Reversible and Irreversible Changes | Science for kids

Added: 2026-05-26

[00:00:00]Have you ever melted an ice cube and wondered, can it become ice again? Let's find out. Today we will explore changes in states of matter. Matter can change from one form to another. Solid, liquid, or gas.

[00:00:21]Ice. We have an ice cube. If we leave it in a warm room, it melts into water. put it in the fridge and it freezes back into ice. This is called a reversible change. It can go back to its original state. Boiling water. If we boil water, it becomes steam. If we collect and cool the steam, it becomes water again.

[00:00:49]Another reversible change.

[00:00:52]Toasting bread or frying an egg. If we toast bread or fry an egg, can we make it soft or raw again? No. The material has changed completely. This is an irreversible change. It cannot go back.

[00:01:10]Burning paper. If we burn paper, it becomes ash. Can we make the ash back into paper? Of course not. This is also an irreversible change.

[00:01:23]How to know if a change is reversible?

[00:01:26]Ask yourself, can I make it like it was before? Yes equals reversible. No equals irreversible.

[00:01:39]Quiz. Melting butter. Reversible or irreversible?

[00:01:49]Yes, that's reversible. Great job.

[00:01:53]Burning wooden sticks. Reversible or irreversible?

[00:02:03]No, that's irreversible.

[00:02:06]Well done for thinking. Freezing water.

[00:02:09]Reversible or irreversible?

[00:02:17]Exactly. That's reversible.

[00:02:20]Frying an egg. reversible or irreversible.

[00:02:29]Right, that's irreversible.

[00:02:31]Nice thinking. Lesson summary. Some changes can be reversed, like ice melting. Some changes cannot be reversed, like burning bread.

[00:02:42]See you in the next lesson.