How does a battery work?

A battery has stuff inside. The toy works because that stuff pushes. The push goes through wires. Lights shine, or sounds play.

Inside a battery, different stuff is packed together. When you put it in a toy, it makes a tiny push through the metal ends and wires. That push is electricity, so the light glows or the motor turns. It is like opening a little gate so water can run through a toy water wheel.

A battery stores energy in chemicals. One end, called the minus end, has extra electrons, which are tiny charged pieces. The other end, the plus end, can take them. When you connect both ends in a circuit, a closed path, electrons flow through the wire. That moving flow is electric current, and the toy or flashlight uses it. Fun fact: you can make a weak battery with a lemon and two different metals.