Pre-K & Preschool theme ideas for learning about the weather
Find more Weather Activities for Pre-K
Books
Check here for a complete list of Books about Weather
Weather Large Motor Games
Rain Dance
Children rub their fingers together to make a mist, rub their hands together to make a drizzle, pat knees to make a downpour, stomp the floor to make thunder. Then reverse the movements for the rain to stop.
Weather Art Activities
Rainbow Coffee Filter Art
We use markers to draw colored arcs on half of a coffee filter, paint over the filter with the water, and watch the colors blend together.
Windsock Art & Science
Children decorate white construction paper, and glue rainbow colored crepe streamers along the bottom. We bend the paper into a tube and staple it. Last, we punch two holes in the top and tie yarn to make a hanger.
Cloud Art
After reading the book, It Looked Like Spilt Milk, we clipp cotton balls in clothespins, dip them in white paint, and use them to paint clouds onto blue paper. The children paint their clouds to resemble other shapes, such as a dog, castle, horse, etc. Each page saays: “It looked like ________.”
Fans
Children fold paper fans and decorate them with crayons or markers.
Weather Literacy Activities
Umbrella Stamping Game
This activity can be used for Literacy or Math. Read about and print the Umbrella Bingo Game here.
Weather Roll & Write Game
Print and find directions here: Roll & Write Games
Story Retelling
This is an activity that goes with any theme. Choose a book that goes with the theme, and have the children retell the story.
Read the blog post here for details: story retelling
Weather Math Activities
Raindrop Counting
We use blue felt for our math mats and clear flat floral marbles for the raindrop counters. The children listen for thunderclaps (the teacher clapping hands a certain amount of times), and place that amount of raindrops on the mat. For example, four claps mean to count four raindrops onto the cloud.
Umbrella Grid Game
Read about and print the Umbrella Grid Game here.
Weather Science Activities
What Can the Wind Move?
Read the blog post: What Can the Wind Move?
Prism Rainbows
Children explore prisms to see how light gives us rainbows. The children draw a picture of what they see in the prism. (Children are exploring properties of light.)
Science Center
Thunder sounds CD, Objects that can/cannot be moved by blowing, Wind chime, Pinwheel, Prisms, Tornado bottle
Weather Cooking Activities
Mud Pies
We mix two packages of instant chocolate pudding. The children help add the “dirt” (pudding mix) and “rain” (milk) to make “mud.” To make this part extra fun, I punch holes in a styrofoam bowl and when the children pour the milk into the bowl it drips like rain into the mixing bowl. The children help mix the mud with a spoon. I give each child two Oreos in a ziplock bag to crush to make some extra dirt. Each child places a gummi worm in a cup, adds the pudding “mud” and the crushed “dirt”.
In My Shop
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Cold Weather Activities
See the Winter Ideas page for all of the cold weather activities.
Rain Prop Box
Raincoats, Rain boots, Umbrellas, Rain/thunder sounds CD
Rhymes
Nursery rhymes that go well with a Weather Theme:
- Rain, Rain, Go Away
- Whether the Weather
Whether the Weather
Whether the weather is fine
Or whether the weather is not.
Whether the weather is cold
Or whether the weather is hot.
We’ll weather the weather
Whatever the weather
Whether we like it or not.
Look for a printable poster of Rain, Rain, Go Away on the Nursery Rhyme Page.
Songs
- Weather Songs @ Preschool Education
- Weather Song, by Mrs. Jones
- Mr. Sun
, by Raffi (Download from iTunes or Amazon)
Find more Weather Activities for Pre-K
Little Wiggle Worm Fingerplay
The little wiggle worm
(wiggle pipe cleaner worm)
Went crawling underground.
(wiggle worm under hand)
Down came the rain;
(wiggle fingers downward)
Soon mud was all around.
(make a disgusted face; open arms wide)
Rain filled the tunnels
(open hand; move fingers together)
And pushed the little worm.
(push worm through the other hand)
So the puddles on the ground
(make an O with hand)
Were the only place to squirm.
(wiggle worm into O)