I have a 12-year-old who LOVES chemistry. I can’t remember what initially sparked his interest, but when he finds a subject he enjoys, he goes ALL IN. As a homeschooling mother, I love that I can feed the flame of his interests by researching and gathering quality materials with which he can learn. Over the past months, we have tried many books, games, and courses, and today I want to share these 21 resources for kids to learn chemistry before high school!
Chemistry Courses
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Science Mom Chemistry
Science Mom Chemistry – This course is geared toward 4th-5th grade students. My son started it at the end of 5th and finished it at the beginning of 6th. He LOVED this course. He would beg to do two 45-min lessons in one sitting. It was his first online course for chemistry, and it was a huge hit. Science Mom and Math Dad make it really fun and interesting, and my son was still young enough to enjoy the funny songs they made up to go with the course. I personally think it’s more flexible on what age of kid could do it, depending on interest.
(I do want to note that I typically choose curriculum written from a Christian worldview, and I prefer to share resources from that worldview most of the time. Science mom holds a secular and evolutionary view, so there are a few mentions of evolution, but I found it to be very minimal for this branch of science.)
Gather Round Homeschool Chemistry
Gather Round Homeschool Chemistry – Gather Round Homeschool makes unit studies that are geared towards large families. Everyone can follow the same teacher guide/reading time with mom or dad and then break out into accompanying workbooks at their individual level. This curriculum is also meant to be an all-in-one, so it incorporates all the core subjects (plus the Bible, as this is a Christian curriculum) into each study. I chose to use this on top of what we are already doing, so at times it did feel like a bit much to my boys, but we took a slower pace.
This chemistry course is fairly basic. It begins with chemistry in your home: the garage, the fridge, the pantry, etc. My 12-year-old didn’t love this as much based on what he had already learned doing Science Mom and reading lots of books. But if this is your child’s first introduction to chemistry, I’d say it’s a great option. It was perfect for my 10-year-old.
This has an optional add-on experiments book as well.
Biochemistry Literacy for Kids
Biochemistry Literacy for Kids – This was the next step for my son after Science Mom and Gather Round, and it did not disappoint! It is a self-paced course with 24 videos and comes with a corresponding molecular model kit, so they can build what they are learning about while following along with the videos. For many months, this was the first thing he asked to do each morning! Now that he is finished with the course, he is taking some live classes with the same teacher, Daniel Fried. Daniel has committed students who have continued with him for years into advanced and super-advanced biochemistry.
Chemistry Books
Here are some book ideas for kids to learn chemistry. My son has loved all of these!
A Kids’ Guide to the Periodic Table – This is one that my son continues to read and re-read all the time.
Everything You Need to Ace Chemistry in One Big Fat Notebook – Another favorite! He is constantly reaching for this.
The Elements Book – Beautifully done with great pictures.
The Kids’ Book of the Elements: An Awesome Introduction to Every Known Atom in the Universe. This is a version of the previous book, aimed at slightly younger kids.
The Kitchen Pantry Scientist Chemistry for Kids – This book features 25 mini-studies on scientists throughout history, each paired with a simple experiment. Such a great resource! I love the whole Kitchen Pantry Scientist series.
Real Chemistry Experiments: 40 Exciting STEAM Activities for Kids – Fun beginner experiments. Great to incorporate once a week in the homeschool routine, or as a summer study.
Chemistry Made Easy – A cool illustrated guide
Chemistry Games
Subatomic Board Game – My son bought this one with his own money. He loves it!
Periodic: A Game of the Elements – I haven’t personally played it yet with my son, but he loves this one.
Chemistry Fluxx Card Game – This is a fun card game, simple to learn but with constantly changing rules which makes it really interesting!
Free Periodic Table Game (downloadable) – Plus more free downloads! This site is a treasure trove.
Ion – a compound building game – A fast-paced card game
Other fun Resources for Kids to Learn Chemistry
Molecular Model Kit – We got one as part of the Biochemistry Literacy course (mentioned above), but if a kid isn’t quite ready for that course, they could still benefit from this hands-on toy to help learn chemistry concepts.
The Photographic Card Deck of the Elements – This is a great reference resource, my son loves looking at these, and I’ve found him laying them all out just like the periodic table for practice.
Periodic Table with 83 Real Elements Inside – A very cool visual made of acrylic with a small amount of the actual elements inside. It would make a fun addition to a school shelf as an easy reference.
Mel Science Chemistry Kits – This one we haven’t tried yet, but I’ve heard great things about Mel Science kits and might try this next year.
Speed Cube 3x3x3 Chemical Elements Magic Cube -This was a fun little thing that combined my son’s love of speed-cubing with his love of the elements. It makes for a cool gift or stocking stuffer.
Buildable Periodic Table – A hands-on connectable periodic table chart that kids can build.
Homeschool Chemistry that is Child-Led
I hope these 21 resources for kids to learn chemistry before high school inspire you or your science-loving kid!
My son has loved so many of these and used them to memorize the periodic table and how most of the elements got their names. All without me ever feeling like I “taught” the subject!
I’ve talked before about how I don’t really see myself as a teacher, but as a learning facilitator. I spend more time researching quality materials and getting them into my home than I do “teaching”. Children have such a natural curiosity and can learn so much just on their own, and often all it takes is some intentional preparation to jump-start that curiosity into a full-blown self-led unit study.
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This is great, Sara! Thank you for sharing so easily with all of us what you intentionally sought out for your family! I look forward to trying some of your suggestions. Blessings~
I’m so glad these were helpful, Melissa! Blessings to you and your family too!