Snow, rain, heat and wind – weather is a wild, wonderful every-day way to explore the world around us! Observing and predicting the weather can help kids of all ages grasp simple and complex concepts, from planning what clothes and activities are right for the day to how we keep people safe and informed by using technology to track weather patterns over time. Learning about the weather supports children’s curiosity and understanding of the natural world. Taking measurements, collecting data, identifying patterns, and making predictions are all important scientific thinking skills kids use when they investigate Earth Science and meteorology. By tracking the daily weather where you live, or researching world weather maps to understand bigger trends, kids can see how weather phenomena like wind, air pressure and temperature produce the patterns we see locally, nationally and globally.
Encourage conversations about how the communities we live in, and those across the globe, are impacted by the weather and climate with the games, hands-on activities, and fascinating videos below. Then, keep the fun going with Learn Along Bingo sheets full of printable activities and everyday learning ideas for children grades Pre-K to 2!
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Exploring Real-World Weather
Weather Hunters collection
Grades PreK-2
Weather Hunters, an animated series from PBS KIDS for children 4-8, is about inspiring a new generation to explore the incredible world of weather and investigate its role in their lives. The show aims to cultivate awareness, curiosity, knowledge, and caring about how weather impacts individuals, communities, and global society. Explore this collection of videos, printable activities and more to bring lessons from the show into your classroom or home!
Using Weather to Teach Early Science Lessons
Grades PreK-3
The great outdoors and the weather that comes with it can bring a science lesson right in front of you and your child. Keep these easy tips in mind as you explore weather together as a family.
Weather Station Field Trip
Grades K-8
At the National Weather Service and Hurricane Center, Penny and the KidVision VPK kids learn how to read world weather maps, track hurricanes, predict the weather, and practice reporting on television.
Clouds in Weather Patterns
Grades 3-5
Learn about factors, such as wind, moisture, temperature, and air pressure, at a regional level that help produce the weather that people experience locally. Use this video to help learn about weather patterns over time and space, which can be used to predict upcoming weather.
Weathered collection
Grades 6-12
Join host Maiya May as she uncovers the current science behind extreme weather events and rapid climate change and reveals the successful solutions to these challenges. Videos include interviews with leading experts, current data and models, and educational animations to help explain how the systems of Earth respond to increases in greenhouse gas emissions while introducing students to the adaptations and mitigations that will help human societies build resilience to those changes.
The Resilient Ones: A Generation Takes on Climate Change collection
Grades 6-12
The Resilient Ones: A Generation Takes on Climate Change highlights the effects of climate change in the Adirondack region of upstate New York. In the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, three high school students embark on a journey to meet local leaders and climate innovators in search of short-term adaptive strategies to extreme weather and long-term solutions to reduce carbon emissions. Explore this collection of resources that promote climate change education by inspiring students to make real-world connections within their own communities.
Games, Books & Activities
Where Is the Wind Going? Try a DIY Weather Vane
Grades PreK-3
A change in seasons is a great time to get kids thinking about the weather. This hands-on lesson in meteorology can get kids thinking about taking measurements, collecting data, looking for patterns, and making predictions about the environment.
12 Picture Books About Weather
Grades PreK-4
Everyone talks about the weather! Whether it’s clear and sunny or rainy and windy outside, the weather affects our lives every day. These fiction and nonfiction titles introduce weather in positive ways, provide great openings for discussions about weather phenomena, and will have kids looking forward to playing in the snow, chasing leaves in the wind, jumping in rain puddles, and picnicking in the sunshine.
Weather Reporter Game | Weather Hunters
Grades K-2
Be a weather reporter like Lily Hunter with this digital game! Choose what season you’re reporting on, observe the weather, and then create a report to share with Lily and other weather watchers in your community.
Super Seasons Snapshot
Grades K-2
In this online game, your child can explore a park to learn how animals and plants change during spring, summer, fall and winter. Use the camera feature to snap a photo of each animal to earn Hero Elementary badges.
Climate Change and Extreme Weather | Power of Us
Grades 3-12
Learn how climate change is related to extreme weather events in this video from Power of Us. Scientists explain how the number of extreme weather events, like hurricanes, droughts, and heatwaves, have increased as the climate has changed. Students affected by wildfires in California talk about their experience and show the destruction the fires caused. After watching, use the discussion questions and an activities to focus on local climate change challenges and solutions; research data about different weather events; and differentiate between weather and climate.
Learn Along Bingo
With Learn Along Bingo, children can view, explore, and play as they learn alongside their PBS KIDS friends on the PBS KIDS 24/7 channel. We hope your family will use it to inspire learning each and every day.
This time, we’re learning how to observe different types of weather. Observing weather helps us plan what clothes and activities are right for the day.
Grades PreK-K
Play & Learn: In this packet, there are printable activities and everyday learning ideas for you and your child to choose from. As you complete each square, mark it off to celebrate the learning!
Grades 1-2
Play & Learn: In this packet, there are printable activities and everyday learning ideas for you and your child to choose from. As you complete each square, mark it off to celebrate the learning!
For even more games and educational resources for young learners, go to the Observing Weather in Your Neighborhood collection on PBS KIDS for Parents.