Static electricity is caused by a process called triboelectrification. Here is how this works:

1. Everything, including us, is made of atoms.
2. Every atom has in its center positively charged protons and neutral neutrons which have no electrical charge.
3. Surrounding the atom's nucleus (center) are negatively charged electrons.
4. The number protons and neutrons in an atom do not change.
5. Electrons can move from on atom to another.
6. When two objects touch, they exchange electrons.
7. This causes one object to become electrically positive and the other to become electrically negative.
8. When an object touches another object with either an opposite or neutral charge, electrons flow.
9. Static electricity is created when electrons move back and forth between atoms.