6 Science Experiments for Kids to Build PSLE Skills
Preparing for the PSLE Science paper isn't just about covering content — it's about helping your child think like scientists.
In fact, some of the best lessons happen when children get their hands dirty through testing, tinkering, and discovering how the world works.
That’s why the Ministry of Education (MOE) has shifted its focus to encourage students to conduct science experiments, building the exact thinking skills assessed in the PSLE.
According to The Straits Times, the refreshed Science syllabus now places a greater emphasis on inquiry-based learning, experiential understanding, and real-world application.
It’s a move that aligns perfectly with what Glow Science, as a leading Science enrichment centre in Singapore, has always practised: start with the experiment first, then build the concept around it.
In this article, we’ll explore 6 easy science experiments for kids you can do at home, each tied to critical PSLE thinking skills. These aren’t just fun activities; they're pathways for your child to learn about how Science works in real life while deepening their understanding!
6 Science Experiments for Kids That Build PSLE Thinking Skills
Below are 6 experiments you can do with your kids at home or during school holidays using common household items you already have.
They’re safe, fun, and packed with learning opportunities.
Primary 6
1. The Popsicle Catapult Game (Learning Elastic Potential energy)
- Science Concepts: Forms of Energy (Elastic potential energy, kinetic energy) (Primary 6)
- Thinking skill: Prediction and application
What you'll need: 8-10 popsicle sticks, rubber bands, plastic spoons, and aluminium foil.
Steps:
- Stack 6-8 popsicle sticks neatly on top of one another, and secure both ends tightly with rubber bands to form a solid base.
- Take 2 additional popsicle sticks and stack them together.
- Wrap another rubber band around one end of the stick to hold them in place to act as the lever of the catapult.
- Insert the stack of popsicle sticks (the base) between the two sticks of the lever.
- Attach a plastic spoon to the top of the lever.
- Make small balls using aluminium foil for projectiles.
What it teaches: Rubber bands that are stretched, and a popsicle stick (lever) that is bent, store elastic potential energy. When the lever is released, the elastic potential energy is converted into kinetic energy, which launches the projectile.
How it helps: With this experiment, your child can discover elastic potential energy, kinetic energy, and how they change and transfer in real life!
Science Made Simple (PSLE Tip!)
When rubber bands are stretched:
Elastic potential energy is stored
When released:
Energy is converted into kinetic energy, launching the projectile
The more you stretch, the more energy stored → the further it flies!
Energy can increase or decrease depending on different factors like size or weight
Additionally, this is exactly how exam questions are tested:
Greater stretch → Greater elastic potential energy → Greater kinetic energy → Further distance
How This Concept is Tested in PSLE
Question:
The diagram below shows a wind-up toy. When it is wound, then released, the toy penguin begins moving.
(a) What energy does the wind-up toy possess? (1 mark)
(b) What can be done to increase the speed of the toy? (1 mark)
(c) Explain your answer in (b) in terms of energy. (2 marks)
Answers:
(a) The wind-up toy possesses elastic potential energy. [Note: It is okay to write as “potential energy” as it is acceptable in PSLE.]
(b) The toy can be wound more times to store more potential energy.
(c) When the toy is wound up more times, more elastic potential energy is stored in the spring. When the toy is released, this stored energy is converted into kinetic energy, making the toy move faster.
Primary 4
2. The Ink Movement (Learning Heat Expansion)
- Science Concepts: Heat and Temperature (Primary 4)
- Thinking skill: Cause-and-effect reasoning
What you'll need: 3 cups of water (cold, room temperature, warm), and blue food colouring.
Steps:
- Prepare 3 cups of water at different temperatures—cold, room temperature, and warm.
- Add a single drop of food colouring to each cup.
- Observe the movement of the food colouring immediately and over time.
What it teaches: Food colouring spreads differently in varying water temperatures: it spreads fastest in warm water, more slowly in room temperature water, and slowest in cold water.
How it helps: Through this simple activity, your child will be able to observe how particle movement affects the rate of spreading, a key skill in interpreting PSLE Science data-based questions.
How This Concept is Tested in PSLE
Question:
There are four set-ups shown in the diagram below. In which set up, will the balloon that is attached to the flask inflate first?
Answer and explanation, the G.L.O.W Signature way:
G — Set-up D.
L — As Set-up D is using a metal flask.
O — Metal is a good conductor of heat. The air in the metal flash gains heat from the hot water at the fastest rate and expands most quickly.
W — Therefore, the balloon attached to the metal flask inflates first.
Primary 3
3. The Floating Ghost (Learning Magnets)
- Science Concepts: Magnets (Primary 3)
- Thinking skill: Concept application
What you'll need: A thick sheet of paper, glue, a paper clip, a string, a magnet bar, and tape.
Steps:
- Make a 'ghost' using a thick piece of paper. Feel free to get creative with it!
- Tie a string around a paper clip and glue it on the back of the paper ghost.
- Tape the other end of the string to a table.
- Bring a magnet bar to the top of the ghost and watch it float!
What it teaches: Magnets attract magnetic materials such as iron, steel, nickel, and cobalt. Since the ghost is attached to a paper clip (steel), it will be attracted to the magnet.
How it helps: With this fun experiment, your child learns about magnetic attraction and how it interacts with the material, deepening their understanding of common PSLE themes.
How This Concept is Tested in PSLE
Question:
The diagram below shows the positions of 3 ring magnets when they are put through a wooden rod.
Which of the following correctly shows the poles of B and C?
| B | C | |
|---|---|---|
| (1) | North | North |
| (2) | North | South |
| (3) | South | North |
| (4) | South | South |
Answer: (2)
Explanation:
Every magnet has 2 poles, the North and South poles. When 2 magnets are brought close to each other, like poles repel while unlike poles attract.
In the diagram, the magnets are repelling each other, so the facing poles must be the same. Since the top magnet has a South pole facing upwards, the side facing B must be the North pole. Therefore, B is the North pole.
Similarly, the opposite side of B, which is facing X, must be the South pole. Therefore, C is the South pole.
Primary 4
4. Oobleck — Solid or Liquid? (Learning the States of Matter)
- Science Concepts: Matter and It's 3 States (Primary 4)
- Thinking skill: Concept application
What you'll need: Corn flour, mixing bowl, water, and food colouring.
Steps:
- Pour corn flour into a mixing bowl and slowly add water while stirring.
- Optionally, you can add a few drops of food colouring for visibility.
- The mixture will be ready when it looks smooth but feels hard when pressed.
- Test the mixture in different ways — press it quickly, rest your fingers on it gently, and scoop it up to let it drip through your fingers.
- Observe how the Oobleck behaves.
What it teaches: When force is applied to a non-Newtonian fluid like Oobleck, it behaves like a solid. When force is removed, it flows slowly like a liquid. This happens because corn flour particles are pushed together when there is force, and move more freely when there is none.
How it helps: This experiment enables your child to learn that matter can behave differently under force, and not everything fits into simple definitions. Most of all, it enhances application thinking, which is very important in the PSLE!
How This Concept is Tested in PSLE
A common type of PSLE question is identifying the properties of matter, solids, liquids, and gases.
This links directly to:
- Properties of solids and liquids
- Real-life materials
- Higher-order exam questions
Question:
An experiment was set up as shown below, using a sealed container X which can hold 60 cm3 of water and 30 cm3 of air. 20 cm3 of water was removed from the container through the tap.
Which of the following correctly shows the amount of air in the container at the end of the experiment and the concepts from the results?
| Amount of air in container | Concept tested | |
|---|---|---|
| (1) | 30 cm3 | Air can be compressed |
| (2) | 30 cm3 | Air has no definite volume |
| (3) | 50 cm3 | Air can be compressed |
| (4) | 50 cm3 | Air has no definite volume |
Answer: (4)
Explanation:
After 20 cm3 of water is removed from the container, the air spreads out to occupy the empty space. The volume of air increases from 30 cm3 to 50 cm3.
Air is a gas and has no definite volume. It can spread out to fill the available space in the container.
Primary 5
5. Dyed Plants Science Experiment (Learning Plant Transport System)
- Science Concepts: Plant Transport System (Primary 5)
- Thinking skill: Cause-and-effect
What you'll need: 2 stalks of celery, 2 slices of cabbage, 2 cups of water, a white gerbera flower, and 2 different food colourings.
Steps:
- Fill the 2 cups with water and mix each with a different food colouring.
- Place a stalk of celery and a slice of cabbage into each cup.
- Observe how the colour travels through the celery and spreads through the cabbage.
- For the white gerbera flower, place each half into the 2 cups of water.
- Then, observe how the flower petals become stained with different colours.
What it teaches: When the celery, cabbage, and flower are placed into the coloured water, it is transported up the water-carrying tube. Over time, they will also show the colour as the coloured water moves through the plant.
How it helps: This hands-on experiment makes an abstract concept visible, helping children connect observation to explanation — a key PSLE skill. In this experiment, children see the concept “xylem" in action instead of memorising it. It reinforces how plants transport water and prepares them to answer application-based questions confidently.
During the exams, be sure to include the following keywords (super important!):
- Plants have a water-carrying tube (xylem)
- The coloured water is transported upwards
- It moves from the roots → stem → leaves/flower
How This Concept is Tested in PSLE
Question:
A stalk of celery was left in a beaker of blue-colored water for three days. Which of the following diagrams of the cross-section of the stem shows the areas that were stained by the blue-colored water?
Answer: (1)
Explanation:
The blue-coloured water is transported through the water-carrying tubes in the stem. Only the water-carrying tubes are stained blue, while the food-carrying tubes remain unchanged.
Primary 6
6. The Flying French Fries (Learning Elastic Spring Force)
- Science Concepts: Forces (Primary 6)
- Thinking skill: Cause-and-effect
What you'll need: A Flying French Fries toy.
Steps:
- Place all the fries into the container.
- Take turns to carefully pull out one fry at a time.
- When the wrong fry is pulled, the spring inside the toy will trigger, making the fries suddenly shoot out of the container and into the air.
- Observe the fries and their movement.
What it teaches: When fries are placed into the container, the spring is compressed, and the elastic spring force is exerted. When triggered, the unbalanced spring force pushes the fries upwards, reaches their highest point, and falls back down due to the gravitational force.
How it helps: This fun activity allows children to observe more than one effect of forces at once, how it can speed up a moving object, and change its direction.
How This Concept is Tested in PSLE
Question:
Study the following statements about elastic spring force.
A. Elastic spring force is able to act on objects from a distance.
B. Elastic spring force can be in the form of a pushing force or pulling force.
C. Elastic spring force can be exerted by a spring that is stretched or compressed.
Which of the following statements above are true?
(1) A and B only
(2) A and C only
(3) B and C only
(4) A, B, and C
Answer: (3)
Explanation:
A is incorrect as elastic spring force is a contact force and will not act on objects from a distance. This means that the force will only act when the spring and an object are in contact with each other.
B is correct as a force is push or pull. Hence, elastic spring force can be in the form of a pushing force or a pulling force.
C is also correct as elastic spring force is exerted by a stretched or compressed spring on the object it is attached to.
What the MOE Syllabus Refresh Means for Parents
With the MOE introducing refreshed Science resource kits and lesson styles in schools to bring the subject alive for students, the focus is no longer just on covering content but on helping students ask “why” and “how.”
This marks an important shift in how Science is taught, and it reflects what Glow Science has long championed.
Here at Glow Science, we train our students to:
✔ Link experiment → concept → exam answer
✔ Use relevant keywords
✔ Score confidently in application questions
This “experiments-first” method doesn’t just make Science fun — it also builds the thinking muscles that students need to tackle novel exam questions confidently.
For parents, this shift means rethinking how revision is done at home. Traditional methods like rote memorisation and repeated drilling won’t be enough. Instead, your child needs opportunities to engage actively, ask questions, and test out ideas.
Empower Your Child with Hands-On Science Learning @ Glow Science
Glow Science specialises in helping primary school students thrive in Science by using experiments as a gateway to mastery. Our approach is designed to make Science not just understandable, but unforgettable.
Here’s what makes Glow Science different:
Experiment-first learning – Students explore through real experiments before learning the theory, so concepts stick more effectively
PSLE-focused weekly classes – Every session reinforces key exam-tested skills and builds strong question analysis techniques
Small-group learning – Personalised attention ensures no child gets left behind, with close guidance from experienced educators
MOE-aligned curriculum – Topics are taught in line with what’s covered in school, so your child stays ahead and prepared
Inquiry-based learning environment – We encourage curiosity, questioning, and logical thinking — exactly what the PSLE demands
Want to take it up a notch? Find out how to apply a scientific thinking mindset to tackle challenging open-ended exam questions using our guide: How to Tackle Open-Ended Science Questions: The G.L.O.W Technique Explained.
Sign up for a trial class now to see how your child can learn through doing and love every moment of it!
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For tchr Chloe: she teaches well as she helps us understand concepts better and includes hands on activities during her lessons For tchr eleanor: helps us to understand certain concepts also, includes hands on activities which makes us more engrossed in the lesson and for science. Perfect for your childs education
Tchr Chloe is an experienced teacher who can very quickly assess my girl’s learning style and took great efforts to connect with her. This helped my girl to feel engaged and comfortable and hence able to focus and absorb as much from each lesson. My girl enjoys the lessons, found experiments engaging and have gained interest to tackle the subject. She improved p5 WA since joined Glow Science, and found greater confidence esp in OEQ! Thank u to Tchr Chloe!
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