It’s never too early to introduce awesome science vocabulary words to kiddos of all ages. In fact, kids have a lot of fun learning, and even saying big words. Don’t underestimate the power of a young mind! You’re definitely going to want to incorporate these simple science terms into your next science lesson! Let’s think and talk like a scientist!

SIMPLE SCIENCE TERMS FOR KIDS

Pin

SCIENCE VOCABULARY

Experiment like a scientist, talk like a scientist and write like a scientist. No science vocabulary word is too big or too small, try them all!

You will be amazed at how quickly kiddos will pick up on and use these science terms once you start incorporating them into your science activities, demonstrations, and experiments.

ACIDS and BASES:  An acid is any substance that increases the concentration of the hydrogen (H +) ions when it dissolves in water. A base is any substance that increases the concentration of the hydroxide (OH-) ions.

Both acids and bases can be weak. Many fruit juices such as cranberry juice, apple juice, and orange juices are weak acids. Acids taste sour. Vinegar is a slightly stronger acid.

Acids and bases are strong if they release a lot of ions in water. Bases are usually slippery feeling or bitter tasting. Many vegetables have weak bases in them. A stronger base would be household ammonia.

Pure water is neither an acid or a base. Scientists measure the strength of an acid or base using a scale called pH. Distilled water has a pH of 7. Acids have a lower pH and bases have a higher pH. Learn more about the pH scale.

ATOMS:  Atoms are the smallest units of an identifiable pure substance or a substance known as an element. Everything is made up of atoms.

Imagine you kept making an iron bar smaller and smaller until it was the size of a grain of sand. Well, an atom is much smaller than that so we can’t see it even with a magnifying glass!

If you break up an atom and make the pieces smaller the pieces cannot be identified as a substance or element. For example, you cannot have a piece of an Iron or Gold atom that is smaller than the atom and still call it Iron or Gold.

BUOYANCY: The ability of fluids to exert an upward force on the objects immersed in them.

CAPILLARY ACTIONThe ability of a liquid to flow in narrow spaces without the help of an outside force, like gravity. 

Capillary action happens because of several forces at work. This includes the forces of adhesion (water molecules are attracted and stick to other substances), cohesion, and surface tension (water molecules like to stay close together).

Plants and trees couldn’t survive without capillary action. Think about how large tall trees are able to move a lot of water so far up to their leaves without a pump of any kind.

CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2):  A colorless gas made up of molecules of one carbon atom joined with two oxygen atoms. It occurs naturally in the Earth’s atmosphere.

Plants take in carbon dioxide from the air and use it along with energy from the sun to make food. We breathe out more carbon dioxide than we breathe in because our bodies release it when we use food for our own energy. This is called the carbon cycle.

CHEMICAL REACTIONA chemical reaction is a process where two or more substances react together to form a new chemical substance. This might look like a gas being formed, cooking or baking, or milk souring.

Some chemical reactions take energy to get started in the form of heat while others produce heat when the substances react with each other.

Chemical reactions take place all around us. Cooking food is an example of a chemical reaction. Burning a candle is another example. Can you think of a chemical reaction you have seen? See more examples of chemical changes.

COHESION:  The “stickiness” of like molecules to one another. It is caused by the cohesive attractive force between like molecules.

Cohesion is what makes water form drops. Because the water molecules are more strongly attracted to each other than to other molecules, they form droplets on surfaces (e.g., dew drops) and form a dome when filling a container before spilling over the sides.

DATA: A collection of information that is useful for analyzing and interpreting to answer scientific questions.

DENSITY:  The compactness of stuff in space or the amount of material that is in a set size. Denser materials of the same size are heavier because there is more material in the same size space.

Density refers to the mass of a substance (the amount of matter in the substance) compared to its volume (how much space a substance takes up). For example, a block of lead will weigh much more than an equal volume of wood which means that the lead is denser than wood.

DISSOLVE:  To cause a solid or a gas (the solute) to pass into a liquid and form a solution. For example, sugar dissolves in water to form a sugar solution. Soda water is an example of a gas (carbon dioxide) dissolved in water.

When a solution forms the two substances stay the same and there is no chemical reaction. This is why if you dissolve sugar or salt in a glass of water and let the water dry out or evaporate the salt or sugar will be left behind in the glass.

EMULSIFICATION: A process by which two liquids, which can’t dissolve in each other are forced to combine in a liquid mixture (emulsion). Salad dressing is an emulsion of oil and vinegar.

EXPERIMENT: A test or investigation done under controlled conditions to find out something.

FATS:  Nutrients in food that are made up of special carbon and hydrogen and oxygen atoms. The body uses fats and they are very important to build nerve tissue (including the brain and nerves) and hormones. The body also uses fat as fuel. Extra fat that you eat can be stored the body below the skin. 

Fat has more energy in it than other foods. This is why the body uses fat to store food energy. Too much fat is bad for your health.

There are many types of fats. Oils such as olive oil and vegetable oil are fast. The fats we see on meat are made up of many different types. Some fats like oils are liquids, others such as the fat we see in meat are solid at room temperature.

FLOAT:  To rest on top of a liquid. Items that are more solid have molecules that are packed tighter together and will sink. Items that are less solid are made up of molecules that are not as tightly packed together and will float! If the object is denser than water, it will sink. If it’s less dense, it will float!

FRICTION: A force that acts when two objects are in contact with each other. It slows or stops movement when those two surfaces are sliding or trying to slide across each other. Friction can occur between all kinds of objects – solids, liquids and gases.

GAS:  One of the three states of matter, along with solid and liquid. In a gas the particles move freely from one another. You can also say they vibrate! Gas particles spread out to take the shape of the container they are put in. Steam or water vapor is an example of a gas.

GRAVITYA pulling force by which a planet or other body draws objects toward its center. Gravity is what keeps all the planets in orbit around the sun. The force of gravity keeps us close to the ground.

Our moon has less gravity than the Earth because it is smaller. If you went to the moon you could jump about 6 times higher than on the Earth. That means if you can jump one foot off the ground now, you could jump 6 feet high on the moon because the moon has less force pulling you down.

KINETIC ENERGYThe energy an object has due to its motion. The faster or heavier a moving object is, the more kinetic energy it has.

A cannon ball that is moving at the same speed as a tennis ball has more kinetic energy because the cannon ball has more mass (weight).

A golf ball going 100 miles an hour has more kinetic energy than a tennis ball slowly rolling down the floor because the speed of the ball also gives it more kinetic energy. 

LEVER:  A long, sturdy body that rests on a support called a fulcrum. A lever can be used to move things. A see-saw is a lever that rests on a fulcrum in the middle.

LIQUID:  One of the three states of matter, along with solid and gas. In a liquid, the particles have some space between them with no pattern and so they are not in a fixed position. A liquid has no distinct shape of its own but will take the shape of a container that it is put into. Water is an example of a liquid.

MAGNET: A magnet is a rock or a piece of metal that can pull certain types of metal toward itself. The force of magnets, called magnetism, is a force, like electricity and gravity.

Magnetism works over a distance. This means that a magnet does not have to be touching an object to pull it. Try it out and see for yourself!

MASS:  The amount of matter in a substance. The amount of mass in a set area is called density.

MATTER:  Any object that takes up space and has mass.

MINERALS:  Solid substances that occur naturally. They do not come from animals, plants, or other living organisms.

MIXTURE:  A material made up of two or more substances mixed together. No chemical reaction takes place and you could separate the substances in the mixture. It is possible to produce a mixture of liquids, solids, or gases.

MOLECULES: The smallest unit of a substance called a compound that has all the properties of that substance. Molecules are made of at least 2 atoms joined together.

MOTION:  The act of changing location from one place to another. The opposite of motion is rest.

NITROGEN: A chemical element that makes up a significant part of the Earth’s atmosphere. It is a colorless, odorless gas and is essential for life as it is a key component of proteins, DNA, and other organic molecules.

NON-NEWTONIAN FLUIDA fluid in which the viscosity changes with the force applied. The fluid gets thicker depending on how it moves or is pressed on. It can be picked up like a solid, but it also will flow like a liquid. Slime is an example of a non-Newtonian fluid.

OBSERVATION: Noticing what’s happening through our senses or with tools like a magnifying glass. Observation is used to collect and record data, which enables scientists to construct and then test hypotheses and theories.

POLYMER: Something made of very big molecules of the same type. Often there are many smaller molecules layered together in a repeating pattern. Many plastics are polymers. Silk and wool are also polymers.

Polymers can be hard but may be flexible. How hard or flexible they are depends upon how the molecules are arranged. The word “poly” means many. Slime making is a great way to explore polymers.

POTENTIAL ENERGYThe stored energy an object has because of its position or state. Objects that are sitting in one place have potential energy.

A ball up high on a shelf has potential energy because if you push it off the shelf it will fall. A falling ball has kinetic energy.

Water in a closed dam on a lake or river has potential energy because it is not moving past the dam. When the water is released the stored or potential energy can be used to power machines or even turn a machine to make electricity.

PREDICTION: A guess at what might happen in an experiment based on observation or other information.

PROTEIN:  A molecule in food. Protein is a nutrient found in food (such as meat, milk, eggs, and beans) that is made up of many smaller molecules called amino acids. These amino acids are joined together in different patterns to make many different proteins.

Protein is a necessary part of the diet and is essential for normal cell structure and function. You need protein for your muscles, bones, and teeth to grow normally.

There are many different proteins but once they are in your body they all turn back into the amino acids that are used by your body to make your body strong. Egg whites are made of a protein called albumin. Milk has a protein in it called casein.

REST: Scientists use the word “rest” to mean when something is not moving. The opposite of “rest” is motion.

SINK:  To fall below the surface of a liquid. The opposite of float.

SOLID:  One of the three states of matter, the others are liquid and gas. A solid has tightly packed particles in a specific pattern, which are not able to move about. You will notice a solid keeps its own shape. Ice or frozen water is an example of a solid.

SOLUTION:  A specific type of mixture where one substance (solute) is dissolved into another (solvent). In a solution, the ingredients mix. When a solution forms, the two substances stay the same and there is no chemical reaction.

This is why if you dissolve sugar or salt in a glass of water and let the water dry out or evaporate the salt or sugar will be left in the glass.

STRATIFICATION:  The arrangement of something into different groups. 

SURFACE TENSIONA force that exists on the surface of water because water molecules like to stick to each other. This force is so strong that it can help things sit on top of the water instead of sinking into it.

It is the high surface tension of water that allows a paper clip, with much higher density, to float on water. It also causes drops of rain to stick to your windows and is why bubbles are round.

VARIABLE:  A factor that can be changed in a science experiment. Three types of variables are: independent, dependent, and controlled.

The independent variable is the one that is changed in the experiment and will affect the dependent variable. The dependent variable is the factor that is observed or measured in the experiment. See examples of independent and dependent variables.

The controlled variable stays constant in the experiment. Experiments are repeated a number of times to find out how a change in the independent variable affects the results.

VISCOSITY:  How thick a fluid is. A liquid with high viscosity – that is thick, like molasses- will flow very slowly. A liquid with low viscosity, or that’s thin, like water, will flow quickly.

CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR PRINTABLE VOCAB LIST

SCIENCE PRACTICES

A new approach to teaching science is called the Best Science Practices. These eight science and engineering practices are less structured and allow for a more freeflowing approach to problem-solving and finding answers to questions. These skills are critical to developing future engineers, inventors, and scientists!

SCIENCE BOOKS FOR KIDS

Sometimes the best way to introduce science vocabulary words is through a colorfully illustrated book with characters your kids can relate to! Check out this fantastic list of science books that are teacher approved and get ready to spark curiosity and exploration!

Check out our recommended book lists:

WHAT IS A SCIENTIST

Think like a scientist! Act like a scientist! Scientists, like you and me, are also curious about the world around them. Learn about the different types of scientists and what they do to increase their understanding about their specific area of interest. Read What Is A Scientist

FUN SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS TO TRY

Don’t just read about science, go ahead and enjoy one of these fantastic kids science experiments!

Printable Science Projects For Kids

If you’re looking to grab all of our printable science projects in one convenient place plus exclusive worksheets and bonuses like a STEAM Project pack, our Science Project Pack is what you need! Over 300+ Pages!

  • 90+ classic science activities with journal pages, supply lists, set up and process, and science information. NEW! Activity-specific observation pages!
  • Best science practices posters and our original science method process folders for extra alternatives!
  • Be a Collector activities pack introduces kids to the world of making collections through the eyes of a scientist. What will they collect first?
  • Know the Words Science vocabulary pack includes flashcards, crosswords, and word searches that illuminate keywords in the experiments!
  • My science journal writing prompts explore what it means to be a scientist!!
  • Bonus STEAM Project Pack: Art meets science with doable projects!
  • Bonus Quick Grab Packs for Biology, Earth Science, Chemistry, and Physics
Pin