25 Fun Christmas Science Experiments

Are you a planner, a Christmas fanatic, or even a last-minute project setter upper? We have everything you need to make the Christmas holidays amazing for your kids with the best Christmas science activities! Kids will love exploring Christmas science this year with ideas that are easy to do at home or school. From fizzing Christmas trees, bending candy canes, crystal gingerbread men, Santa’s rocket and more. Add a science experiment or two to your Christmas activities!

Why Science and Christmas?

Any holiday is a perfect opportunity for creating simple but AMAZING theme science activities. Christmas has so many fun opportunities for kids to explore science and STEM all month long.  From candy canes to Christmas trees, and gingerbread men to Santa himself!

• Kids love theme science and it gets them learning and loving science! You can easy explore similar topics all year with different themes!
• Theme science can still work with the NGSS (Next generation Science Standards).
• Our Christmas science activities work well for kids ages preschool, kindergarten through to elementary.
• Explore Christmas chemistry and physics with easy-to-set up and inexpensive science ideas.

Our Christmas science activities are fun, easy to set up and not time-consuming. You can pick up all the materials you need when you do your Christmas shopping!

These awesome choices for Christmas science experiments can even be turned into a fun countdown to Christmas. You will find more about this below.

Why Is Science Important For Kids?

Kids are curious and always looking to explore, discover, check out, and experiment to find out why things do what they do, move as they move, or change as they change! Indoors or outdoors, science is definitely amazing! Holidays like Christmas just make science all the more fun to try!

Science surrounds us, inside and out. Kids love checking things out with magnifying glasses, creating chemical reactions with kitchen ingredients, and of course exploring stored energy!

Science starts early, and you can be a part of that with setting up science at home with everyday materials. Or you can bring easy science to a group of kids! We find a ton of value in cheap science activities and experiments.

Helpful Science Resources To Get You Started

Here are a few resources that will help you introduce science more effectively to your kiddos or students and feel confident yourself when presenting materials. You’ll find helpful free printables throughout.

• Best Science Practices (as it relates to the scientific method)
• Science Vocabulary
• 8 Science Books for Kids
• All About Scientists
• Science Supplies List
• Science Tools for Kids
• Join us in the Club

Preschool Christmas Science Experiments

Yes you can set up simple Christmas activities that are perfect for preschoolers. Introduce basic science concepts through conversation and asking simple questions with hands-on activities. Young kids will love Christmas theme science and sensory play!

Easy Christmas science activities to start with include Santa’s Frozen Hands, peppermint oobleck and our fizzing Christmas tree activity.

Check out more awesome Christmas sensory bin ideas and Christmas play activities for toddlers to preschoolers!

TRY: Christmas 5 Senses Activity

This can be as easy to set up as grabbing a tray or plate and finding some Christmas-themed materials to add to it…good choices include jingle bells, cinnamon sticks, Christmas cookies or candy, glittery bows, evergreen branches… anything to explore sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch.

Download and print the sheet below, and kids can write about their experiences with each item or write in what goes with each category. Depending on the age group, the activity can be organized in a few ways.

Get your FREE printable Christmas STEM activities guide!

Festive Christmas Science Experiments For All Ages

Click on the links below to learn more about each of these easy Christmas science experiments, including supplies needed, set up instructions, and simple science information. And if you need us, send us an email. We are here to help!

1. Fizzing Christmas Trees

Christmas science with fizzing Christmas trees. We put a bit of spin on the classic baking soda and vinegar science activity! Watch the video and check out the directions.

2.  Crystal Candy Canes

Turn chemistry into a Christmas tree ornament when you learn about solutions, mixtures, and growing crystals. These look beautiful hanging on the tree and are sturdy. We have kept ours for several years now!

3. Dissolving Candy Canes

This is an easy Christmas science experiment to set up with the kids and offers room for exploration as you test different liquids or different temperatures of water. What about even testing different colored candy canes?

4. Candy Cane Fluffy Slime

Although we have a whole collection of Christmas slime recipes to choose from, I have highlighted a few in this Christmas science list as well. Slime is science and does fit into the NGSS science standards especially for states of matter.

5. More Christmas Slime Recipes

We make Christmas slime in so many fun ways that it may be hard to choose which one to try first! From fluffy to glittery and gingerbread scented to Santa themed….

6. Christmas Skittles Experiment

This easy Christmas science lab is a colorful example of water stratification, and kids will love the fascinating candy science! This candy science experiment uses a classic candy, Skittles in fun Christmas colors.

7. Crystal Gingerbread Man Ornaments

These are very similar to our crystal candy canes above and perfect if you have a favorite gingerbread man theme book you want to pair with a science activity too.

8. Fizzing Gingerbread Man Experiment

Baking is all about chemistry and is perfect for Christmas science. Although we aren’t baking cookies here, we are testing out an alternative to baking soda and vinegar reactions. Ever wonder how cookies get their lift?

9. Gingerbread Man Salt Crystal Ornaments

Another fun way to grow crystals is with salt! This is perfect for the youngest scientists because all you need is salt and water. These will take longer to form then the borax crystal ideas above, but it’s a terrific process just the same.

10. Scented Christmas Slime

Another favorite slime recipe for the holiday season because of it’s incredible smell! Of course you can mix it up with pumpkin pie spice or just plain cinnamon.

11. Dissolving Gingerbread Man Cookies

Another fun Christmas science activity, dissolving gingerbread man cookies to pair with a favorite Christmas book!

12. Christmas Catapult

Building a simple catapult is a great way to explore physics through play! Newton’s laws of motion pair nicely with this homemade STEM activity for Christmas.

13. Melting Santa’s Frozen Hands

The kids are always amazed by this one, and it’s really easy to set up! Help melt Santa’s frozen hands with simple science.

14. Magnetic Ornaments

Explore the power of magnetism with Christmas ornaments and magnetic and non-magnetic objects. Have the kids guess yes or no, and test their answers!

15. Jumping Tinsel

Explore static electricity with a balloon and tinsel for an easy Christmas theme science experiment.

16. Erupting Volcano Christmas Ornaments

One of the must fun Christmas science activities to date! Watching these ornaments erupt is always a blast. This is classic baking soda and vinegar with a Christmas twist.

17. Simple Christmas Light Box

We had fun exploring colored water and other translucent items with a homemade light box!

18. Christmas Science with Mini Eruptions

It’s another easy version of a classic science activity. Set up a baking soda and vinegar reaction in mini cups with plenty of Christmas glitter.

19. Santa’s Magic Milk

The kids love this classic science experiment because of the amazing results! We know Santa is sure to have magic milk during the holidays.

20. Magnetic Wreathe Ornament

A science and craft activity all in one, especially if you have a reluctant crafter!

21. Peppermint Oobleck

Young kids love this Christmas science activity with peppermints or candy canes! A great kitchen science experiment using only 2 basic ingredients plus the peppermints and candy canes of course!

22. Bending Candy Canes

Science or magic? Turn your candy cane into a circle without it breaking.

23. Grinch Slime

Do you love the Grinch? You can help the Grinch grow his heart with our homemade slime. Plus, the confetti hearts are fun!

24. Hot Chocolate Science

Explore states of matter with this fun hot cocoa and marshmallows activity.

FREE Hot Cocoa States of Matter Christmas Printable

25. Santa’s Balloon Rocket

3-2-1 blast off! What happens when you use a balloon to power Santa’s sleigh? Will he make his rounds in time, or will he fall flat? Not only is this science activity awesome fun, but it explores physics and the Laws of Motion!

More Fun Christmas Science

Science Christmas Ornaments

When you want an alternative to the usual Christmas crafts, why not try these cool scientific decorations for kids to make.

Christmas STEM Activities

Build a sleigh for Santa, explore math with candy, make gingerbread house tessellations and more with these Christmas STEM ideas. We have included ideas for science, technology, engineering, and math with simple materials.

LEGO Advent Calendar

Make your own or grab our free printable LEGO Christmas calendar to use this year.