States of matter
Grade 3 · Science
Look closely, sort your discoveries and ask why things happen.
Choose a game
Take your time, try a game and collect stars.
Solids, liquids and gases
Is honey a liquid? Is sand a solid? A free Grade 3 science game about grouping materials into solids, liquids and gases, with a printable game and worksheet.
Play Solids, liquids and gases
Learning about states of matter
In this Grade 3 science collection, you can practice Solids, liquids and gases. Choose a game above for a short activity, or explore the examples below before you play. The full guide for each game explains its controls, gives more examples and includes a free printable for practice away from the screen.
Talk it through
Start with something you can observe. Ask your child to describe the evidence for a choice, then compare a second example. A game practices vocabulary and reasoning; practical observation and investigation matter too.
Ask: “What clue helped you decide?” Give your child time to explain. Return to an example after playing and ask whether they would approach it differently.
Solids, liquids and gases
This game asks whether a material is a solid, a liquid or a gas at room temperature, or which of four materials is in a given state. The tricky ones are deliberate. Sand and flour can be poured, but each grain is a tiny solid. Honey is thick, but it flows, so it is a liquid. Air, oxygen, helium and carbon dioxide are all gases, even though we cannot see them. Water appears three times, as ice, water and water vapour, because the same material can change state.
Try an example: At room temperature, is sand a solid, a liquid or a gas?
Sand pours, but look closely: each grain keeps its own shape and you can pile it up.
Show the answer
A solid.
What to look out for
Thinking anything that pours is a liquid. Pour sand and water onto a tray. Sand makes a pile; water makes a flat puddle.
Practice away from the screen
- Make a states-of-matter hunt in the kitchen: find five solids, five liquids and one gas (the bubbles in a fizzy drink).
Curriculum connections
Solids, liquids and gases
Suggested grade 3 practice, selected by skill and reading demand. US states and schools teach these topics in different grades; this is not a state-standards alignment claim.
Next Generation Science Standards teaching connection: PS1.A: states and properties of matter. Sorting solid, liquid and gas examples builds vocabulary around matter. The linked Grade 2 expectation concerns investigating observable properties; this game includes additional gas vocabulary and does not assess that investigation. Read the framework.
Questions families ask
Where should we start with states of matter?
Start with Solids, liquids and gases. Look at the worked example together, then try a round. If the task feels unfamiliar, use the full game guide or its free printable before trying again.
Does this cover everything taught at this level?
No. These games provide focused practice. Grade suggestions do not replace your school’s curriculum, and any Common Core connection applies only to the skill described.