Learn about seasons, weather patterns, and geography by studying weather around the world! It’s also a wonderful way to promote global awareness. This activity pairs beautifully with my free weather tracking printables. I also offer a weather unit study in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.
Weather is one of those universals that you can discuss with anyone, and this attribute makes looking at weather around the world a great way to help kids develop global awareness. Today’s activity is quick and easy. Kids find it interesting, and it’s a great ice breaker for starting all sorts of conversations.
Learn About Weather Around the World
What You'll Find on This Page
I wanted to make this weather around the world activity accessible to all three kids (aged 2, 4, and 6). We picked cities and looked up the weather in each one. I wrote the results out on post-it notes, which the kids then placed on our map (with a little help from me).
Since my family is pretty globally nomadic, I only had to resort to a non-relative for Australia! We talked about who lived (or used to live – I added in the four non-US countries where I grew up) where, what the cities were like, and how cold they were relative to one another.
The kids were able to accurately pick out the coldest (Boston, on this particular day) and hottest (Perth, not surprisingly) cities! I had hoped to have them add in sunshine/rain, but my kids got sick again and I decided to keep it sweet and simple!
Weather Books for Kids
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Are you looking to extend your kids’ learning even further? Pair this activity with this book: National Geographic Kids Everything Weather: Facts, Photos, and Fun that Will Blow You Away.
On the Same Day in March is a wonderful picture book to read for this activity!
Update February 3, 2015: We have done this activity a few times over the years, and my kids always enjoy it! It’s a quick and easy activity that gets kids thinking, helps them develop connections, and inspires lots of interesting conversations.
As the kids have gotten older (they are now 8, 7, 5, and 2 years old – we had one more child since I wrote this post) we have added in a component where we guess the weather before looking it up on the internet. Sometimes the results are surprising – even to me!
Update March 27, 2019: My kids are now 6, 9, 11, and 13 years old and this is still a fun activity for them!
Do you have a fun weather-based activity for kids to share? How do you help your kids develop global awareness?
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MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.
I was trying to figure out the whole 2, 4, and 6 ages, when I realized this was republished. It’s still an awesome idea, and I love this map.
What a great activity! I need to get a child friendly map like that one. Our kids are really fascinated by maps.
We got ours at Costco a few years back. The kids have loved it, and it’s laminated so very sturdy.
What a great idea about 4 season!! You did really making sense.
I’m SO glad our weather activity provided you with inspiration to customize something for your own kids! This totally made me smile!
Thank you for the inspiration!!!
Fun! What a great idea, I know my oldest would enjoy this
Neat idea to combine learning about weather and geography.
This is a great idea – I will bookmark it for use in our homeschooling. Wait, no, I’ll pin it! Lol!
Thanks! And thanks for pinning!
What a colourful and enticing map. Your family really is spread far and wide. I hope that your cherubs are all better now – they sure have had their share of sickness (and I know that means lots of sleepless nights for you too)
Johnny and Lily are still sick! 2012 has not been a good year so far, health-wise. I’m just hoping that everyone is building super-strong immune systems so that we can all stay healthy when we bring home our new baby this summer!
I love your map – so colorful and versatile. How exciting that you have relatives all over the world. Come to think of it, we are quite well spread too :)
I LOVE this activity … so simple to prepare and a wonderful learning experience! It would be a great springboard for discussing Centigrade temperatures in Europe, too. Even though I lived in England for a year and a half while I worked on my master’s degree, I never felt comfortable converting Centigrade temperatures.
Great idea! When our house is built, I’d love to put up a map and teach them geography and weather, too! Awesome way to do it!
Sorry your kids are sick again. Cavan’s sick now, too. Hope yours get over it soon.
I hope Cavan feels better soon! 2012 has been a sick year in our house so far, and I’m ready to see some improvement!!!
What a great idea!! I love the simplicity of it. We have a very similar map. Did you happen to get it at Costco?
Why yes, we did! Love fun Costco finds :)
Love, love, love this concept! Thank you for sharing…
Fantastic idea for teaching geography in relation to weather!
This is a super idea! We have a large wall map- we could totally do something like this- very clever idea. :)
Since we just started Cooking Around the World this week. I think this will be a perfect tie in to help my daughter see all parts of the globe. Thanks for the idea!
I’m so glad you like it! :)
Great, simple activity! Love the map too!!!
It’s a fantastic map – the kids spend hours looking at it =)
What a great educational activity! Praying for HEALING for your family!
Thank you, Jen! It’s frustrating to have kids sick yet again…
Super fun!
That is a cool map. Our weather was in the 80s yesterday.
The map was an awesome Costco find =)
Hard to imagine weather in the 80s right now!
Hoping you’ll share this one with the Spring Carnival too! I’ve pinned it on All Year Round Pinterest :)
Thanks for the reminder! Will definitely link up – thanks for pinning! :)
That is a great map! It’s a lovely idea to compare weather around the world. We had beautiful sunny weather last week and snow again a couple of days ago! :)
It IS seriously hot here this week! :) What a great map… I think I would learn a lot from an exercise like this, let alone my kids.
90 seemed a little warm for Perth this time of year, to me… I hope to do a repeat of this over a period of time, graphing the answers – maybe when the kids are slightly older!