There are so many fun ways to teach younger students about the weather! It’s an area where students can see science in action. While you can just focus on weather concepts for a shorter unit, there’s so much to explore that it can also be a longer unit that lasts an entire term. Today, I’m sharing some of my favourite weather activities to explore and use in the classroom.
Track the Weather
One way that many early childhood educators choose to help teach weather concepts is through their classroom calendar and weather chart. Students absolutely love to be the “weather reporter” and look out the window to identify what the weather is like and place the correct weather up on the chart. That’s why I’ve created several classroom calendars to help you find a set that works for YOUR classroom. Here’s what we use in my classroom:
Here are some of the fun classroom calendar and weather charts I’ve created:
Daily Classroom Calendar and Weather Chart
Natural Themed Calendar Package
Predict the Weather
One of the first weather activities that we do introduces students to the weather forecast. At the start of the week, photocopy the week’s weather forecast and introduce it to your students. As you talk about the weather, talk about what the weather forecast was for the day (and if it was correct). This is a great way to incorporate math concepts when you’re teaching weather in the classroom.
Learning Weather Symbols
Whilst looking at the weather forcast, this is the perfect opportunity to discuss what each symbol means. Students can use these symbols to fill out their own weather chart of the week’s weather. Get this Weather Record Sheet FREE here.
Download this activity for FREE
One of our ultimate favourite weather activities is this simple flipbook to help your students make their own weather symbols. This cute foldable flipbook is the perfect accompaniment to your weather unit. Students must draw a symbol for each type of weather under each flap of the book.
Describing Weather
We all know that students (and teachers) love craft! Each day, go outside and encourage your students to take a look at the sky. Ask them to describe the sky and the difference between a clear, cloudy, and overcast sky. As your weather unit progresses, students should be able to identify that a clear sky has no clouds, a cloudy day has clouds with some blue sky, and that an overcast day has only clouds.
Students love this simple art activity I developed to help assess their understanding.
Get this activity for your classroom
