoop & pour water
All you need for this activity is a large bowl of water (or water table), a variety of cups and spoons, and a towel. Exploring water helps children learn about simple science concepts, like volume and measurement, and helps build fine motor skills too. To limit mess, try taking the fun outside — or make it a bathtime activity instead.
10 | Play with ice
This is pretty much as easy as it gets! It’s exciting for toddlers to use their senses to explore ice. They also love to see what happens as the ice warms up and begins to melt. Scientific concepts explored include temperature, cause and effect, and change of state. You can even try freezing small objects in a block of ice for more fun.
Happy exploring! 😊
♥ Meg
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