Melting & Freezing

Heat melts. Cold freezes. This 90-second narrated lesson teaches kids the simple rules of melting and freezing, the role of zero degrees Celsius, and why fridges and ice cubes work the way they do. Includes a quiz.

Class 6 ScienceClass 6 / Grade 6Ages 8–11
Lesson
🔥 Melting & Freezing
Ice cube on a hot day…It melts into a puddle of water.

Picture this — you put an ice cube on a hot kitchen counter. Come back ten minutes later and it's gone. In its place is a small puddle of water. The ice didn't disappear. It changed shape. From solid to liquid. That change has a name.

Melting — adding heat

Melting is when a solid turns into a liquid. To melt something, you add heat. The heat makes the particles inside the solid jiggle so much that they break out of their tightly packed grid and start sliding around. Solid becomes liquid. Add heat to ice and you get water.

Freezing — taking heat away

Freezing is the opposite. When you cool a liquid enough, you take heat away from the particles. They slow down, get pulled closer together by their attraction, and lock into a tidy grid pattern. Liquid becomes solid. Put water in the freezer and it becomes ice.

The magic temperature: 0°C

Both changes happen at one specific temperature for water: zero degrees Celsius. Below 0°C, water becomes ice. Above 0°C, ice melts into water. That's why a glass of ice water sitting on a table slowly turns into just water — the room is warmer than 0°C, so heat flows in and the ice melts.

Why your fridge freezer works

The freezer compartment of your fridge is cooled to about −18°C — well below freezing. Place a tray of water in there and the heat in the water flows out into the cold air. Eventually the water reaches 0°C and freezes into solid ice cubes. The cold air keeps doing this for everything you put in, which is why ice cream stays solid.

Where else this happens

  • Snow and glaciers — water vapour in cold high clouds freezes into snowflakes; over years, snow piles up and compresses into glacier ice
  • Spring melt — when winter ends, glacier ice slowly melts and feeds rivers
  • Cold drinks — ice cubes melt as they absorb heat from your drink, cooling it down (and watering it down)
  • Iron and gold — they melt too, but at much higher temperatures (1538°C and 1064°C), useful for tools and jewellery

Frequently asked questions

Why does ice float on water?

Water is unusual — when it freezes, the particles arrange in a way that takes up MORE space than liquid water. So ice is slightly less dense, which is why it floats. This is why icebergs float on the sea, and why ponds freeze on top while fish keep swimming below.

Does salt change the freezing point of water?

Yes — adding salt LOWERS the freezing point of water. That's why we sprinkle salt on icy roads in winter: it makes the ice melt even when the temperature is below 0°C.

Why does an ice cube tray take hours to freeze?

It takes time for ALL the heat in the water to leave through the surface. The bigger the tray, the longer it takes. Crushed ice freezes faster than a single big block.

Can liquids other than water freeze too?

Yes — every liquid has its own freezing point. Mustard oil freezes at about 1°C; alcohol at −114°C; mercury at −39°C. Water at 0°C is just one example.

If I leave ice on a table forever, will it ever go away completely?

Yes! It melts to water, then the water slowly evaporates into vapour, which rises into the air. Given enough time, the entire ice cube disappears into the air — even at room temperature.

More lessons