Understanding the various states of matter is a fundamental concept for children as they delve into chemistry and physics. With our comprehensive list of engaging activities, you can help young learners discover the properties of different states of matter and how they transition from one state to another. Additionally, explore the intriguing “fourth state of matter,” plasma, along with solutions, suspensions, non-Newtonian fluids, and more. Activities cater to preschoolers, elementary students, and middle schoolers, and there are also science fair project ideas included!
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Simple States of Matter Activities for Pre-K to Grade 2
These activities are quick and easy, making them ideal for introducing the concepts of solids, liquids, and gases to young learners. (Find more simple science activities for preschoolers here.)
1. Matter Discovery
Before discussing the states of matter, kids need to understand what matter itself is. If it has mass and occupies space, it’s considered matter. Young children can think of it this way: Can they touch or hold it in their hand? If yes, it’s matter. Conversely, things like light, heat, and sound are not matter; neither are emotions or thoughts. Provide kids with a variety of examples and have them decide which are matter and which are not.
2. Evaporation Observation
For this straightforward states of matter activity, all you need is water and some paper cups. Fill each cup halfway with water, and draw a line on the outside to indicate the starting level. Place the cups in various locations (near a sunny window, next to a heat source, in a shaded area, etc.). Check periodically to observe how much water has evaporated.
Teacher tip: Turn this into an experiment by asking kids to predict which location will cause the water to evaporate the fastest!
3. States of Matter Books
Read some engaging books to introduce young learners to the concepts of solids, liquids, and gases. Here are a few of our top recommendations:
4. Sorting Solids, Liquids, and Gases
Print or cut out images representing various solids, liquids, and gases from magazines. Label three bins for Solid, Liquid, and Gas. Ask children to identify the state of matter depicted in each image, then sort them into the correct bins. Review their selections and clarify any misconceptions.
5. Solids and Containers
One characteristic of solids is that they maintain their shape, rather than conforming to the shape of their container. Allow kids to experiment with different items and containers of various sizes and shapes. Discuss how some items fit in containers without filling them completely, while others may not fit at all due to their shape or size.
6. Liquids and Containers
In contrast, liquids change shape to fit the container they occupy. Use the same containers but fill them with a liquid, like water. Pour the liquid from one container to another, observing how it adapts its shape. Highlight that the liquid doesn’t completely fill all containers—it changes shape but doesn’t expand to occupy the entire space.
7. Gases and Containers
To illustrate how gases fill a container, use balloons of different sizes and shapes. Inflate them and show how the air (gas) fills the balloon entirely, regardless of its size or shape.
8. Three States of Water
This classic activity helps students grasp the concept of states of matter. Begin with ice cubes, examining their properties as a solid. Next, allow them to melt and discuss what remains the same and what changes when they become a liquid. Finally, heat the water (using a hot plate in the classroom works well) and observe it transform into steam, illustrating the final state of matter: gas.
9. Condensation in a Cup
This straightforward activity showcases both evaporation and condensation. Fill a cup halfway with water and tightly cover it with plastic wrap. Place it in a warm area and check back after an hour or two to see the droplets that have formed on the plastic wrap. Discuss how the water evaporated into a gas and then condensed into liquid form on the cover.
10. Hot and Cold Balloons
Gases expand when warmed and contract when cooled. You can clearly demonstrate this with a balloon! Inflate it and tie it off, then measure the circumference at room temperature. Use a blow dryer to gently warm the air inside (be cautious not to overheat or position too closely, as the balloon may burst), and measure the new circumference. Finally, place the balloon in the freezer for a few minutes and measure it again. So cool!
States of Matter Activities for Grades 3 to 5
As students mature, Next Generation Science Standards come into play, necessitating the teaching of states of matter. Try these engaging activities to deepen their understanding of solids, liquids, and gases.
11. Snack Food Particles
Provide each student with a small bag of cereal, M&Ms, or raisins to represent particles. Draw a square on a piece of paper and fill it with snack items, tightly packed together to represent particles in a solid. Then, remove some items and spread them out to illustrate particles in a liquid. Finally, take away more pieces and spread the remainder far apart—this arrangement illustrates a gas.
12. States of Matter Chart
Create an anchor chart for students to replicate in their notebooks as a graphic organizer. Include details for each of the three states (solid, liquid, gas), including definitions, properties, and examples.
13. Cotton Swab Particles
Conduct a similar activity using cotton swabs dipped in paint to create “particles.” Cluster the dots closely for solids, more loosely for liquids, and far apart for gases.
14. Matter Charades
Create a set of cards, each depicting a different solid, liquid, or gas. Divide students into teams. One player from the first team draws a card and acts it out for their teammates to guess. Once they guess correctly, they must state whether it’s a solid, liquid, or gas to earn a point!
15. States of Matter Collages
Display three pieces of chart paper on the wall—label one SOLIDS, another LIQUIDS, and the last one GASES. Provide kids with old magazines and have them look for pictures and/or words to cut out and attach to the appropriate collages.
16. Human States of Matter
Transform students into particles with a fun activity that gets everyone moving. Start by marking off a square about 5 feet by 5 feet on the floor. Have your students stand in the square, squeezing in as tightly as possible until it’s full. Ask them to try moving without leaving the square—it will be challenging, just like particles in matter. Then, have about a third of the students leave the square, allowing the others to spread out and move around like particles in a liquid. Finally, remove more students until only a few are left, and let them move freely, representing gas.
17. States of Matter Hunt
Organize a scavenger hunt where students look for examples of all three states of matter, while also fulfilling other criteria. For instance, ask them to find:
- A solid that is red
- A liquid containing gas bubbles
- A solid smaller than their fingernail
- A container with more than one state of matter
- A solid that pours like a liquid
18. States of Matter Jigsaw Activity
Divide students into groups of three, assigning each member to become an expert on one state of matter: solid, liquid, or gas. Then, regroup students based on their state of matter assignments. Each group researches and learns about their respective state, becoming “experts.” Finally, return to the original groups of three and have them teach one another what they learned about their assigned state of matter.
19. Root Beer Float Science
This activity is sure to be a hit with kids! Drop a scoop of vanilla ice cream into a glass of root beer. Ask children to identify the solid (ice cream), the liquid (root beer), and the gas (bubbles in the soda). Bonus: The solid ice cream melts into a liquid!
20. Ice Cream in a Bag
Feeling ambitious? Make your own ice cream for the floats described above! It’s a fun way to explore the transformation from liquid to solid.
Hands-On States of Matter Activities and Demos
Nothing captivates students quite like live activities that allow them to witness scientific principles in action. Whether they conduct the experiment themselves or watch you demonstrate, these ideas will reinforce their learning.
21. Baking Soda & Vinegar Balloon
Try this classic science demonstration where solid (baking soda) and liquid (vinegar) combine to produce a gas! As the balloon fills, students will observe a gas expanding to fill its container.
22. Water, Matter, and Temperature
Matter transitions between states as temperatures fluctuate. Higher temperatures convert solids to liquids and liquids to gases, while cooler temperatures reverse the process. The cycle is typically the same: solid to liquid to gas, or gas to liquid to solid. Demonstrate this by placing an ice cube in a saucepan. Measure its temperature with a non-contact infrared thermometer. Set the saucepan on a stove burner at low heat, and watch the ice melt. Measure the temperature again once it’s fully melted. Finally, increase the heat until the water boils and transforms into steam. Measure the temperature one last time.
23. Dry Ice Sublimation
Sometimes matter skips a step, transitioning straight from solid to gas—a process known as “sublimation.” The easiest way to observe this is with dry ice, which is actually frozen carbon dioxide. (This demonstration is best performed by teachers, as dry ice can be hazardous.) Place a piece of dry ice in a glass jar and stretch a balloon tightly around the neck. As the CO2 transitions from solid to gas (sublimes), the balloon will inflate!
24. Crayon Transformation
Demonstrate how matter shifts from one state to another with the application or removal of heat using broken crayons. Start by breaking the crayons into pieces and placing them into molds (using letter or number molds is fun). Note that the pieces are solid and don’t spread out to fill the corners of the molds. Heat the crayons gently in the oven (around 300 degrees F) for a few minutes, checking them periodically. As they melt into a liquid, they will spread out to fill the shapes. Once melted, take them out and let them cool back into solids, creating a new set of crayons for coloring!
25. Cloud in a Jar
For this demonstration, you’ll need a glass jar with a lid, some ice cubes, warm water, and aerosol hairspray. Start by pouring some hot water (not boiling) into the jar and swirling it around to warm it. Pour out most of the water, leaving about an inch at the bottom. Turn the lid upside-down and place a few ice cubes on it, then carefully put the lid on the jar. The ice will cool the air at the top. Quickly remove the lid, give a quick burst of hairspray (1 second or less) into the jar, and replace the lid. In a few seconds, you’ll see a “cloud” form as the water condenses around the aerosol gas droplets. Remove the lid and observe as your cloud rises!
26. Soda Stream Gas Demo
If you have a home carbonation machine like a Soda Stream, use it for this simple states of matter demonstration! Fill your bottle with water and drop in a couple of raisins. Observe the raisins for a few minutes to see if anything happens. Remove the raisins, refill the bottle with water, and carbonate it as per your machine’s instructions. To make the bubbles more visible, drop the raisins back in. The gas bubbles will adhere to the raisins, causing them to rise and fall!
27. Heated Gas Expansion in a Balloon
Place a balloon over the neck of an empty glass jar, ensuring a tight seal. Immerse the jar in a few inches of very hot water and watch closely. As the air inside heats up, the gas particles will expand, causing the balloon to bulge! You can reverse this experiment by placing the glass jar in a cold environment—the balloon will slightly retract into the jar. (Allow the jar to cool to room temperature before transferring it to a cold space to avoid breaking it due to sudden temperature changes.)
28. Rice & Sand: Granular Solids
Granular solids like rice and sand can confuse kids, as they behave like both liquids and solids. Provide students with various containers along with some rice and sand to experiment. Discuss how these materials pour freely, similar to liquids, and can take the shape of their container. However, they can also be piled up with sloping sides, which doesn’t happen with liquids. What other similarities and differences can students identify?
Solutions, Suspensions, and Colloids Activities for Kids
When mixing liquids and solids, they can form solutions (the solid dissolves in the liquid), suspensions (the solid is temporarily suspended in the liquid but will eventually settle), or colloids (the solid remains permanently suspended). Here are some fun methods to teach kids about all three.
29. Sugar and Sand in Water
Begin with two clear containers of warm water. Add a spoonful of sugar to one and a spoonful of sand to the other. Stir each jar gently for two minutes, then observe the results. Note that the sugar has disappeared (dissolved), creating a solution, while the sand remains suspended in the water and gradually settles back to the bottom.
30. Hot and Cold Salt Water
Salt dissolves in water to create a solution. However, it takes longer to dissolve in cold water compared to hot. Experiment by mixing salt into separate glasses of hot and cold water, timing how long it takes to completely dissolve in each. Explain that in hot water, molecules move more rapidly, “bumping” into the salt and aiding its breakdown.
31. Flour Water Suspension
Ask students to predict the outcome when mixing flour with water—will it create a solution or a suspension? Stir a tablespoon of flour into a glass of water and observe how the flour settles over time. This activity can easily be turned into an experiment by testing what happens when flour is mixed into either cold or hot water.
32. Cream to Butter
This experiment not only explores solids and liquids but also the process known as emulsion. Cream consists of liquid milk fats dispersed in water. When you make butter, you separate the two! Pour heavy cream into a glass jar, then take turns shaking it vigorously. Eventually, you will see the solids in the cream clump together. Rinse the butter solids under cold water until the water runs clear. Knead the butter into a ball (add a pinch of salt if desired). Now you have a solid (butter) and a liquid (buttermilk)!
33. Homemade Mayonnaise
To create homemade mayonnaise, combine egg yolk and a bit of vinegar or lemon juice in a bowl. Gradually whisk in oil while stirring constantly. The egg yolk contains lecithin, which helps to disperse the tiny droplets of oil in the watery mixture. As you whisk, the oil spreads into tiny droplets, creating a thick, creamy emulsion that doesn’t separate.
34. Jell-O Colloids
Showcase colloids with Jell-O! Have students mix the powder with hot water and watch it thicken as it cools (add a few ice cubes to hasten the process). The small gelatin particles disperse throughout the water, trapping it inside and forming a wobbly gel. Even though it appears solid, it is actually a mixture of solids suspended in liquid that does not settle, which perfectly exemplifies a colloid.
Plasma and Non-Newtonian Fluids Activities
While solids, liquids, and gases are the primary states of matter, there are some types that don’t neatly fit into these categories, such as plasma (a super-hot, glowing gas) and non-Newtonian fluids, which exhibit properties of both solids and liquids. Here are some engaging methods to teach kids about these unique types of matter.
35. Plasma Ball Demo
Demonstrating plasma can be challenging in the classroom, as it exists in phenomena like lightning, the sun, and neon signs. However, a plasma ball provides a safe way to introduce this state of matter. You can purchase one for around $30 and use it to illustrate plasma in action.
Buy it: Katzco 7-Inch Plasma Ball Lamp on Amazon
36. Microwave Grapes Plasma Video
Another fascinating plasma demonstration involves microwaving loosely connected grape halves, although we don’t recommend attempting this yourself. Instead, check out this video that illustrates the experiment and share it with your class.
37. Solid or Liquid (or Both?)
Introduce students to non-Newtonian liquids (liquids that behave like solids under certain conditions) with this open-ended activity. Provide standard liquids such as water, juice, or vegetable oil and allow students to experiment by pouring them from container to container. Then, offer non-Newtonian fluids like toothpaste, peanut butter, hair gel, or silly putty for them to explore. Afterward, ask questions such as:
- In what ways do these items behave like solids?
- How do they behave like liquids?
- What happens if you apply force to these items?
- Can you create a sloping pile with these items? Do they maintain their shape over time?
38. Non-Newtonian Shapes and Molds
Use the same non-Newtonian items with cookie cutters or containers to see if they hold their shape. Compare this with how traditional solids like clay, salt dough, or play dough behave, as well as how liquids like water or oil respond.
39. Homemade Oobleck
Oobleck is a unique substance that doesn’t quite resemble anything else! Made from cornstarch and water, Oobleck acts like a solid when pressure is applied: it resists. Yet, when left alone, it pours and flows like a liquid. Mix a batch at home and let students experiment with it—they’ll be amazed by the results!
40. DIY Slime
Slime is another unique solid that sometimes behaves like a liquid. Kids love to play with it! Create your own batches using one or more of our recipes, then ask students to consider which properties of slime resemble a solid and which resemble a liquid.
41. Kinetic Sand Play
If slime feels too messy, try making your own kinetic sand instead. Mix five parts sand with three parts cornstarch, then gradually stir in about one part oil. Continue stirring until the mixture is fully combined and sticks together when squeezed. Allow kids to play with it, noting its solid and liquid characteristics, and discuss how it’s another example of matter that doesn’t fit neatly into a single state.
42. Mud Pies
Here’s a final fun way to explore unique states of matter. Create mud by blending dirt and water in different ratios. See if you can find a mix that behaves like Oobleck—solid when poked firmly but liquid enough to flow and pour.
States of Matter Science Fair Experiment Ideas
With a school science fair approaching, states of matter projects can be both fun and educational! Here are some questions to consider and potential experiments to discover the answers. Don’t forget to download our free printable experiment recording worksheet to guide the process!
43. Does salt make ice melt faster?
Experiment: Place ice cubes in the wells of a muffin tin. Add varying amounts of salt to some wells, leaving others as controls. Observe the ice over time to determine whether the wells with salt affect the melting process. Variables: Change the size of the salt crystals or add other materials like sugar or sand to some wells.
44. Which liquid evaporates more quickly: water or rubbing alcohol?
Experiment: Fill two clear jars—one with plain water and the other with rubbing alcohol. Mark the starting level on each jar. Check periodically to measure the evaporation rate. Variables: Test this with hot and cold water.
45. Does air take up space?
Experiment: You will need an empty plastic water bottle and a small uninflated balloon. Stretch the balloon over the bottle neck, forming an airtight seal. Try pushing the balloon down into the bottle as far as possible. What happens? Next, remove the balloon, squeeze the bottle to expel some air, and then reattach the balloon. What do you observe this time? What conclusions can you draw?
46. Does surface area affect water evaporation rate?
Experiment: Gather several containers such as a tall thin glass, a large bowl, and a flat-rimmed baking sheet. Measure and pour the same amount of water into each container. Observe which container allows the water to evaporate the fastest.
47. Does heat make solids dissolve in water more quickly?
Experiment: Mix salt or sugar into water at different temperatures, timing how long it takes to fully dissolve (with no visible crystals). Variables: Start with cold water and gently heat it while stirring, or begin with warm water and cool it as you mix in the salt or sugar.
48. How does salt affect the freezing point of water?
Experiment: Fill some wells of an ice cube tray with plain water. Create various salt water solutions to fill the remaining wells (some weaker with less salt, others stronger with more salt). Periodically check the tray by inserting a thermometer into each well. Observe whether the water is liquid, slushy, or forming ice crystals.
49. How can you separate solids from liquids in a solution?
Experiment: Mix several solutions of salt and sugar water, ensuring both are fully dissolved. Pour the solutions into shallow pans and leave them out to evaporate the water, leaving the solids (sugar or salt) behind.
50. Do sugar and salt dissolve in water at the same rate?
Experiment: Stir a tablespoon of table salt into room-temperature water and time how long it takes to completely dissolve. Repeat the experiment with sugar and compare the results. Variables: Use larger or smaller grains of salt or sugar (rock salt and rock sugar, or finely ground salt and superfine sugar).
51. How does Oobleck react to different forces?
Experiment: Use various types of force to determine if Oobleck responds consistently. For instance, poke it with the flat side of a spoon, the tines of a fork, a chopstick, the tips of your fingers, and the flat of your hand. Vary the speed at which you apply force with these objects. How does Oobleck react? Is it easier to push some objects into it than others?
Grab your free science experiment recording sheets before you go!
Use this sheet with any of the experiments or demonstrations in this compilation. It reinforces the scientific method and enhances students’ observational skills. Just click the link below to download it.
Plus, Easy Science Experiments Using Materials You Already Have On Hand.
