easy at home science experiments for toddlers

10 quick and Easy science experiments for toddlers that are totally awesome {2 years old and Up}

It is science week here at Tot School, and to celebrate, we had a week full of daily science experiments for toddlers.

If you are looking for easy science experiments for toddlers to learn and enjoy, these are our top favorites so far!

All of these science experiments for toddlers are age-appropriate and fun and have been tested and approved by my toddler 2-year-old toddler as well as my sensory students.

The Best science experiments for toddlers

#1 volcanic eruption.

Also called Witch’s Brew, this  science experiment for toddlers  is number 1 on our list because it is so easy to make, it is so much fun to do, and the kids can do it themselves.

To do this experiment, you only need baking soda and vinegar. Mixing the two creates a magic explosion that is safe for little ones and a lot of fun.

Use food coloring to change the color of the bubbles. Add water to the vinegar to dilute and expand its use. The kids love to pour and see the bubbles repeatedly, so this will extend the activity for extra playtime.

Learn how to set up this witches brew experiment with step-by-step instructions

#2 fizzy cubes.

To make fizzy cubes, freeze a mixture of baking soda and water. Activate with vinegar in the same way mentioned above.

To change the activity and work fine motor skills , this activity was set up using a dropper to suck the vinegar and squeeze it into the fizzy cube.

My toddler tried it several times but wanted a faster way to dissolve the cubes. He enjoyed grabbing each fizzy cube and dropping them into the vinegar cup.

Making Oobleck is one of my favorite activities, but it can get messy! When you grab this substance, it is solid but melts and becomes liquid when you let go of the pressure.

To do this science experiment, all you need is two parts cornstarch and 1 part water.

Watch our quick video or get the step-by-step instructions and learn how to make Oobleck

View this post on Instagram Make the coolest science experiment for toddlers and am kids of all ages. All you need is water, cornstarch and food coloring. (Be careful as some food coloring can temporarily stain the hand) 1 cup of water to about 2 cups of corns starch A post shared by Alexa | Kid Activities (@kidactivitieswithalexa) on Jul 15, 2020 at 6:38pm PDT

#4 Sink or Float

Understanding weight is one of the first science experiments you can do at home. All you need is a bowl of water and a few water-safe objects.

Start by identifying what happens when each object touches the water. Repetition here is key!

Once the toddler grasps the new vocabulary words and correctly identifies what is happening, then try to ask before the item gets dropped to guess what he thinks is going to happen.

You can repeat this experiment during bath time, at the pool, or anywhere else you can access water.

Have you played the sink or float game? Well, actually is a science experiment and one of our favorite activities. I usually let Manu set up the whole thing form the beginning. I give him a pitcher of water and an empty bowl for him to pour h the e water into. Then we walk around and find different things to test out. Will it float? Will it sink? I let him pick what he wants to throw (as long as it can get wet and has no batteries) and this freedom lets him explore and learn. Who knew a bowl of water could be so fun! #2yearoldactivities #toddleractivitiesathome Posted by Kid Activities with Alexa on Monday, September 28, 2020

Learn how to set up the sink of float experiment with step-by-step instructions

#5 hot and cold.

Learn about temperature using sensory bottles. We filled one bottle of water with cold water, added a few ice cubes, and filled another one with hot water. We dyed the cold water blue and the hot water yellow to help associate the concepts.

We also paired this opposite lesson with a YouTube video in which we learned the lyrics and acted out the finger-play actions throughout the week.

#6 Mixing Colors

Once a toddler is familiar with the colors and can identify and name them correctly, it is time to add colors to science experiments. Working with primary colors, we have started to create a few experiments to make new colors. This week was all about yellow and blue making green. We did it with some water, food coloring, soap, and paint.

What Primary colors make new colors?

• Red and Yellow make Orange
• Yellow and blue make Green
• Blue and Red make Purple/Voilet

Discovering air is one of the first science concepts that can be taught. Do this experiment if your child already knows how to blow out. Add a squirt of dish soap and some water to a bowl. Provide a straw and show your toddler how to blow to create bubbles.

Look at the colors the bubbles reflect. Can you hold one? Does it pop? Can you blow on them? What happens?

As a variation of this experiment, you can add watercolor paint to the solution and allow the colored bubbles to pop onto a piece of paper to create a work of art.

#8 DIY Lava Lamp

This experiment was one of Manu’s favorites. To create your own DIY lava lamp, you will need vegetable oil, water, food coloring, and effervescent tablets.

For our first try, we filled half of the glass cup with water and added food coloring (too much!), and the other half with vegetable oil. I crushed the effervescent tablet in many pieces because I knew my toddler would enjoy dropping the tablets into the glass.

Once the tablet hits the water, it starts to dissolve and create bubbles that travel upwards on the glass, passing through the oil and popping into the surface. Because the water doesn’t mix with the oil, you can visually see how these bubbles travel toward the surface and, once they pop, how the water travels back down.

For our second try, we used only 1/4 of water, much less food coloring, and much more vegetable oil in the glass. The lava lamp looked much better, as the colored water bubbles had more room to travel.

Cutting up the tablets into different pieces was a great idea. Manu loved creating the bubbles and enjoyed repeating them over and over.

Slime is a great tool for working on fine motor skills, and it is also a cool chemistry experiment. Similar to Oobleck, slime changes are composed when played with. It is solid but stretches or breaks. Toddlers, of course, won’t understand the science concept behind it, but they will enjoy playing with the material and doing their little experiments as they learn and understand how slime behaves. It is not like playdough ; it is not like oobleck; it is its unique material.

I like using fluffy  slime , like rainbow or white fluffy slime, with toddlers. Fluffy slime is less stretchy than other types, so it is easier for toddlers to handle.

Learn how to make rainbow slime

Learn how to make white fluffy slime.

#10 Exploring light

Learning about light and dark, shadows and reflections are all science activities you can start exploring early on.

Make shadows using cutout woods or use your hands and a flashlight, use the sun to explore the light and it’s reflection. We have made  colored bottles  to explore the colors reflected on the floor, made  apple-shaped suncatchers,  and made a  glow-in-the-dark sensory bottle.

Last Thoughts

Science can be a lot of fun, and as you can see, you can start even when they are toddlers. Allowing your toddler time and exposure to different materials and experiments helps them understand their world and gives them the confidence to experiment, explore, and gain a ton of new information when doing so. Don’t forget always to supervise any experiment or invitation to play.

Get tons of creative ideas to do with your toddler at home! Become a PLAY MEMBER by signing up for the newsletter.

Play members get seasonal activity ideas right in their inbox, a special invitation to our Mommy & Me Virtual Circle time, and access to our free library with educational printables and activities to develop your child through sensory play and reach their developmental milestones while getting a head start when entering Pre-K.

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