Christmas Science And STEM Activities | Holiday Chemistry For Kids

Holidays provide great opportunities for fun science activities in the classroom or at home. Christmas is ideal for exploring chemistry. Kids love chemical concoctions with a festive twist.

A christmas tree decoration with a glass jar with swirling green and red colors.

Here are some enjoyable Christmas-themed chemistry activities that inspire kids to see the magic of science around them.

Swirling Color Diffusion

Kids love to watch the swirling colors. To make it Christmas-themed, have the kids add red and green food coloring. Experiment with different colored water. They will be amazed at the difference between cold and hot water. All you need is a clear jar, liquid food coloring, and water at different temperatures. It is an excellent way to show molecules in motion. The more thermal energy, the faster the colors swirl.

A glass jar with swirling green and red food coloring for a diffusion experiement

Cover of a multi-grade color diffusion lab.

Candy Diffusion

This activity is fun for all ages. You can use many types of candy. Kids can take the lead by choosing their own candy. You can also go further by exploring the difference between cold and hot water. It’s always interesting to see what patterns the colors of each candy will make. Click the image to learn more.

Image of candy in different trays of water spreading their dye.

Cover of a Rainbow Diffusion Activity for kids with colorful candy.

Dangling Ice Cubes

This classic experiment is ideal for the winter season. Students learn how salt affects ice. We like to take it from a demonstration into a full investigation. Kids love it, and it always makes an excellent science fair project for any age. Learn how to dangle ice on a string here.

We turned it into an investigation and ice-fishing STEM game.

Click the image below to see all grade-level versions.

Crystal Creation

Creating crystals is always enjoyable. This lab can be easily modified for Christmas. All students need to do is shape their pipe cleaners into ornaments, such as wreaths and candy canes.

Red plastic cups holding popsicle sticks with string hanging down for borax crystals.

At Kimberly Scott Science, we don't just make crystals. We investigate them. This lab is ideal for a science fair project and a STEAM activity. Students will test different waters to see how they affect crystal growth. The best part is, the crystals form overnight. Click the to check out all of the grade-level versions.

Hot Chocolate Science

You will be amazed by the amount of science in a cup of cocoa. Cocoa powder, by itself, does not mix with water. That one discovery will lead your students to learn about the properties of matter, mixtures, and solutions, as well as heat transfer. The bonus is, kids get to drink their yummy mixtures.