30 Fun Science Games For Kids that Boost Learning

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30 Fun Science Games For Kids

By Joe Burgett - May 14, 2020

Reaction Time Challenge

Supplies Needed: Everything & Nothing

Our reaction time is something that can consistently improve. It is not based on age, sex/gender, or anything other than our brain. Yet your brain is like a muscle and you need to work it out all the time for it to be strong. As a result, reaction times change as we get older because we begin to grow as people. Athletes have fantastic reaction times due to having to think split second about when to do things. Due to this, kids need to work on their reaction time.

What better way is there to do this than by making a cool game out of it that even parents will enjoy? To play the game, you need at least two people competing and another person to throw objects at the children. When we say objects, we mean things that won’t hurt them because obviously. You’ll throw something like a stuffed animal and continue to do it faster and faster, testing their reactions. The winner is the one with the most objects at the end.

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Paper Airplane Contest

Supplies Needed: Paper & Potentially glue, among other supplies you wish to use

To make a paper plane, you really only need paper. However, some people like to make their paper plane a bit fancy. As a result, you might want to invest in some glue, glitter, buttons, or little stuff that will trick out your specific plane. However, you’ll want to be careful about all you add. In the Paper Airplane Challenge, it’s all about distance.

This is one of the most fun science games for kids because it’s very simple to do and every kid can enjoy it. The paper planes will need to be put head to head. They will both be thrown at the same time where the winner will be the paper plane that manages to fly the furthest. You can even make it a best out of 3, 5, or however many you’d like.

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Science Hangman

Supplies Needed: Paper, Pen/Pencil

Hangman is a game we likely all played at least once or two billion times when we were kids. It’s a simple game to play as well, making it perfect for kids. The goal of the game is to guess what a person has chosen as a word or phrase, a lot like Wheel of Fortune without the “Wheel” part. The way you win is by guessing a letter in the word or phrase. Every time you are wrong, the little hangman gets a body part added. You lose if the hangman becomes fully developed.

In this version of Hangman though, we’re going to allow you to offer hints or have your child answer questions. If you choose the question lane, you’ll want to make them science-driven where the letter you use will be in the answer. Since that can be complicated, the hint works too. You’d just choose a science word or phrase, and they’d guess the letters connected to it just as they would in the normal game. This will allow you to tell them about important science terms.

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Swinging Water Game

Supplies Needed: Water, Bucket w/Handle

Have you ever heard of something called “centripetal force?” If you have not, it’s actually quite a fascinating thing to discuss with people. Simply put, it’s a force that acts on a body moving in a circular path, which is then directed toward the center around where the body is moving. This force allows you to keep things in place, acting on gravitational laws. Of course, centripetal force falls within the world of physics. Technically, all force is influenced in some form by gravity too.

In this game, you’ll want to have two or more buckets with a handle on them. We’d recommend the smallest ones you can find, such as one a kid might play in a sandbox with. You’ll add water to this and swing around the bucket as fast as possible. The game comes into play to see how long someone can do it. Losing any water ends the game for that person. See, this force we referenced will keep water from falling out of the bucket as long as you keep swinging. That’s why the winner lasts the longest.

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The Catapult Game

Supplies Needed: Long Sturdy Boards, Paint Cans or Cans Of Equal Size, Helmets

While your average catapult used in combat or hunting can be dangerous, we do not want you to use those types. Rather, you’ll be creating your own using some sturdy wood. In order to use it, one side has to have something on it while a person jumps on the other end. The force from their jump will send the supplies on the other side flying. The larger the catapult happens to be in this case, the higher/further the object can potentially travel.

Of course, the amount of force you use will be key. That is where the game comes in. This can be one of the most fun science games for kids because it’s so easy to do and a real blast. You’ll want to put a helmet on your child’s head depending on the supplies you’re using on the other end. The game comes in when you load the same supplies on two catapults. The winner will be the one that sees their supplies go the furthest or highest, depending on what you’re using.

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Science Matching Game

Supplies Needed: Various Household Supplies

You all know how the matching games work by now, so you do not need us to tell you too much. However, the basics of this specific version might have a small learning curve but nothing drastic. Essentially, you grab a bunch of supplies from around the home. This can include cleaning supplies, video games, etc. You could also add sticky notes to numerous objects around the home too. It’s up to you here.

The goal is to have your child form a list of all the supplies and match them based on science. You’ll give them terms such as “things that clean” and so on. From here, they’ll match all your cleaning supplies as well as soap in that section. You might have another for “technology.” They will then match all the technology. You can get more specific each time you play and you can even do so with different things from around the home. This form of matchmaking can be a helpful learning experience.

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The Egg Drop Challenge

Supplies Needed: Fresh Eggs, Popsicle Sticks, Paper, Plastic Straws, Glue, Rubber Bands, Cotton Balls

Another fantastic game to play will also have to deal with force. The goal of the game is to create a barrier that can guard an egg against breaking or cracking after it is dropped from a high surface. If you have two children, this can be a great way to test their creative and problem-solving skills. If you do not have another child, you can likely play this game with them or invite one of their friends over to play. What can protect an egg the best? That is truly up to you to decide.

There are many models that have worked over the years, with the best often involving similar things. The top ones usually have a circular or square barrier, can bounce when dropped, as well as hold up as pretty light on their own. The heavier models tend to not have as much give, which then puts too much force on the landing for the egg, cracking or breaking it. This is why you need the bounce – because the force is reduced on the egg.

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