Heat, light and sound are all forms of energy. It can be hard for younger students to describe the difference between these three forms of energy. One approach is to use the five senses to identify what kind of energy each one is.
Light can be seen
Light can be seen, so the sense we use for light is sight. To demonstrate this, turn the lights in your room on and off.
Heat can be felt
Heat can be felt, so the sense we use for heat is touch. To demonstrate this, go to a heat source in your room, a baseboard heater, for example, and hover your hands above that source. Be careful not to touch the heat source directly.
Sound can be heard
Sound can be heard, so the sense we use for sound is hearing. To demonstrate sound, play some music. If you have speakers, you can have your kids touch the speaker to also sense the sound vibrations through touch.
Light, sound or heat worksheets
We’ve created a series of worksheets for students to identify heat, light or sound by circling pictures.
