Sometimes it can seem like the hardest part about your project is choosing a topic in the first place! There are so many great ideas, it can be a real challenge to pick just one!
You can start just by making a list of the things you have ever been curious about. Usually these are where the best topics come from, so make an honest effort to come up with your own idea. For example, maybe you’ve wondered about why some toys require small batteries and others require bigger batteries? Or what exactly is inside those fruits and vegetables that supposedly makes them healthier than a slice of chocolate cake? Or why do some objects sink and others float, even when they’re made of the same material? These are just a few examples, but when you use your own personal experiences and imagination, the sky is the limit!
If you’re having trouble thinking of a topic on your own, feel free to check out any of the resources below. You’re sure to find something that captures your interest. After you have a topic area, if you are doing an investigation project, come up with a question that you will be able to answer using the scientific method. Many of the resources below won’t directly give you ideas for your investigation question, but will hopefully provide enough inspiration that you can come up with it yourself.
Websites
Science Buddies. A great site with lots of ideas. Most of them are fairly advanced and would only be appropriate for 4th/5th graders. But if you look, you can find some that would work for younger kids, or you can take any advanced topic and simplify it down.
Science News for Kids. This online science magazine has put together a long list of investigation questions which have been used for winning science projects in the past.
Discovery Education. Here you'll find some advice on how to formulate a good testable question. Several examples of questions, controlled variables, and manipulated variables are provided.
ScienceProject.com. This is a great site with tons of science project ideas for all different areas and grade levels, and has exact steps in many cases. Most of the projects require you sign up, so be sure to get your parent or adult sponsor to help you out with this.
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PBS Kids Zoom. This site has a bunch of good ideas for demonstration projects (okay for KG – 3rd). But you can turn almost any of these ideas into an investigation by using your creativity and formulating a question.
MiniScience.com. This page contains a list of ideas for demonstration and investigation projects. If you use an idea from this site, see if you can vary it a little bit in order to make it your own.
Books