Weather is all around us. As adults, we tend to take it for granted. However, if you have a preschooler around the house, you know how hard it is to explain that her favorite sundress really isn’t appropriate for a winter day. It’s just as hard to wrestle that favorite truck sweater into storage when the thermometer officially hits swelter. Helping your preschooler understand weather goes beyond wardrobe malfunctions. By the preschool years, your little one is ready to start exploring the world. He is making neurological connections that actually link concepts that will last for the rest of his life. So teaching your preschooler about seasons and the weather prepares him for the adult world.
1 Open the notebook and write the date at the top of the page.
2 Look out the window and observe the weather. Talk about what each of you sees.
3 Write a single word to describe the weather just below the date.
4 Ask your preschooler to draw a picture about the current weather just below the word. Ask your child to describe the scene and write his words under the picture.
5 Open the newspaper and find the weather forecast.
6 Cut out the forecast with a pair of scissors and tape it to the page.
7 Use the book to help the child associate past weather with future forecasts. For example, if the newspaper or television calls for snow, turn the notebook to a page where your preschooler has drawn a rainy day. Talk about how rain changes into snow. Describe the similarities, such as a cloudy sky, and the differences such as snowflakes instead of raindrops.
8 Add new days to the notebook continuously until your child has recorded a full year of weather.
Items you will need
- To really experience the weather of the day, take your child outside and feel the sun on your face. Gear up in rainslickers or winter coats to experience rainy and frosty days.
- For a quick reference, try adding pictures to a calendar posted on the refrigerator or the child’s bedroom wall.
- Talk to your child about weather safety such as wearing sunscreen and finding shelter during a lightning storm.
- Thomas Northcut/Lifesize/Getty Images