You can easily teach preschoolers about clouds using these fun and educational activities. From fluffy white cumuli to dark stormy thunderclouds, your young learner(s) can explore the different cloud types, how clouds form, weather forecasting, and more!
Knowing where and how to start teaching your little students can be challenging. That’s why I love to plan around lessons from ASL Teaching Resources. Each mini-lesson comes with a teacher’s guide with more ideas for activities my students and I can do together. This guide makes it easy to jump right in without having to do a lot of planning. In addition, worksheets on the topic and anchor charts with sign language for my bulletin board make my life easier. I almost forgot the best part: each lesson comes with a caregiver’s guide that my students love to take home. Their parents love them, too, because they give them activity ideas they can do to move involved in their child’s education.
You can find this fantastic Clouds weather lesson here.
Sharing what I do in my cloud unit with you makes it a breeze to teach your preschoolers about clouds. In addition, I hope you find some inspiration here. But first, here is something just for you.
WEATHER IN THE CLASSROOM 5-DAY CHALLENGE
Join us as we help you prepare for teaching weather in your classroom with this 5-day challenge.
Learn more here!
CIRCLE TIME – MORNING MEETINGS
Read Cloud Books
Reading cloud stories and books to young learners is an excellent method to expose them to the world of clouds. First, form a circle with your preschoolers and read stories about why clouds come and go or about different clouds. Then, as they learn about the beautiful power of clouds, children can engage with the stories on a more personal level by reading aloud! Here are my top two recommended books to add to your library to help teach preschoolers about clouds.
- Little Clouds (Book link) This is one of my favorite books. Still, since I love incorporating sign language whenever possible in my teaching, I recommend using this ASL storytelling.
- Cotton Candy Clouds book This cute story will surely entertain your preschoolers. Watch this ASL storytelling.
Songs About Clouds
Music has long been seen as a universal language, and the addition of sign language to illustrate what we sing strengthens this view. However, signing and singing go beyond inclusiveness, giving a powerful new dimension to our communication. Here are some of my favorite songs to sing with my preschoolers.
- Sesame Street: Ellie Goulding Thank You Clouds Song Sing along with Ellie Goulding, Abby, and Elmo as they express their gratitude for clouds!
- Cloud Song (Use Your Imagination) Sing about using your imagination when looking at clouds.
- Cloud Song – Shapes Sing about the shapes of the clouds with this cute song.
- The Cloud Song – Fun Facts About Clouds With this entertaining and catchy music, you’ll have a great time learning about clouds.
- Clouds – Rhyme for Kids Enjoy this cute rhyme about clouds.
- ABC Song in the Clouds An ABC song with the letters in the clouds.
- Learn Your 123s – Cloud Counting Practice recognizing numbers 1-10 with this cloud-themed video.
SETTING UP YOUR CLOUD TEACHING AREA
Cloud Thematic Posters
Print, laminate, and hang these weather-themed posters in your classroom. Use these as topic reminders, conversation starters, and so much more.
- Weather Wall Charts These weather vocabulary anchor charts will help your preschoolers learn vocabulary.
- Weather Wheel This is perfect for circle-time weather check-ins.
- Weather Chart Labels These classroom weather charts are simple to use and go with any calendar set for the classroom.
Inflatable Clouds
Cover your room with white clouds made out of balloons. Blow up several balloons and tie them together to create cloud-like shapes. Then, add multiple-colored balloons to create different-looking clouds.
Create a Cloud Corner
Draw and cut out various kinds of clouds to hang in the corner of the room. Your preschoolers will enjoy pretending to play in the clouds while reading. Last year, I replaced it with a clothesline from which I hung my students’ crafts and coloring pages to create a beautiful background in our classroom.
CLOUDS SENSORY – IMAGINATIVE PLAY ACTIVITIES
Teach with Cloud Sensory Bins
Imaginative and sensory play are potent instruments for play-based learning for preschoolers. Luckily, they’ll be too busy playing to notice what they’re learning! However, suppose you want to incorporate more pretend activities into your day. In that case, these play ideas are an excellent place to teach your preschooler about clouds.
- Cloud Sensory Bin This is a quick and straightforward sensory bin idea.
- Cloud Dough Sensory Bin This sensory play recipe is simple to prepare and adaptable for any theme.
- Cloud Alphabet Sensory Bin Combine clouds and the alphabet for a fun matching activity. Use these ASL Alphabet flashcards for a challenging activity.
TEACHING ROUTINES AND TRANSITIONS WITH CLOUDS
Routines and transitions help young children anticipate what will happen next and give them much control over what they do throughout the day. Routines and transitions, when used successfully, welcome children, connect everyday activities and help young individuals stay engaged. Here are some creative ways to use clouds.
- Cloud Path Print, laminate, and stick cloud illustrations on the floor, creating a path to a common area visited by your preschoolers (i.e., the bathroom, etc.)
- Sitting in the Clouds. Grab a bedsheet with cloud patterns. Place it on your floor and invite your students to sit among the clouds for circle time or group activities. Make it more magical by hanging white paper lanterns covered in cotton batten with battery-powered lights strung up inside.
USE CRAFTS TO REINFORCE UNDERSTANDING
Reinforce understanding of clouds with craft activities! When crafting with preschoolers, the sky (or ceiling) is the limit! This project allows kids to explore and use their creativity to learn more about clouds.
- Cloud Collage Use coffee filters to create a cloud-shaped collage.
- Making Clouds for Preschoolers Simple and quick cloud art activities with your students.
- Cloud Painting Have fun with this fun cloud painting activity.
- Paper Cloud Pillow An easy sewing craft for kids.
- Fun Hands-on Cloud Activity Make this easy and cheap activity to show how the three kinds of clouds differ.
- Paper Plate Cloud Craft Students will love making this paper plate craft.
FUN ACTIVITIES ABOUT CLOUDS
Preschoolers have a natural curiosity that is unmatched in other age groups. Stem activities help you build critical developmental skills in your students. These activities will have you ready to teach preschoolers about clouds!
- Cloud Dough Make cloud dough with this easy two-ingredient recipe.
- Heads in the Clouds This is a great observation activity.
- Cloud in a Jar This is a fun, easy cloud science experiment.
- Our Favorite Cloud Graph This is one of my favorite group graphing activities.
- 5 Cotton Ball Games These five fun activities will be your new favorites.
WEATHER ACTIVITY FREEBIE
Your students will enjoy classifying and sorting different activities and clothes cards onto weather mats for Sunny, Rainy, and Snowy. Let your student’s creativity and writing skills shine with the weather writing prompts.
MORE CLOUDS EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS
I found a few more videos I think you might like.
