What Is an Electric Circuit?

An electrical circuit is a path that electricity follows to make things work! Imagine a loop or a pathway that allows electricity to flow, just like a road lets cars move from one place to another. Electrical circuits have some important parts. Let’s check some of them out!

• Power Source – This is like the battery or the plug that gives electricity. It’s where all the power comes from, just like the fuel in a car.
• Wires – These are like the roads or pathways where the electricity travels. They connect everything together, making sure the electricity can move from one place to another.
• Components – These are the things that use electricity to do something useful, like a light bulb lighting up or a fan spinning. They are like the destinations on our road—places where the electricity does its job.

When we connect all these parts together in a loop using wires, we create a circuit. It’s like a closed path where the electricity can travel, doing work along the way. If everything is connected well, the electricity flows smoothly, making our devices or gadgets do what they’re supposed to do!

Remember, if there’s a break in the circuit, just like a road being blocked, the electricity can’t flow, and our gadgets won’t work. So, ensuring the circuit is complete and connected is super important for things to run smoothly!

Learn About Electrical Circuits – For Kids!

Teach Starter has created a printable mini-book perfect for your 4th and 5th grade students. This teacher-created resource includes 14 mini-pages that lead students through interesting facts about circuits. This mini-book covers:

• What is a circuit?
• Simple circuit
• Series circuit
• Parallel circuit
• Open and closed circuits
• Insulators and conductors
• And more!

This mini-book also has integrated check for understanding points throughout the book.

How to Get Your Circuit Book

If you are ready for your students to get their hands on this science mini-book, head on over to the green download button! Here, you will find the quick-print PDF file as well as the editable Google Slides version. If selecting the Google Slides option, please note that you will first be prompted to make a copy of the resource to your personal drive before accessing it.

After printing the pages, cut along the dotted line, stack the pages and staple along the left-hand side to secure them.

This resource was created by Kaylyn Chupp, a teacher in Florida and Teach Starter Collaborator. 

More Circuit Resources for Your Classroom!

Don’t stop there! We’ve got more activities to shorten your lesson planning time:  

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