Free Rain and Clouds Preschool Lesson Plans
Spring is the perfect time for weather lesson plans for preschool, with rain showers, sunshine, and even the occasional rainbow keeping little learners curious. As part of spring preschool themes, weather activities help children explore changes in the sky, learn about different types of weather, and understand how it affects our daily lives.
But looking for some activities to add to your preschool lesson plans about weather? These weather activities can stand alone, or you can grab our free weekly weather lesson plans for preschool pdf.
Spring brings all kinds of weather—some days are sunny and warm, while others bring rain, wind, or even a surprise thunderstorm. That’s why weather lesson plans for preschool fit perfectly into spring preschool themes!
Preschoolers love exploring the weather around them, whether they’re watching clouds change shape, feeling the wind on their faces, or listening to raindrops tapping on the window. A weather theme is a great way to build observation skills while making science hands-on and engaging.
Spring weather is full of surprises, making it the perfect time for preschoolers to learn about the sky, the sun, the wind, and the rain. With a mix of hands-on activities and daily observations, these weather lessons keep kids engaged while teaching them about the world in a way that feels natural and fun!
Grab our Weekly Thematic Activity Plans
Engaging, hands-on themes that complement your math and literacy curriculum.
Free Weather Activities for Preschoolers
Learning about rain and clouds is the most fun when you can incorporate play and learning together. Here are some popular hands-on activities to keep with your rain and clouds lesson plans to add to your weather preschool theme.
Weather Theme Literacy Activities for Preschool
Rain Cloud Beginning Sound Activity – Grab an empty tissue box and paint it white (optional); then cover it with cotton balls to make your rain cloud. Invite your preschooler to search the house for items to feed the rain cloud. Have your preschooler share their items with you and tell you what each item’s beginning sound is. Then feed the items to the rain cloud by placing them inside the tissue box.
Weather Trace, Color, and Write – Draw a series of weather icons on pieces of white printer paper (one per page) like a sun, rainbow, clouds, and lightning. Then write the name of each one on the bottom of the paper. Invite your preschooler to first trace the drawing, then color the drawing, and finally trace the name of the drawing on each page.
Children’s Books about the Weather
One of the best ways to teach preschoolers about any theme is by hand-selecting the highest-quality picture books! This is a book list for our best-loved picture books for a weather theme.
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- Taft, Jean (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- Harajli, Huda (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- Nestling, Rose (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- Hillenbrand, Will (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- June & Lucy Kids (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- Hardcover Book
- de Seve, Karen (Author)
- Little Hippo Books (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
Math Activities for Weather Preschool Theme
Rainy Day Counting Mats – These rainy day counting mats are perfect for practicing counting skills and can be used with playdough, counters, or even blue gems! Using ten frames is ideal for helping preschoolers learn to subitize and eventually “see” the numbers without physically counting.
Rain Cloud Number Tracing – Print this activity and pop it into a sheet protector for use over and over! It’s great for number recognition, formation, and one-to-one correspondence. Counting the raindrops is so fun! Encourage your pre-writers to use their fingers to trace the numbers and/or place beads or buttons along the tracing lines.
Preschool Science Activities for Weather Theme
Shaving Cream Rain Cloud – Explore how a rain cloud works with this hands-on science experiment. Using shaving cream, blue food coloring, and a clear glass with water, your preschooler can watch how the rain makes its way through the cloud. For the full instructions and steps, check out the video below.
Playful Learning Weather Activities for Preschoolers
“Puddle” Jumping – Head outside and draw some ”puddles” using blue or white chalk. Invite your preschooler to skip through them. Grab an umbrella and pretend that it’s raining! Hold the umbrella while skipping to engage those balance skills.
Rain on the Windows Art – Ever seen raindrops run down a window? That’s what this art activity is. Set out a piece of white paper on a tray or baking sheet. Gently add a few drops of watercolor along the top of the paper. Finally, gently lift the top of the tray off the table and watch the “raindrops” run down the paper.
Cloud Name Art – Write your preschooler’s name in large print on a piece of paper. Help trace their name in liquid glue. Invite your preschooler to glue white cotton balls/pom-poms over the letters to make their cloud name.
Social-Emotional Activities for a Rain and Weather Theme
Finding the Positive in Every Situation – Go to YouTube and listen to the story I Don’t Like Rain by Sarah Dillard. After reading, chat with your preschooler about how all the animals changed their opinions. At the beginning of the story, they did NOT like the rain, but it soon became fun for them. Why did they change their minds? Tell your preschooler that it’s important to always look for joy. When something feels disappointing or not what you expected, try to think of how you can turn it around into something fun and awesome. Invite your preschooler to think of how they would like to play in the rain!
I Can Be a Rainbow in Someone Else’s Cloud – Encourage your preschooler to support and cheer up others using simple acts of kindness. Draw a cloud on a piece of white paper and then cut out strips of paper and invite your preschooler to color the paper in all colors of the rainbow. With help, write/draw ways that you can help someone special in your life. It can be as simple as putting away your toys, bringing your plate to the sink, or giving up an extra turn.
Just Plain Fun Weather Activities for Preschoolers
It Looked Like Spilt Milk – Go to YouTube and listen to the story It Looked like Spilt Milk by Charles G. Shaw. After listening, head outside on a cloudy day and find some clouds! What do you see in the clouds? Lie down with your preschooler in the shade and spend some time searching the sky.
Puffy Paint Clouds – Mix equal parts liquid white glue and shaving cream together in a bowl. Grab a big paintbrush and paint some fluffy clouds! This paint dries puffy so it’s great for tactile exploration, too. Mix in a drop of black paint to make storm clouds. See full instructions here: Puffy Paint Clouds. This is great for an art activity after spending time outside on a cloudy day finding shapes and lines in the sky and “replicating” it on paper.
Cloud Writing – Grab some extra shaving cream and spray it onto a tray or plate. Write or draw letters, names, numbers, shapes, and images. Have some cloud fun! This fun activity is perfect for building fine-motor skills and pre-writing practice, plus it’s a blast for young kids!
Online Activities with a Rain and Cloud Theme
Online Story – Go to YouTube and listen to the story The Rain Came Down by David Shannon. After listening, discuss why everyone seemed to be so grumpy when it was raining. What happened when the rain stopped? What kind of day do you like best? Draw a picture of your best weather day!
Cloud Song – Use your imagination when you look to the sky! You’ll see all kinds of things in the clouds if you look carefully! Go back and read It Looked Like Spilt Milk for a great story connection!
What’s the Weather Today Song – Learn about all types of weather with this cute song. Sun, rain, wind, or snow, no matter the weather there is always plenty of fun to be had!
Get Your Free Weather Lesson Plans Here
Want to include these rain and clouds activities in your weather lesson plans for preschool? Ready to grab your free printable lesson plans with all these weather theme activities for preschoolers?!
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FAQ About a Rain and Weather Preschool Theme
You may have a few questions about teaching this preschool theme! Many teachers ask how to teach weather to preschoolers. Check out these frequently asked questions for how to teach your preschoolers about rain and clouds.
Weather is something children experience every day, making it a relatable and exciting topic. Learning about rain, clouds, and different types of weather helps them understand the world around them. It also encourages curiosity, observation skills, and an introduction to basic science concepts.
Focus on the different types of weather (sunny, rainy, cloudy, windy, snowy) and how they change. Introduce simple explanations of the water cycle, types of clouds, and how rain forms. Talk about how weather affects what we wear, what we do, and how plants and animals respond.
Demonstrate how clouds hold water by filling a sponge with water until it “rains.” Make a rainbow with a glass of water, a mirror, and sunlight to explore light refraction. Create a tornado in a bottle by swirling two connected plastic bottles filled with water and dish soap.
Play a weather charades game where children act out different types of weather, like spinning for a tornado or tiptoeing like raindrops. Dance to weather-themed songs like “Rain, Rain, Go Away” or “Mr. Sun.” Have a “wind race” where kids blow cotton balls across a table using straws.
Take a weather walk and observe the sky, clouds, wind, and temperature. Let children feel raindrops or blow bubbles to see which way the wind is moving. Place a piece of dark paper outside during a drizzle and watch how raindrops make patterns.
Weather Themed Teaching Tools
Sometimes (not always), what turns a great preschool theme into an exceptional one is having some extra special materials specific to that theme. These are some of the weather toys and activity kits I like to use with my preschoolers.
- Lacing Games Choice: these colors and shapes lacing cards are good sewing games for kids to learn…
- Recognition Sewing Cards Package: you will get 10 pieces of recognition lacing cards in 10 different…
- 6 METEOROLOGICAL STAMPS — Let’s explore the weather! This set includes a cloud, lightning,…
- EASY TO HOLD — Giant Stampers have round, easy grip handles which nest comfortably in small hands….
- WEATHER THEMED PATTERN BLOCKS: Includes 100 colorful pattern blocks, 10 double-sided puzzle cards…
- MADE FROM RECYCLED PLASTIC: The components in our activity set are made from certified 100%…
- This colorful, wooden puzzle encourages kids to learn how to dress for the four different seasons.
- Puzzle has 12 pieces . 3 pieces fir together for each season. Mix and match the seasonal pieces and…
- INTERACTIVE TEACHING TOOL – Package includes 7″ Wally with different weather-appropriate clothing…
- MAKE LEARNING FUN – Playing felt figures sharpens hands-on learning and hand-eye coordination.
- MULTI-FUNCTION WEATHER KIT: Measure barometric pressure, relative humidity, and air temperature
- INSPIRE CURIOUSITY: Introduce kids to meteorology
- A fun addition to your hands-on science activities this learning craft is a great way to introduce…
- Children simply decorate the wheel by applying the included pieces to various sections on the wheel…
I’m Sarah, an educator turned stay-at-home-mama of five! I’m the owner and creator of Stay At Home Educator, a website about intentional teaching and purposeful learning in the early childhood years. I’ve taught a range of levels, from preschool to college and a little bit of everything in between. Right now my focus is teaching my children and running a preschool from my home. Credentials include: Bachelors in Art, Masters in Curriculum and Instruction.
