Easy Static Electricity Experiment for Kids

If you want to engage your children in some fun early learning activities, this is one of many science experiments we can recommend. Static Electricity is one thing that every child can relate to having experienced. A bonus with this simple experiment is that you probably have everything on hand already in your craft cabinet or kitchen.

I love these fun science activities to do with kids and this Easy Static Electricity Experiment is one everyone will love doing. Teaching kids at a young age about simple science concepts is a lot easier than you imagine. Just use these tips to create a fun static electricity experiment even the youngest will understand.

Easy Static Electricity Experiment for Kids

Materials Needed:

paper dots or confetti (You can buy paper dots or use a hole punch to make your own.)
small plate
plastic ruler (Look for one that is smooth on the bottom.)
various materials such as wool, cotton, acrylic and hair

Directions:

1. Sprinkle a few dots of confetti onto a plate.

2. Rub a ruler back and forth, 10-20 times on the desired material. Be sure to apply firm pressure while you rub it.

3. Hold the ruler above the plate of confetti. Don’t let it touch the plate, hold it just above. Circles will begin to jump from the plate to the ruler.

4. To remove the circles and static electricity, tap the ruler against the table.

5. Repeat with other materials. We found that hair worked the best!

Static Electricity Concept Demonstrated:

Some materials attract each other when you rub them together. Such items as plastic and wool or synthetic acrylic can actually cause a spark when rubbed together. This spark and attraction is called static electricity.

Static Electricity Learning Objective:

Some materials are better than other at creating static electricity. Wool is one of the best materials to allow particles to pass to the plastic ruler. Cotton doesn’t pass particles well, therefore they make very little static. Hair is one of the best materials to create static electricity. Tapping the ruler releases the built-up static electricity.

You’ll love this static electricity experiment to teach your younger children a basic science concept easily. Kids of all ages will get a kick out of seeing the reactions among fabrics and hair to create static electricity reactions.