How to Explain Atoms to Kids: Simple Visual Activities
Our family started our homeschool year last week. We met our co-op group and enjoying being with families again, with my boys forming new friendships. Each week, our co-op gives us guidance on what to teach over the next 7 days. For science, this past week we were to focus on how to explain atoms to kids. Throughout the next week, I found simple, yet fun activities to teach about the periodic table, atoms, and the atomic number.
I started our week by teaching my sons what an atom is. I explained that atoms are everywhere, but are so small we cannot see them.
Then I asked my middle son to bring out one of his favorite t-shirts; a dingy yellow shirt, but with one really helpful image. The Periodic Table.
I started our week by teaching my sons what an atom is. I explaned that atoms are everywhere, but are so small we cannot see them.
Everything in the entire universe is made of basic building blocks called atoms. The clothes we wear, the chairs we sit on, the birds, the trees, the air we breathe, and our bodies are all made up of atoms of different types. With atoms, you can literally build anything.
Although atoms are the basic building blocks of the universe, atoms can be broken down into smaller particles. These particles are protons, neutrons and electrons.
You can share more information and a history of the atomic theory by requesting our free lesson using the form at the end of this post.
Then I asked my middle son bring out one of his favorite t-shirts; a dingy yellow shirt, but with one really helpful image. The Periodic Table.
How to Explain Atoms to Kids: Hands-On Atoms Activity
I explained that the atomic number is the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom. I looked at my boys, and saw three blank stares. I needed to find a better way to help them understand.
Before starting our lesson, I did refer to two non-fiction books I found at our local library with simple explanations of atoms.
We also have a printable below that you can request and use.
Here are some other activities we have to add to this study:
- Everyday Elements
- Schedule an afternoon of fun chemistry experiments using several of the experiments on this list.
To make our two models, I started by drawing two concentric circles on a paper plate.
The inner circle is the nucleus of the atom. The outer circle is the first electron shell, where the electrons orbit the nucleus of the atom. The lip of the paper plate is a second electron shell.
I brought out green and red grapes, along with blueberries. Using the green grapes as protons, red grapes as neutrons, and blueberries as electrons. We used different colored grapes for protons and neutrons because these two parts of an atom are the same size. Electrons, on the other hand, are much smaller than protons and neutrons, which is why we used blueberries.
Helium Atomic Number and Atom Model
I pointed to the element Helium on my son’s yellow shirt again, and asked “What is the atomic number of Helium?” They all said “2!”. I told them “YES! Which means a Helium atom has two protons in its nucleus.”
Then I put two green grapes in the nucleus of our atom. Then I explained that the number of protons in an atom is equal to the number of neutrons in a nucleus, and so I added two red grapes to the nucleus.
Then I explained further our atom is a neutral atom, which means it has no negative or positive charge. Protons have a positive charge, and electrons have a negative charge. In order for our atom to be neutral, two electrons must be added to offset the charge generated by the protons. My oldest (a fifth grader) understood this concept the best, since he knows how to add negative and positive numbers. We then added two blueberries as electrons to the first electron shell (orbit).
Lithium Atomic Number and Atom Model
We decided to make another atom, so we looked at my son’s shirt again. We picked the element Lithium (Li) to model.
Lithium has an atomic number of three, which means it has three protons in its nucleus. I then asked my sons how many neutrons we should add. They agreed we should add three neutrons to the the nucleus of the atom. I then asked them how many electrons we needed to add. My oldest son said, “We need to add three electrons to keep our atom neutral”. He was right! I then added the electrons to the paper plate. I told my sons that only two electrons fit in the first electron shell, so we needed to place two blueberries (electrons) on the first circle, and the third blueberry on the rim of paper plate, the second electron shell.
Carbon Atomic Number and Atom Model
We made one more atom model, this time a Carbon atom. I told my sons that the carbon atom is important to life. In fact, all living beings have carbon in them! The atomic number of carbon is six, so my oldest added 6 protons (green grapes) and 6 neutrons (red grapes) to the center of our model. He then added two electrons (blueberries) to the first electron shell, and 4 electrons (blueberries) to the second electron shell.
Later in the day we brought out our paper plates again. I always have peanut M&Ms (because they’re my absolute favorite) and had picked up some mini-M&Ms earlier in the week. Using the peanut M&Ms as protons and neutrons, and mini-M&Ms as electrons, we recreated our elements from earlier in the day.
In the following models:
Protons = yellow peanut M&Ms
Neutrons = orange peanut M&Ms
Electrons = tiny M&Ms
We decided to make Helium, Boron, and Carbon atoms this time.
Here’s how our candy atomic models turned out!
Helium Atomic Number and Atom Model
Boron Atomic Number and Atom Model
Carbon Atomic Number and Atom Model
We had so much fun making our element models. And what’s even better was the hands-on activity definitely helped the boys understand what the atomic number of an element represented. Even my 4 year old figured out that whatever number an element had on the periodic table meant that would be the number of M&Ms on the plate (and more!). He understood so well, that I had to refuse to make the model of the element gold. I refused to share 79 (times two) of my peanut M&Ms!
Request the Atoms and Molecules Printable
We have prepared a Beginner’s Guide to Atoms and Molecules. This lesson is for grades 5th and up.
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.