Weather Theme (General) for Preschool

This Weather Theme for Preschool was created to help us go beyond the daily weather chart!  

We talk about weather all the time with our children, especially when it rains, or snows or is very windy or very sunny outside!  

I thought I'd create a page that has activities to help us focus on specific types of weather!

You will be able to create a week long theme about weather by picking and choosing what you want to do each day.  For example, your weather week might include one day for each weather type:

Monday- Snow

Tuesday- Rain

Wednesday- Wind

Thursday- Ice

Friday- Sun

Or, you may create many weeks in a row and focus on one weather type each week.

OR, you may create many weeks throughout the year!

This page focuses on the Weather in general.

Links will be added for each type of weather!

Let the Theme planning begin!

You can either scroll down through this page to see all of the preschool activities for your theme or click the link below to go to specific preschool activity types you are looking for.

You'll find more themes to help you with your planning on my preschool themes page

WEATHER Art Activities Block Area Circle Time Activities Cooking Recipes Dramatic Play Ideas Easel Ideas Gross Motor Games Library and Literacy Math And Manipulatives Activities Music and Movement Sand and Water Table Science Activities Writing Activities

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Below are links to specific weather types! 

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Art Activities

Weather Theme Art

Weather Collage

Materials needed:  magazines, scissors, glue sticks, paper

Let the children practice their cutting skills by cutting out weather pictures or scenes!  They may cut out items that remind them of different types of weather!

Feel free to add crayons or markers for them to embellish their scenes.

The Sky 

Materials needed:  white paper plates, colored sand (yellow, blue, white, green), glue, brushes, crayons.

Encourage the children to draw an outdoor picture.  It could be them playing with their friends or family, a picture of their house, whatever they choose!

Then, have them brush glue on different areas such as the sky or a sun shape, grass area.

They then sprinkle colored sand on those areas.

Plate Weather Charts     Thank you Kyra K. for this suggestion!

Materials Needed: White paper plates, markers or crayons, brads and pre-cut arrow shapes.

In advance, draw a line down the middle of the plate and across the middle of the plate with a black marker.

The children draw the types of weather that they wish, one in each section.

Print (or encourage them to print) the name of each section (rain, wind, snow, etc.)

Help them to place the arrow and brad into the middle of the plate. They can move the arrow to the type of weather there is at home.

This is a take home project so that they can be at home meteorologists!

Fingerpaint Weather

Provide different colors of fingerpaint and fingerpaint paper.

Talk to the children about their favorite type of weather.  Do they like winter and the snow?  Rain and puddles?  Fall and the leaves?  

Encourage them to use the colors they think go with their weather choice!

EXTENSION:  If you have a CD that has weather sounds on it, play it during the morning!

My Weather House

Materials needed:  Precut shapes of all different colors (from construction paper), glue sticks, markers.

Encourage the children to build their house with the shapes and then add the type of weather they want:  rain, snow, etc.

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Block Area

Weather Theme Block Center Ideas

Driving in All Kinds of Weather

Add pieces of rain gutters or PVC piping and cars to your block area. They can use them as icy roads or wet roads.

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Circle Time Activities

Weather Theme Circle Time Ideas

Circle Time is such a great time for children to learn the social skills of being together as a large group AND to learn more about your theme!

Star News Channel    Thank you Kristi K for this suggestion!

Some activities are observation plus presentation!  During the weather theme in the classroom circle time, the children would read the thermometer, observe the outdoor weather, and then give us a weather report on the "Star News Channel"

They do this by using microphones, lights and cameras!  Based on the weather, they would give the class recommendations on activities which would be good to do on that day (fly kite, stay indoors, jump in puddles, etc.)

EXTENSION:  I would extend this by having a Weather Channel Station set up in dramatic play for the week!

There are several songs you can sing about weather!

Weather Theme Song    This one is sung to the tune of Clementine

What's the weather? What's the weather? What's the weather like today? 

Tell me children what's the weather? 

What's the weather like today? 

Is it sunny, is it rainy, is it windy out today? 

Tell me children what's the weather, what's the weather like today?

What is the Weather?  Sung to Have You Ever Seen a Lassie?

The teachers at a preschool I directed in Nebraska sang this with the children each day at circle time before they charted the weather on their weather board.

Oh what is the weather, the weather, the weather?   (Holding hands up as if asking a questions)

Oh what is the weather like outside today?  

Is is sunny?  (Make a large "O" or sun shape with your arms over your head).

Or rainy?  (Wiggle fingers on both hands and move hands from over our head down to your knees).

Or snowy?  (Hands palms out and move quickly from side to side...this is my favorite part of the song!  ;)

Or cloudy?  (Use hands to make puffy clouds in front of you).

Oh what is the weather like outside today?!!

Hot or Cold Weather Theme Game

Describe different types of weather or places and have them tell you if it is cold or hot!

For example, tell the children you are at the beach, the sun is shining and people are swimming in the water.  

Try then telling the children that you are at the beach, but there are no people there but you.  The sun is shining, but the water is frozen!  And there is snow on the beach!  

See if they can name the season or type of weather!

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Cooking Recipes

Snack Recipe Ideas to Cook Up for Your Weather Theme!

Cooking with children helps develop their math skills and helps them to learn how to follow directions. It also allows for some great conversation! Ask many questions while cooking with your children to encourage conversation! Be sure to ask specific themed questions while making these fun snacks!

W is for Weather and Waffles!

Bring in a toaster and some frozen waffles for snack.  Don't forget fruit and other toppings!

OR...if you have a waffle iron, have the children help you mix the ingredients and then you can cook them fresh!

Here is one recipe:

1 cup flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1/4 cup of melted margarine or butter

1 egg, separated

Mix dry ingredients into a bowl. 

Stir in the milk margarine and egg YOLK until blended.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg white with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.

Fold flour mix into the egg white.

Pour into waffle iron (about 2/3 cup at a time) after it has been heated up.

Be sure to cook away from children......trust me.......accidents can happen, don't let them with the waffle iron!

This recipe makes about three 8 inch waffles (when cut in half, enough for 6 children)

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Dramatic Play Ideas

Weather Theme Ideas to Transform Your Dramatic Play Area

The Preschool Weather Channel

Provide desks, a felt board on the wall and weather felt pieces (sun, rain, clouds, etc.), a chalkboard to draw "weather patterns", microphones, chairs and desks, a camera, paper, pens

The children are meteorologists giving weather reports!

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Easel Ideas

Weather Theme Ideas for your Easel--

More Than Just Painting (Although that is always THE favorite in our classroom!)

Bingo Daubers

Add a few colored bingo daubers to your Easel area!  The children can add any type of weather they want to their paintings!

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Gross Motor Games

Weather Theme Large Group Games 

that help build their muscles while they have fun together

Weather Cube Pretending

Use a large, plastic cube from a game or use a beach ball.

Write a type of weather on each side of the cube or each section of the beach ball.  

Use Rain, Snow, Tornado, Ice, Windy Days, etc.

A child rolls the ball or cube.

Read the weather type that comes up.  

Ask the children what they like to do in that kind of weather and then act it out!

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Library and Literacy

Weather Theme Ideas for Your Library and Literacy Activities for your Preschool Classroom

Book Suggestions for the Library

(I LOVE Amazon, and some of the links below will take you to the Amazon website.  If you do choose to purchase yours through Amazon, they do send me a few cents--which supports my coffee habit! )

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett

Elmer's Weather by David McKee

I Love You, Papa, in All Kinds of Weather by Nancy White Carlstrom

National Geographic Readers: Weather by Kristin Baird Rattini

Oh Say Can You Say What's the Weather Today?: All About Weather by Tish Rabe

Out and About by Shirley Hughes

Weather by Jan Pienkowski

Weather by Sophie Kniffke

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Math And Manipulatives Activities

Weather Theme Activities to help your Preschoolers develop those small muscles in their hands!

Weather Match

Make pairs of weather types on paper (snowflakes, ice cubes, umbrellas, rain drops, etc.)

The children match the pairs.

They can also flip them upside down (be sure they are all on square papers so they can not tell what weather type is on each!).

Use it as a memory game!

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Music and Movement

Weather Theme Music and Movement Activities and Ideas to get your Preschoolers Movin' and Groovin'!

SONG

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!

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Sand and Water Table

Weather Theme Activities for the Senses!

Different Temperatures for Different Weather!

This is a cool activity to show the children about different temperatures.  

Try showing the kids how to do this and then just let them have at it (yes, eventually they will just pour all three items into the table, but that is fun, too!).

Materials needed:  3 bowls--one with room temperature water, one with ice water and one with warm water.

Have the children place both hands in the room temp water.

Then, have them place one hand in the ice water and the other in the warm water.  Leave hands in for the count of 5.

Then immediately put both hands in the room temp water.

Ask them to describe how their hands feel!

The hand in the ice water now feels warmer to them and the hand in the warm water now feels cooler....even though both hands are in room temp water!

For preschoolers, this is easier for them to describe and process if they do one hand at a time.

Colored Rice

I guess I'm thinking rainbows!  Colored rice can be used over and over.

To color rice:

Mix about 1/2 bag (1/2 pound) of white rice with 1/4 cup of rubbing alcohol and a few drops of food coloring in a ziplock gallon bag.

Once mixed, spread the rice on a cookie sheet and let dry overnight. Mix the rice and let completely dry.

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Science Activities

Weather Theme Science Activities--for your Preschool Scientists in Training!

Where is the Air?

Materials needed:  a large bin or bowl (clear), a cup and water

Talk to the children about air.  Where is it?  How do they know?

Fill the bowl about 3/4 full.

Hold the cup upside down and push it to the bottom.  Ask the children if there is air or water in the cup?  How do they know?

When they are done discussing, tip the cup and watch the bubbles!

Ask the children why they think there were bubbles.

There was air in the cup and when you tipped it, the air escaped..as air bubbles.

EXTENSION:  Give each child a straw and let them blow INTO the tub (or cups) of water to make air bubbles.

Flying CDs

When talking about weather, we usually talk a lot about air.  We can't see it but we know it is there.....in the wind, in bubbles and now, in this flying contraption!

Materials needed:  CDs, the push up tops from dish detergent (the ones you pop up for open and push back down for closed), hot glue gun, balloons.

It would be best to get donations of the detergent tops and cds from parents.  You'll need one of each for each child.

In advance:

Close all the push up tops.

Hot glue them over the center hole of the CD.

With the children:

Blow up a balloon and have them help you place it over the detergent top (be sure it is in the closed position!).

Ask the children what they think will happen.

Gently squeeze the neck of the balloon and feel for the pop up top and gently open it!

The air will push through the opening in the disc.  It creates a layer or cushion of air under the CD which makes it glide.

Especially cool to see it glide over a table....like a Hover Craft from Back to the Future!

VARIATION:  Rather than make one for each child and having to blow up balloons over and over for all of them (wow!), help them to each make one and place in a bag with directions on how to use for them to take home.

Make one in the classroom and have fun with that one!

The children can guess how far it will glide or float!

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Writing Activities

Writing Activity Ideas for Your Weather Theme!

What's In The Sky?   Thanks Danielle B. for this suggestion!

Materials needed: journals, pencils

Take the children outside and observe the sky. Ask what they see. Come back inside and encourage the children to draw and write in their journals about what they saw in the sky and also what they might see in the sky.

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Looking for more specific seasonal theme suggestions?

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Go to MAIN THEMES page from this Weather Theme Page

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Go to Preschool Plan-It's Home Page

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