Christmas Lights Activity
What does it take to make a string of Christmas lights glow? In this Christmas lights STEM activity, kids build a miniature string of lights using LED bulbs, aluminum foil, and a battery. Along the way, they explore how an electrical circuit works, why foil can act as a conductor, and how changing the number of lights affects their brightness.
In our house, we’ve always had a friendly debate about white or colored Christmas lights. I prefer the white lights on the tree, while the kids choose colored lights for their tree. This project gave us another way to enjoy Christmas lights, by figuring out how to make our own little string light up!
Christmas Lights STEM Activity
We took our fascination with lights and came up with a fun Christmas lights activity. Through previous projects, the kids learned that aluminum foil is a good conductor of electricity. We wondered if we could make a mini-string of lights using the foil, some LED replacement Christmas lights, a 9-volt battery, and a battery connector.
Related post: Christmas STEM Activities
First, we took the green plastic off of the lights and were left with just the bulb and the wires. Then, we rolled strips of foil into smaller “wires” crimping the ends to hold the bulb wires.
Using a 9-volt battery connector, we attached a wire from the connector to each end of our string. This completes the electrical circuit. (After doing this project, I wished we had THIS kind of connector with the alligator clips. It would have been much easier.)
We experimented with different numbers of lights in our string and found that for a 9-volt battery three was the optimum number of lights. Four would light up, but they were very dim.
If you enjoyed this activity, check out our light-up Christmas card activity and our other Christmas STEM activities.
STEM Experiment
This activity made us wonder. Would the number of lights be different if we used traditional Christmas lights instead of LED? How many lights could we illuminate using a different type of battery?
Why don’t you try and let us know?!
More Electricity Activities
Make a fruit-powered battery – includes free printable about circuits
How do we know there is a current? Split Water into Hydrogen and Oxygen
Steel Wool and 9 Volt Battery Experiment
Check out all of our Christmas STEM activities
Christmas is the perfect time to spark curiosity and creativity with engaging STEM activities and toys. Whether building, experimenting, or crafting, these hands-on experiences bring festive fun and learning together. Explore our list of Christmas STEM activities to make this holiday season unforgettable and full of discovery!
I hold a master’s degree in child development and early education and am working on a post-baccalaureate in biology. I spent 15 years working for a biotechnology company developing IT systems in DNA testing laboratories across the US. I taught K4 in a private school, homeschooled my children, and have taught on the mission field in southern Asia. For 4 years, I served on our state’s FIRST Lego League tournament Board and served as the Judging Director. I own thehomeschoolscientist and also write a regular science column for Homeschooling Today Magazine. You’ll also find my writings on the CTCMath blog. Through this site, I have authored over 50 math and science resources.