15 Simple Weather Activities For Kids To Keep Them Engaged

Innovative weather activities for kids can be helpful to teach them about temperature, seasons, clouds, and many other concepts. You can introduce these activities either during school projects or in-house craft sessions. Exploring these concepts through hands-on activities always helps children to understand better. Moreover, taking part in these activities with your little one can strengthen your bond too.

This post consists of a list of weather activities suitable for children between four and 12 years. Pick one that suits your needs and have fun with your children.

15 Weather Activities For Kids

1. Pinecone weather station

This is a simple and easy weather activity for children to learn about the marvels of nature and predict the weather. The interesting activity is based on the fact that pine cone scales close on a humid or rainy day so that the delicate seeds inside do not get dispersed.

Things you will need: Pinecone, straw, and glue

How to do:

• Cut a straw near the part where it bends.
• Place the tip of the straw on the second or third row of the open scale from the top of the pine cone.
• Position the straw such that it is placed at an angle, and stick it using glue.
• Place the pine cone near the window and instruct your kids to keep an eye on the straw.
• When the humidity levels rise, especially on a rainy day, the pine cone scales close and the straw rises from its original position.
• On the other hand, when the weather is dry, the pine cone scales open, and the straw bends down.

When the wind is dry, the pine cone scales open up so that the wind can disperse the seeds far away from the parent tree.

2. DIY windmill

Do this DIY windmill activity with your child to teach them about the power of the wind. It is also an excellent project to teach children about clean and sustainable energy.

Things you will need: Square-shaped paper (the size of the paper determines the size of the windmill), scissors, glue, a paper pin, and a wooden stick

How to do:

• Fold the paper diagonally in half and open it.
• Next, fold the paper diagonally again, now in the opposite direction, and open it.
• Cut the paper from one corner along the diagonal folds, stopping 3cm from the center.
• Repeat the same along all four diagonal folds.
• Fold the alternative corner sections towards the center and glue them to the center.
• Insert a pin at the center.
• Take a wooden stick and make a hole at the top to mount the paper.
• Mount the paper on the wooden stick by inserting the pin into the hole.
• Secure the windmill to the stick firmly, and your windmill is ready.

3. Tornado in a jar

Tornados can wreak havoc and be devastating; however, they are also one of nature’s fascinating phenomena. With this weather activity, your children will not only see a tornado in action but also create one.

Things you will need: A glass jar with lid, one teaspoon liquid dishwashing detergent, one teaspoon vinegar, and glitter or other small objects.

How to do:

• Fill the glass jar with tap water, leaving about an inch gap from the lid.
• Add the dishwashing detergent, vinegar, and glitter into the water.
• Close the lid tightly.
• Now swirl the bottle for five seconds while placing one hand on the top and the other hand below the bottle.
• Set it down on the table and let your kids watch the tornado swirl.
• Repeat it as many times as you wish.

4. DIY snow

One of the reasons why children love winters is because of the snow! Yes, children love to play in the snow, have snowball fights, and build a snowman. If your kids miss the snow during the offseason, help them make some faux snow on their own.

Things you will need: Four cups of frozen baking soda (to make the snow icy and cold), 1-2 cups of cold water, a large bowl.

How to do:

• Put the baking soda into the large bowl.
• Slowly add water into the bowl and mix well.
• Pour until the desired consistency is attained.
• Your super soft and moldable snow is ready.

5. How does it rain?

Here is a weather activity that is fun and helps teach your children why and how it rains. The simple experiment would let your children know the importance of water too.

Things you will need: A glass jar, shaving cream, blue food coloring, and water

How to do:

• Fill the glass jar with water almost up to the brim.
• Put shaving cream on the water surface.
• Fill the blue food coloring in a dropper and let your child drop the color into the jar through the cloud of shaving cream.
• Tell your child to watch as the blue color falls from the shaving cream.
• Explain to them that when clouds collect huge amounts of water, it comes down as rain.

Make sure your child understands the water cycle before attempting this activity to understand the concept of rain better.

6. Daily weather chart

This is a fun and educational weather activity for toddlers and kindergarteners. With the help of this activity, you can help your child understand the different types of weather and also develop their fine motor skills.

Things you will need: One range, two blue, and one white-colored paper, scissors, glue, cardboard and sheet, and a black marker

How to do:

• On a sheet of blue paper, draw a 6×6 grid table to represent the days in a month.
• Fill in the dates and give the name of the month on the top of the sheet.
• Now, cut the orange paper into tiny rounds.
• Draw some cloud shapes on the white paper and cut them out.
• Cut the other blue paper into tiny droplets to resemble rain.
• At the start of the month, ask your child to observe the weather. If it is sunny, ask them to stick a sun shape in the month chart below the date.
• If there are clouds, but no rain on a particular day, ask them to stick a cloud cut-out on the char below the date.
• If there is rain, give them the cloud and rain cut-outs to stick on the chart.

7. Fog in a jar

There are various phenomena in nature that might appear mystical to children. One such phenomenon is fog. Teach your children how a fog appears with this weather activity.

Things you will need: Black paper, glass jar, colored warm water, matchbox, gallon-sized ice bag

How to do:

• Stick the black paper around the jar, leave some space to see through the jar.
• Pour the colored warm water into the jar.
• Now light a match stick and hover it inside the jar for a second.
• Drop the match stick inside the jar and cover it with the ice bag.
• Instruct your children to observe the inside of the jar. After a few seconds, the fog will start to form.

The air that touches the warm water heats up, and some of the water evaporates into the air in the form of water vapor. This water vapor rises and touches the ice, cools down, and sticks together, forming the fog.

8. Make your own rainbow

Aren’t rainbows fascinating? Yes, the strip of brilliant colors amazes kids and adults alike. Here is an easy weather activity for your children to understand how a rainbow is formed.

Things you need: A glass jar filled with water, white paper, flashlight, and masking tape.

How to do:

• Place the white paper onto a flat surface.
• Cover the flashlight with the masking tape such that only a small vent is left for the light to pass through.
• Switch on the flashlight and focus it on the glass jar.
• Instruct your child to observe the other side of the jar for the rainbow.

Explain to your child that the sun’s rays that appear white are made up of various colors such as violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red. When the white light passes through glass and water, these colors are visible to the naked eye.

9. Make your own snowflake

This is a cool weather activity for children aged ten years and above. Snowflakes are fascinating, but they do not last long. However, with this activity, you can help your children create a snowflake that lasts.

Things you will need: String, a wide-mouthed jar, borax powder, pencil, blue food coloring, scissors, pipe cleaners, and a pencil.

How to do:

• First, make a snowflake design using pipe cleaners. Cut the pipe cleaners into three equal sections.
• Twist the sections at their centers to form a six-sided snowflake. Make sure the snowflake design fits inside the jar.
• Tie the string to one of the snowflake’s arms, and tie the other end of the string to a pencil.
• Fill the glass jar with boiling water.
• Measure three tablespoons of borax powder for one cup of water.
• Add the borax powder into the boiling water and stir.
• Add a few drops of the blue food coloring into the water.
• Hang the snowflake design into the jar such that the pencil rests on the mouth of the jar, and the snowflake is completely immersed inside the water. Make sure it does not touch the bottom of the jar.
• Leave the jar undisturbed overnight.
• Your snowflake will be ready the following day. Cut the string and let it dry.

10. Rainy day math

If your children are stuck indoors due to heavy rain, plan this weather activity to teach them math and explain to them about rain.

Things you will need: White paper, blue paper, black marker, scissors, and a pencil

How to do:

• Draw clouds on the white paper and cut them out using scissors.
• Mark a number of your choice from 5-10 on each of the clouds with the marker.
• Now, draw up to 50 raindrops in the blue paper and cut them out too.
• Instruct your children to read aloud the numeric on the cloud and then place the exact number of raindrops under it.

11. Snowstorm in a jar

With this fun activity, you and your children can make your blizzard while staying warm and cozy inside the house.

Things you will need: Baby oil, Mason jar, glitter, white paint, water, and Alka Seltzer tablets

How to do:

• Pour the baby oil into the Mason jar such that it covers two-thirds of its capacity.
• Now, take one-fourth cup of water, put some white paint into it, and mix well.
• Pour the paint mixture into the Mason jar, and add some glitter to it.
• Now, ask your child to add the Alka Seltzer tablet into the Mason jar.
• They will see white water bubbles moving in the jar, creating a little snowstorm.

12. Four seasons craft

This weather activity will help you teach your children about the four seasons and promote sensory play. As this activity involves the usage of small particles, it is advisable only for children above four years.

Things you will need: Blue paper, paintbrush, brown paint, glue, dried split peas, leaves, grass, corn, flowers, brown seeds and dried leaves, white sand or cotton balls

How to do:

• Fold the paper twice such that you get four equal squares.
• Paint a tree trunk with brown paint on each square.
• Give your child the other supplies and ask them to glue them on the top of the tree according to the season.
• Spring: dried split beans, leaves, and grass
• Summer: corn and flowers
• Fall: brown seeds and dried leaves
• Winter: white sand or cotton balls.
• Once they finish sticking, ask them to write down the names of the seasons.

13. DIY water cycle

The water cycle is the life of the planet. It is one of the vital weather activities that keeps all living things alive. Teach your children the water cycle with this simple weather activity.

Things you will need: Ziploc plastic bag, black permanent marker, blue food coloring, measuring cup, water, masking tape.

How to do:

• Draw the sun on the top left-hand corner of the Ziploc bag and clouds on the top right-hand corner.
• Fill one-fourth of the measuring cup with water and add blue food coloring. Mix thoroughly.
• Now, pour the mixture into the Ziploc bag and seal it tightly.
• Stick the bag to a window using tape, and make sure the bag is exposed to sunlight.
• Ask your children to observe the water bag when there is sunlight. They will find water evaporating and condensing, forming tiny water droplets inside the plastic bag.

14. Fly a kite

Kite flying is an age-old activity that helps children understand the dynamics of wind. Making a kite also helps develop their problem-solving skills and builds concentration.

Things you need: A sheet of paper or newspaper, two ¼ inch round wooden dowels, scissors, pencil, string, masking tape, ruler, yarn, little handsaw

How to do:

• Measure the wooden dowels using the ruler, and cut them into 24- and 20-inch dowels.
• Using the handsaw, make notches on both ends of the wooden dowels.
• Place the 24-inch dowel vertically, measure six inches from the top, and mark it with a pencil.
• Lay the 20-inch dowel across the mark in the form of a ‘t.’
• Tie both the dowels in position with the string.
• You can use masking tape on the tied strings to secure it further.
• Wrap the string around the kite, making sure it goes through all the notches.
• Place the frame of the kite on the paper, and cut the paper one inch outside and along the frame.
• Fold the edges towards the inside of the frame and tape them securely.
• Cut the string into 24 inches long. Poke holes into the top and bottom points of the kite.
• Tie one end of the string into the top hole and the other end into the bottom hole. This is the brindle of the kite used to tie the flying string.
• Make a tail of the kite and secure it near the rear end of the kite, and your kite is ready to fly.

15. DIY thermometer

Teach your children how to read a thermometer via this thermometer activity. Once your child completes this activity, they would be able to read temperatures in both Celsius and Fahrenheit.

Things you need: Thermometer printable, a clear straw, red pipe cleaner, scissors, glue stick, scrapbook paper.

How to do:

• Cut out the thermometer image and stick it on the scrapbook paper.
• Cut the straw vertically into two halves, and attach one half of the straw to the printable.
• Cut the pipe cleaner half an inch longer than the straw and insert it into the straw.
• Write the temperature markings on the sides of the straw.
• Ask your child to set the thermometer to a degree by pulling the straw from below.
• Teach them how to read in Celsius and Fahrenheit.

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