Weather Teaching Resources
Browse printable weather worksheets, activities, science vocabulary resources, experiments for kids, resources about floods and natural disasters and more ideas for teaching students in primary school about the weather outside your classroom and around the world.
This collection of curriculum-aligned weather teaching resources was created by teachers with teachers in mind. That means every printable and digital resource has been carefully checked by a member of our expert teacher team to ensure it's classroom-ready, so you save time on your lesson plans!
Looking to get started on the weather, or just need more ways to make this science topic more engaging in your classroom? Read on for a primer from our teacher team!
What Is Weather? A Kid-Friendly Definition
When it comes to defining weather for students, here's a kid-friendly definition you can use to explain what weather is:
Weather refers to the conditions in the Earth's atmosphere, such as temperature, wind, precipitation and cloudiness. The weather outside your classroom or home is affected by many things, including the amount of sunlight reaching the Earth's surface, the rotation of the Earth and the presence of water vapour in the atmosphere.
Weather can change rapidly, and it can be unpredictable, so it's important to stay informed about current weather conditions and be prepared for different types of weather.
What Is Weather Science?
Meteorology — also known as weather science — is the study of the Earth's atmosphere and the weather conditions that occur within it. This includes studying temperature, air pressure, wind, precipitation and other atmospheric phenomena.
Weather scientists known as meteorologists use a variety of tools, such as satellites, radar and weather balloons, to collect data about the atmosphere and predict what the weather will be like in the future. These predictions are called weather forecasts and help us decide what to wear or how to plan for outdoor activities that might be affected by rain or excessive heat.
Weather science isn't just important for telling us what to wear, however! It helps us prepare for extreme weather events, provides important information for transportation and aviation safety and helps scientists better understand the Earth's climate.
Students can act as amateur meteorologists as they learn to record weather information to keep track of what is going on outside of your classroom, including relative temperatures such as hot or cold, clear or cloudy, calm or windy and rainy or icy!
Is Climate the Same as Weather?
The two words are often used interchangeably, but it's important to impress upon your students that weather and climate are two very different things!
Weather, as we already explained, deals with the conditions of Earth's atmosphere at any given time. It can be termed as the short-term atmospheric conditions of a specific place — such as temperature, wind, humidity, precipitation and cloud cover — over a short period of time, usually a few hours or days.
Climate, on the other hand, is a look at those conditions over a long period of time. It can be termed as the long-term average weather patterns of a specific region or location, usually over a period of at least 30 years.
What Do Kids Need to Learn About Weather?
Weather is a broad, broad topic — to say the least! So what's going on during primary school weather lessons? Before kids move on to high school, they should have a basic understanding of the different elements that make up the weather and how they interact with each other. They'll also need to understand weather forecasts and how to use them to plan.
With that in mind, here are the biggest topics to cover:
- Temperature — Learning how to measure temperature using a thermometer and how temperature changes over time, as well as the difference between Celsius and Fahrenheit, are part of weather lessons at this stage of kids' education.
- Precipitation — Young students learn about different types of precipitation — such as rain, snow, sleet and hail — and how they form in the atmosphere.
- Wind — Wind direction and speed, how wind is measured and how it affects the weather should all be covered before kids head off to secondary school.
- Clouds — From cumulus to strato-form, students learn about the different types of clouds and how they form plus how clouds affect the weather.
- Extreme Weather — Extreme weather events such as hurricanes, floods and thunderstorms are typically part of the science curriculum at this stage, and depending on where you are teaching instruction on how to stay safe during these events may well be on the agenda.
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Tropical Cyclone Worksheet - Year 5/6 Comprehension
Use our Tropical Cyclone worksheet pack to teach your students about natural disasters.
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Natural Disasters Word Search
Use a Natural Disasters word search to introduce your students to the vocabulary surrounding these destructive acts of nature.
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What Is Climate Change? Comprehension Worksheet
Teach your students about the perils of climate change with this comprehensive article with accompanying comprehension questions.
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What's the Season? Teaching Slides
Use this teaching presentation to help your students explore the four seasons and how they affect everyday life.
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Natural Disasters Report – Mini Book Template
Download this natural disasters information report template to use when teaching informative writing to primary students.
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Months and Seasons Worksheet - Matching Activity
Order the months of the year and match them with their corresponding seasons with a cut-and-paste activity.
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Seasons, Weather and Our Choices Worksheets
Hand out these eight great seasons worksheets to help your students learn all about the seasonal changes and the way they affect our everyday choices.
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How About This Weather? - Worksheet
Explore different types of weather and subsequent observable changes with this 5-page worksheet pack.
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Diagram of a Volcano - Labelling Worksheet
Label the volcano diagram with a printable worksheet.
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What Are Floods? Comprehension Worksheet
Read and learn about flooding with a printable reading comprehension worksheet.
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Map of the World's Climate Zones
Display this climate zone map in your classroom while teaching about the 6 climate types.
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Severe Weather STEM - Build a Storm Shelter Project
Design a storm shelter to protect against wind and rain with a hands-on Weather Stem Challenge.
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Seasons in the Southern Hemisphere and Northern Hemisphere Poster
Use these posters in the classroom to give students a visual representation of the seasons (and which months they inlcude in both the Northern Hemishpere and the Southern Hemisphere).
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Natural Disasters – Printable Puzzles
Match pictures and facts of various natural disasters with this set of printable science puzzles.
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Natural Disasters - Illustrated Vocabulary Display
Reinforce science vocabulary in your classroom with this set of illustrated and annotated natural disaster word wall cards.
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Daily Weather Report – Interactive PowerPoint
Encourage your students to become weather reporters with this interactive weather activity.
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Australian Climate Regions Poster and Worksheet
A poster and a worksheet outlining the climate regions in Australia.
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Four Seasons Picture Sorting – Cut and Paste Worksheets
Sort pictures according to the season they represent with this cut-and-paste worksheet.
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Impacts of Floods PowerPoint
A 17-slide editable PowerPoint template about floods and their impact on communities.
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Tornado in a Jar Experiment
Create a Tornado in a Jar with an interactive science experiment slide deck and Tornado in a Jar Experiment Worksheet.
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Natural Disaster Word Wall Vocabulary
Use this teacher-created resource to explore natural disaster vocabulary with your primary school students.
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Weather vs. Climate – Teaching Slides and Guided Notes
Teach your students the difference between climate and weather with this set of teaching slides and accompanying guided notes.
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Rain Cloud in a Jar Experiment
Use this science experiment when learning about the different types and features of clouds and how they contribute to the water cycle.
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Winter Writing Prompts for Beginning Writers
Use the season of winter to inspire writing in your early years classroom.
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Pinwheel Template
Use our printable pinwheel template to introduce your students to the science of wind and motion!
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Pattern Block Flowers Interactive
Use this flower-themed interactive activity for your students to practise using manipulatives to create or expand on shapes using a pattern or symmetry model.
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Four Seasons Spinner Activity — Southern Hemisphere
Print a four seasons spinner activity to expand students' understanding of the different times of the year.
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Natural Disasters - Flood Simulation Experiment
A hands-on experiment to use when exploring natural disasters.
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My Favourite Season Worksheet
Activate your students' prior knowledge about the seasons using this worksheet which prompts them to state which is their favourite season and justify their choice.
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Seasonal Changes Differentiated Word Search
Get your students’ minds buzzing with this word search seasons activity, while they build their scientific vocabulary about Earth and space sciences.
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Seasonal Changes Worksheet
A worksheet the explores the observable features of the seasons.
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Flood Vocabulary Task
A vocabulary task for students to use when demonstrating their understanding of the impact of floods in Australia.