Have your kids noticed the changes around them? The leaves changing color, flowers blooming, warmer days, or snowflakes falling? Teach them about the seasons so they understand why and when the seasons change.
Here are some fun activities you can do with your kids to teach them about the changing seasons:
- Go hiking. Take the kids to the same hiking destination during each season. Take photographs with you from previous seasons so they can see how things have changed.
- Mark your calendar. Update your calendar with the date each season officially begins. Have your kids document the changes that have and are still occurring around this time in a journal. They can use photographs, draw pictures, or clip images from magazines to show what they are observing.
- Read books. One of our favorites is Seasons by Anne Crausaz.
Here are some other books you may want to read:
- Winter, Spring, Autumn, and Summer. Series by Gerda Muller
- The Seasons series by Nuria Roca
- Who’s Awake in Springtime by Phillis Gershator
- Summersaults by Douglas Florian
- Count Down To Fall by Fran Hawk
- Animals in Winter by Henrietta Bancroft
- Arts and crafts:
- Spring: Collect spring flowers and put them in a flower press to make cards, bookmarks, and artwork.
- Summer: Collect a few sticks, make a raft, and float it in the pool, in a river, or at the beach.
- Fall: Use fall leaves and apples cut in half to make fun prints on shirts, canvas, or greeting cards.
- Winter: Make snowmen out of cotton balls, thumbprints, marshmallows, or Styrofoam balls.
My kids completed this project during a kinder class last year. As you can see, on each tree they had to show what they would see during each season.
- Season-themed lunches:
- Spring: Make a bunny-shaped sandwich using a cookie cutter. Serve with carrot sticks, a hard-boiled egg, and Annie’s Bunny Grahams or a flower-shaped cookie.
- Summer: Cold pasta salad served with goldfish crackers, jello cup, and watermelon.
- Fall: Use up some leftovers with a turkey wrap served with a pumpkin-spiced muffin, and applesauce
- Winter: Cold weather comfort food. A small thermos of hot soup served with a cheese sandwich in the shape of a snowman. Put a little popcorn (snow) on the side.
Have your kids done any fun activities or lessons about the changing seasons?
