Weather Teaching Resources
Browse printable weather worksheets, activities, science vocabulary resources, experiments for kids and more ideas for teaching students in elementary 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 vapor 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, snow 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 elementary school weather lessons? Before kids move on to middle 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 — Elementary 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 middle 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, tornadoes 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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Kindergarten Seasons Worksheet
Practice identifying characteristics of each season and how to write them using this one-page worksheet.
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Order of Seasons Task Cards
Use these task cards to allow students to practice ordering images of seasonal changes across the year.
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Order of Seasons Interactive Activity
Explore the order of the seasons with your students by traveling through times of the year in this interactive adventure.
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Four Seasons Mini Book
Make learning about the four seasons fun with this marvellous minibook for your Kindergarten students!
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Weather vs. Climate – Google Slides Interactive Activity
Strengthen student understanding of weather and climate with this interactive activity designed for 5th-grade 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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All About Clouds – Instructional Slide Deck
Teach your students about the different types of clouds with this 19-slide instructional slide deck.
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Types of Weather – Word Search
Review science vocabulary terms with an engaging weather word search.
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Jellyfish Craft Template for Kids
Use this printable jellyfish craft template when learning about wind, ocean animals, or teaching about the letter J.
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Picture Flashcards About Weather
Use this set of 12 picture flashcards about weather to explore words that cover terms such as sunny, humid, overcast, and foggy.
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Spring Writing Prompts for Beginning Writers
Celebrate a new season with Spring writing worksheets for primary grades.
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All About Wind – Instructional Slide Deck
Investigate the importance of wind and how it is measured with this 14-slide instructional slide deck.
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Weather Word Wall Vocabulary
Use this teacher-created weather resource to teach weather vocabulary. Build a word wall with your students during your weather lessons.
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4th Grade Writing Worksheets: Tornado Text-Based Writing
Enhance your students' comprehension, vocabulary, and writing skills using 4th Grade writing worksheets and a high-interest reading passage about Tornadoes.
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Seasons Sorting Activity
Teach students in K-2 the proper clothing, activities, and objects for different types of weather with this four seasons activity.
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Differentiated Winter Word Search Printable
Add a frosty twist to your seasonal studies with a winter word search printable teaching resource.
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What Can Wind Move? Wind Power Experiment
Investigate the power of wind with a printable Wind Power Experiment for kindergarten.
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Working with Wind Worksheets
Use printable Working with Wind Worksheets to help your little learners explore wind, a force that exists but cannot be seen.
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Evidence of Wind PowerPoint for Kindergarten
Use our Evidence of Wind PowerPoint to teach your students about wind and how we know it’s present.
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What Can The Wind Move? Kindergarten Science Activity
Use this Kindergarten Science Activity to teach your students about wind and what it can move in the world around them.
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The Wind Blew - Printable Science Booklet
Discover what the wind blew in with a printable science booklet for kindergarten science lessons.
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Fish Wind Sock Craft Template
Create a fun fish-themed wind sock with our easy DIY windsock craft template.
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Patriotic Windsock Template - Craft Activity
Make a Patriotic Windsock Craft to observe wind movement and celebrate patriotic holidays in the classroom!
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Seasons and Months Posters
Use these four months and the seasons posters to help your students to learn the seasons and their corresponding months.
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Seasonal Changes Worksheets
Engage your young learners with this set of fun season worksheets. Included are 12 activities to keep them actively learning!
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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 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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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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Characteristics of Seasons Interactive Activity
Use this activity-packed interactive resource to explore with your students the names and characteristics of summer, autumn, winter and spring!
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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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Seasonal Changes Display Banner Lettering
Create a science display board for your Seasons lessons, beginning with this visually engaging Seasonal Changes banner.
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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.