The Periodic Table Song

Learn how the periodic table works — periods, groups, atomic numbers and the first ten elements — with a catchy chorus you can sing in class.

Lyrics

[Chorus]
Rows are periods, side to side,
Columns are groups where families hide,
Protons give each atom its number,
Metals left, nonmetals right — remember!

[Verse 1]
Hydrogen's first, atomic number one,
Helium's two, a noble gas, it's done,
Lithium, beryllium, boron, carbon too,
Nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine, neon — that's the first two!

[Chorus]
Rows are periods, side to side,
Columns are groups where families hide,
Protons give each atom its number,
Metals left, nonmetals right — remember!

[Verse 2]
Group one's alkali, they react real fast,
Group eighteen's noble, they're the calm ones at last,
Halogens in seventeen, salty and strong,
The staircase splits metals — now sing along!

[Chorus]
Rows are periods, side to side,
Columns are groups where families hide,
Protons give each atom its number,
Metals left, nonmetals right — remember!

How the periodic table works

Periods (rows)

The table has 7 rows called periods. Atoms in the same row have the same number of electron shells.

Groups (columns)

The 18 columns are groups. Elements in a group act alike because they have the same number of outer electrons.

Atomic number

Each element's atomic number is how many protons it has. The table is ordered by this number, starting with hydrogen at 1.

Metals and nonmetals

Metals sit on the left and middle. Nonmetals are on the right. A zig-zag 'staircase' line separates them, with metalloids along it.

Alkali metals (group 1)

Soft, shiny metals like sodium and potassium that react strongly with water.

Noble gases (group 18)

Helium, neon, argon and friends. Their outer shells are full, so they barely react with anything.

Hear it sung — or make your own

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