Planning on teaching forms of energy to your students? You’re in the right place!
Teaching kindergarten and first-grade students about energy, including sound, light, and heat, can be a lot of fun!
Here are three engaging energy activities for kindergarten and first grade to help them understand these concepts:
Sound Show and Tell:
Ask each student to bring a small item from home that can make a sound (e.g., a bell, a toy whistle, a musical instrument, or even a rubber ball).
In the classroom, have a “Sound Show and Tell” session. Each student takes a turn sharing their item and making the sound it produces.
Discuss with the class what made each sound and how it made them feel. Was it loud or quiet? High-pitched or low-pitched? This helps introduce the idea that sound is a form of energy created by vibrations.
Shadow Puppets:
Set up a darkened area in the classroom using blankets or cardboard to create a shadow puppet theater.
Provide students with simple cut-out shapes or figures (animals, objects, or their own designs) and attach them to popsicle sticks to create shadow puppets.
Using a flashlight as the light source, have students take turns holding their shadow puppets in front of the light to cast shadows on the “stage.”
Explain that light is a form of energy that allows us to see things, and shadows are created when an object blocks the path of light. Encourage students to experiment with different puppets and positions to see how shadows change.
Heat and Ice Experiment:
Gather a few ice cubes and various materials like aluminum foil, fabric, plastic, and paper.
Have students touch and describe how each material feels (cold, warm, or room temperature).
Wrap an ice cube in each material and place them on a tray. Observe and discuss what happens to the ice cubes over time.
Explain that heat is a form of energy that can make things warmer or colder. Emphasize that some materials are better at keeping things cold (insulators) while others let heat pass through easily (conductors).
If you’re looking for some simple and fun free energy worksheets, I have you covered!
Check out these free Forms of Energy Activities!
What’s Inside This Download?
Pg. 1 Cover
Pg. 2 HOME CONNECTION – Parent Project
Pg. 3 Energy – List the items that produce energy
Pg. 4 Heat & Light Energy Mini-book
Pg. 5 I Spy SOUND objects
Pg. 6 What is energy? POSTER
Pg. 7 Credits
This is a free sample of a larger 3 week unit on forms of energy. You can check it out here!
For more forms of energy and science tips, check out my post here!