So many weather activities for preschool kids to get into! Be sure to add these ideas to your big collection of preschool themes.
We’ve got science, sensory, literacy, math, art and crafts, and songs for you. These activities will keep the kids engaged as they learn about a variety of weather events in meaningful, hands-on ways.
You can even grab a set of free printable weather word cards at the bottom of the post!
Table of Contents
Weather Activities for Preschool
Thunder! Lightning! Snow!
To many adults, the weather can be a rather mundane topic. For kids, though, it is a fascinating subject that yields so many questions!
“Why is the sky blue?”
“Where does snow even come from?”
“Why doesn’t it snow when it’s summer?”
Those are just a few questions I’ve been asked over the years by both my students and my own son. I have to admit, some of their questions have had me bringing out the research because I couldn’t answer them off the cuff. Of course, I’m a bit of a research dork and love learning new things (almost) as much as the kids!
General Weather Activities for Kids
Take advantage of the children’s interest and set up a preschool weather theme for your students. Below you’ll find some great ideas for the theme. I think these activities would be a wonderful fit with other ages, too!
Weather Sensory Play | Fun-A-Day – The kids and I worked together to make a sensory bin that included elements to represent the sky, white clouds, storm clouds, the sun, rain, fog, wind, and snow.
Kindergarten & Preschool Weather Chart | Fun-A-Day – You’ll be amazed at everything you can do with this simple weather chart for kids!
Weather Books and Activities | Brain Power Boy (not pictured) – They’ve gathered some of the best picture books about weather.
Free Weather-Themed Printables | 3 Dinosaurs – An amazing resource! Over 70 printable pages of weather activities for kids aged 2 to 9.
Homemade Thermometer | What Do We Do All Day – An easy weather-themed science experiment! Make a thermometer out of a bottle.
Preschool Activities about Rain and Storms
Now let’s take a look at rain-themed weather activities for preschool. These can also come in handy for children who are a little scared of storms. Learning and talking about storms in a safe environment can help assuage some kids’ concerns.
Related: Rainy Day Activities
Thunderstorm Art Project | Buggy and Buddy – A stormy art activity made with paints and construction paper. It’s perfect for toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergarteners.
Let’s Make Rain | The Educators’ Spin On It – A great pre-writing activity where kids practice downward writing strokes with a crayon.
Exploring Raindrops and Clouds | Teach Preschool – Cotton balls make perfect clouds, and it’s so fun to dip them in blue water and make it rain!
Simple Evaporation Experiment | Capri + 3 – A simple and amazing way to show evaporation in action!
How Hard Has it Rained? | Rainy Day Mum – Simple and fun. Put blank sheets of paper outside when it’s raining, then circle the drops and count the circles.
Cloud Activities for a Preschool Weather Theme
Preschoolers are often so fascinated by clouds! I know I’ve spent quote a bit of time outside staring up at the clouds with kids.
Preschool Songs: I’m a Cloud | Growing Book By Book (not pictured) – Kids will learn all about different types of clouds through this original song.
Cotton Ball Clouds | I Heart Crafty Things – A craft and science project all in one! Use cotton balls to depict lots of different types of clouds.
Rain Cloud Suncatcher Craft | Preschool Inspirations – An easy craft that’s great hanging from the ceiling or in a window.
Explore Clouds and Rain for Fine Motor Practice | Fun Learning for Kids – Kids get a great fine motor muscle workout as they fill cotton ball “clouds” with blue water and then watch it rain.
Bubble Wrap Clouds | Red Ted Art – Bubble wrap print is so fun, and perfect to use for this happy cloud craft!
Create Your Own Clouds | Life Over C’s – DIY puffy paint makes perfect clouds and raindrops.
Snowy Weather Activities
We can’t talk about weather activities for preschool without touching on snow, right? Even if you don’t live where it snows, you can help the kids learn about it.
Symmetrical Snowflake Art and Math | Fun-A-Day – A snowflake craft that also explores patterns and symmetry.
Counting Snowballs | Fun-A-Day – Super simple activities can sometimes be the best! Grab some cotton balls and enjoy a math activity while counting “snowballs.”
Insta-Snow Winter STEM Activity | Buggy and Buddy – Insta-Snow is ALWAYS a hit!! It’s a super fun sensory experience, and I love how they used liquid watercolors to dye it.
Snow Density Experiment | The Science Kiddo – A simple science experiment to learn more about the properties of snow.
Super Strong Snow Slime Recipe | Epic Fun for Kids – Another magical Insta-Snow recipe! Use it to make a super strong and stretchy slime that can look like snow or ice.
Topographic Melting Snowman Craft | Stay At Home Educator – What a cute craft!! It’s also a fun way for preschoolers to practice sequencing and scissor skills.
Windy Weather Ideas
The wind is a fun topic for young children, especially if you get outside and play on a windy day. Be sure to add these ideas to your weather activities for preschool.
Make a Pinwheel Weather Vane | Powerful Mothering – Make a super cool DIY weather vane that pivots as the wind turns it.
The 3 Little Pigs Wind Science | Fantastic Fun and Learning – I love this! Read The 3 Little Pigs for inspiration, then make your own predictions as to which objects you can move with your own huffing and puffing.
DIY Wind Car | Stir the Wonder – Use simple supplies to make a car that’s powered by the wind.
Easy Breezy Wind Art | Innovation Kids Lab – Observe feathers floating in the air, then use that inspiration to make a mixed media process art project!
Make a Tornado in a Bottle | EDventures with Kids – Simple instructions to make your own tornado in a bottle. Fun to recreate a real event that the kids probably won’t see in real life.
Have you ever taught a preschool weather theme? What are some of your favorite weather activities for preschool kids? I’m always looking for new ideas to try. Feel free to share more ideas in the comments below! 🙂
Weather Picture Books
You can never have too many themed picture books!! These all pair perfectly with the weather-themed activities. Here are our favorites about weather, rain, snow, wind, and clouds. I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
Free Printable Cards for a Preschool Weather Theme
Add some picture word cards to your collection of weather activities for preschool!
This printable is only available to members of Fun-A-Day’s free email community. If you’re a member, you can add your email to the form below and get the weather cards sent to your inbox. If you’re not a member, that’s okay! Enter your information in the form to join us, and you’ll get the printable as a welcome gift.
You can also access the form in a new tab if you’d prefer.
More Preschool Resources You’ll Love
If you’re looking for LESS time spent lesson planning (and who isn’t?!), be sure to pop over to Preschool Teacher 101. We have many early childhood resources, from lesson plans to math activities to literacy ideas and more.
Here are a couple of lesson plans you might like. Each set comes with printable plans, hands-on and multi-sensory activities, whole group ideas, small group activities, center time plans, book suggestions, and related printables. Click on each photo for more information:
Originally published April, 2015.
Leave a Reply