Explore free NINDS Brain Education Resources with printable neuroscience activity guides, videos and classroom learning ideas from the National Institutes of Health.
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Get Free Brain Science Activity Guides
What are the free NINDS brain education resources?
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), part of the National Institutes of Health, maintains free educational resources to help parents, students and teachers explore how the brain works. Its Brain Education Resources page collects printable science activity guides, related videos, introductory explanations and links to other neuroscience learning materials.
The resource is a collection rather than a single mailed freebie. Many activities can be downloaded directly as PDFs and used in a classroom, homeschool lesson or supervised learning session. The provider also links to a separate NINDS catalog for ordering selected free printed materials.
How to get the free printable activities
Select one of the blue buttons on this page to open the NINDS Brain Education Resources collection. Browse the listed activity topics and choose the science activity guide that matches your students’ age and interests. Use the provider’s PDF download link, then save the file or print the pages you need.
Because the guides are available digitally, you do not need to provide a mailing address to download them. Some activities use everyday supplies, so check the materials list and safety guidance before starting. Video demonstrations can provide additional context when available.
Reaction time experiment for grades 6–12
The NINDS reaction-time activity introduces the way the brain processes incoming signals and responds. Students in grades 6 through 12 can explore factors that may affect how quickly they react. The provider includes a printable Science Activity Guide titled Reaction Time.
This can be useful for discussing the difference between receiving sensory information and responding to it. Follow the guide’s procedure rather than assuming a single test accurately measures a student’s overall brain function.
Memory activities for grades 5 and up
The What Do You Remember? science activity guide is aimed at grades 5 and up. It encourages students to explore how memory works and why remembering information is important for learning and daily life. NINDS also links to a related Test Your Memory video.
A class might use the activity to compare different kinds of information people remember, then discuss why memory is not perfect. Keep the focus on learning rather than ranking children by how well they perform.
Senses and taste for grades 5–10
The Jelly Bean Test explores the relationship between taste and smell and how the brain interprets sensory information. NINDS labels it for grades 5 through 10 and offers a printable activity guide.
Food-based activities require care with allergies, dietary restrictions and classroom policies. Review the actual instructions and materials before using the lesson, and select an alternative activity when a food experiment is not suitable.
Protecting the brain for grades 3–6
NINDS offers an Eggs-actly How Do We Protect Our Brains? activity for grades 3 through 6. The guide uses eggs as a model to help explain brain injuries and the importance of protection, and the provider lists a related educational video.
This is a classroom demonstration, not a medical test. Teachers and parents should supervise the activity and use age-appropriate explanations about helmets and injury prevention.
Neurons and temperature perception for younger students
For grades 1 through 5, Create Your Own Neuron invites children to build a model of a nerve cell and learn about structures such as dendrites, myelin and synapses. For grades 2 through 5, How Hot Is It? explores how prior experiences affect perceptions of temperature.
These activities give younger learners hands-on ways to discuss topics that can otherwise seem abstract. Review the guide’s materials and instructions carefully, especially when using water at different temperatures or craft supplies.
Other videos, free printed materials and teaching tips
The collection also links to brain anatomy video quizzes for kindergarten through grade 12, as well as broader Brain Basics information and neuroscience education opportunities. The linked NINDS catalog says users can download printable materials and request selected free educational publications in English and Spanish for classrooms or groups.
Printed materials are subject to inventory and order limits. NINDS states that free publications can be ordered through its information center and that international visitors can download and print PDF versions. For a lesson, choose an activity appropriate to the grade level, preview the PDF and gather supplies before students begin.
Browse the NINDS Brain Education Resources collection for the original PDF downloads and grade-level guidance.
