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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Wonderful Weather – Foundation and Year 1 Worksheets
Make weather predictions, create a weather report and write about the weather with this set of printable worksheets.
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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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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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Flashcards About Weather - Printable Picture Cards
Use this set of 12 flashcards about weather to explore words that cover terms such as sunny, humid, overcast and foggy.
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Types of Weather – Word Search
Review science vocabulary terms with an engaging weather word search.
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Natural Disasters Inquiry Task - Newspaper Report
Use our 3-page graphic organiser to research and report on a significant natural disaster from the last 100 years.
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Weather vs. Climate PowerPoint and Guided Notes
Teach your students the difference between climate and weather with this Weather vs Climate PowerPoint and accompanying guided notes.
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Printable Weather Recording Charts
Use these printable weather charts to graph and analyse the weather for each month.
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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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What Are Floods? Comprehension Worksheet
Read and learn about flooding with a printable reading comprehension worksheet.
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Grade One Seasons Worksheet
Set this seasons worksheet as a task for your Grade Ones to show their knowledge of the seasons' names and their order.
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Seasons, Weather and Our Choices Interactive Activity
Complete this whole-class interactive activity to teach students the connection between the seasonal conditions and their daily choices.
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Changing Seasons Word Search
Get your students’ minds buzzing with this Changing Seasons Word Search, while they build their scientific vocabulary about Earth and space sciences.
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Seasonal Changes Teaching Presentation
Show your students this 26-slide teaching presentation all about the changing seasons, and develop their understanding of seasonal changes in the environment.
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Seasonal Changes Words and Definitions Display
Display this easy-to-read seasons word set in your classroom as you investigate seasonal changes with your young students.
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Weather Journal – Mini-Book
Draw and write about the current weather conditions, record weather data and predict what the following day’s forecast will be with this printable mini-book.
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Months of the Year Poster - Southern Hemipshere - No Christmas
A poster displaying the months of the year.
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Flood Safety Poster Project
Explore the impact of flooding and engage your students with a Flood Safety Poster Project.
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Fish Windsock Craft Template
Create a fun wind sock with our Fish Windsock Craft Template.
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Animals in Winter Activity Book
Show what you know about hibernation and migration with a printable Animals in Winter Activity book.
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Animals that Hibernate & Migrate Picture Posters
Explore animal hibernation and migration and learn about the animals that use these behavioural adaptations with a printable animal poster pack.
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How Seasons Affect Plants and Animals PowerPoint
Share this informational slide deck with your Grade One class to teach students about how seasons affect plants and animals on planet Earth.
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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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Order of Seasons Interactive Activity
Explore the order of the seasons with your students by travelling through times of the year in this interactive adventure.
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The Earth's Seasons Teaching Slides
Use this fact-packed digital teaching resource to show your students the names and characteristics of Earth’s four seasons.
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Weather vs. Climate – Interactive Activity
Strengthen student understanding of weather and climate with this interactive activity.
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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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Dress for the Weather Worksheet
Identify proper clothing choices for different weather conditions with this worksheet.
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Weather versus Climate Poster
A poster explaining the difference between weather and climate.
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Natural Disasters Safety Poster
A task to be used when investigating how to remain safe in the event of a natural disaster.
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Natural Disasters Match-Up Worksheet
A worksheet to use when introducing the concept of natural disasters.
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Types of Clouds - Identifier
Help your students identify the clouds in the sky with this cloud identifier.