The Science of Touch: Human Body & Senses Science Experiments

How much can you learn about the world without using your eyes?

The Science of Touch invites kids to investigate their own sense of touch through 11 hands-on experiments and activities. They'll test what different parts of their bodies can detect, explore temperature, texture and weight, discover how nerve endings work, and even try reading Braille.

Each activity begins with a question to investigate. Kids predict, experiment, observe, and think about what happened—building their understanding from their own experiences.

Explore How Touch Works

Kids investigate questions such as:

• Can you identify an object without seeing it?
• Are some parts of your body more sensitive to touch than others?
• How well can you distinguish hot from cold?
• Can touch help you compare weight and texture?
• What happens when your sense of touch is reduced?
• How can people use Braille to read through touch?

Along the way, kids learn about nerve endings, touch receptors, sensitivity, temperature, texture, pressure, and the different kinds of information our brains gather through touch.

11 Hands-On Investigations

Activities include:

• Pencil Pokey
• Pokey Memory Game
• Hot or Cold?
• What's in the Bag?
• Which Weighs More?
• Sandpaper Sorting
• Wearing Gloves
• Counting Clips
• Super Hard Baby Puzzle
• Learning Braille
• An introductory exploration of touch

Each investigation includes guidance and follow-up questions that help kids connect what they experienced to the science behind it.

Perfect for a Human Body or Five Senses Unit

Use the activities together as a 3–6 week science study, or choose individual investigations to complement a larger unit on the human body or five senses.

Good to Know

Grades: 2–3
Activities: 11
Format: Printable digital PDF
Prep: Low prep
Approach: Hands-on + inquiry based
Includes: Background information, investigations, discussion questions + science explanations

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