Resources to Teach Kids About Temperature

Published:
February 18, 2020

Contributor:
Jeannette Tuionetoa

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It was difficult for my family to adjust to a new country. The challenges trickled down even to the little intricacies of life; like using the metric system or using Celsius versus Fahrenheit. Even now, years later, deciphering Celsius over Fahrenheit for cooking can get confusing. Our family used some of these resources to teach kids about temperature below. We all benefited from brushing up on temperature measurement skills.

Kid with umbrella in rain

Even young learners can start measuring temperature. You can start teaching kids about temperature with simple ideas from what is hot and what is cold. Understanding these concepts is the foundation needed in preparing children for the topic of temperature.

Asking your children to think about places and objects that have different temperatures around your home is a great place to begin. Kids will start building connections of what temperature is and why it is needed. You can use this activity with very young children to older kids by slightly adjusting your lessons and activities.

With older children, challenge them by asking them to take and record temperatures with a thermometer. This temperature hunting activity and free printable from Teaching Ideas can help.

Once your children comprehend what temperature is, they may then be ready to move on to temperature conversions between Fahrenheit and Celsius. Obviously, this is where my kids and I had some trouble. I love being able to learn with my children.

Getting a stove that depicted Celsius temperatures motivated me to teach my kids (and myself) all about conversions. I gave up being embarrassed a long time ago. My kids understand that mommy needs to learn as well. It actually helps us bond while learning new things together. 

If you have younger kids, there are simple activities you can put into practice to introduce temperature.

Here are  a few basic daily activities to introduce kids to the concept of temperature:

Let your kids measure the temperature around your home.

From the fridge to drinks or boiling water, get your kids accustomed to using a thermometer to measure temperature.

First-hand experience.

Kids can “feel” the temperature in items. Use ice to demonstrate the cold, let your children place their hands around your cup of coffee to explain “hot.” This activity can be used to teach simple terms like hot, hotter, hottest or cold, colder, coldest.

Track daily temperature.

You and your child can make it a habit to track the temperature twice a day. Maybe take the daily temperature before school and before bedtime. Depending on the weather, discuss why they chose to wear a sweater or to wear shorts that day. Making associations between everyday life and the concept of temperature will help them understand in a meaningful way.

These resources to teach kids about temperature will help kids of all ages. There are printables for measuring the temperature on the thermometers to the nearest degree in Celsius and Fahrenheit, easy-to-learn conversion formulas, practice for reading a thermometer, drawing a line to show the temperature, comparing between two different temperature units (Celsius and Fahrenheit), and so much more.

Although printables will definitely help you teach all about temperature, we have also provided some activities and experiments to help kids grasp the concept as well.

Check out these resources to teach kids about temperature:

PRINTABLE TEMPERATURE RESOURCES

Free Temperature Measurement | Super Teacher Worksheets

Free Temperature Reading to 10 degrees Printable Worksheet | Calm and Wave

Free Temperature & Thermometer Packet Sampler | Nolan Resources

Temperature Conversion Formulas (FREE) | Education.com

Thermometers for Student Practice FREE | Thematic Teacher

Reading Temperature Freebie | Suntans and Lesson Plans

What’s the Temp? FREEBIE {identifying, comparing and ordering temperatures} | Michelle Hudgeons

Totally Free Temperature Worksheets | Math Worksheets 4 Kids

Free Temperature Task Cards, Reading a Thermometer, Fahrenheit & Celsius | Promoting Success

Free Printable – Record the Winter Temperature | Smart Kids Worksheets

Printable Thermometer Templates For Temperature Reading Practice | Learning Online Blog

3 Crochet Temperature Blanket Charts | All Free Crochet

Temperature Clip Cards for a Penguin Theme | MakingLearningFun

Temperature Matching Game ($1)| Let’s Go Exploring

Thermometer Math: Temperature Conversions | Teach Beside Me

Thermometer Math

Sun and Thermometer Worksheets | Anythin.info

Various Types of Thermometers, Measuring Temperature, How They Are Used, Learning For Children | KidsEduc

Measuring Skills: Temperature | Betterlesson.com

Fahrenheit to Celsius Worksheet | Have Fun Teaching

Free Measurement and Conversion Printables and Cheat sheets

Free Measurement and Conversion Printables and Cheatsheets

TEMPERATURE ACTIVITIES/HANDS-ON PRACTICE

Hot And Cold Temperature Science Experiments For Kids | A Little Pinch of Perfect

Make Your Own Thermometer | DIY DInosaurs

How to Read A Thermometer Free Printable & Practice | KidsActivitiesblog.com

Temperature in Celsius Activity Pack | The Teaching Rabbit

Does the Color of Water Affect Its Temperature? | Raising Life-Long Learners

Seed experiment #2: What temperature do seeds like? | Gift of Curiosity

5 Fun Activities to Teach Temperature (Hot And Cold) To Preschoolers | Playablo.com

 

Lift-The-Flap Measuring ThingsLift-The-Flap Measuring ThingsMeasuring Temperature (Explorer Junior Library: Math Explorer Junior)Measuring Temperature (Explorer Junior Library: Math Explorer Junior)Measuring Temperature (Simple Measurement)Measuring Temperature (Simple Measurement)image of digital body thermometerDigital Body Thermometer by Paramed: Top Oral, Rectal & Underarm Temperature Thermometer | Fast Read Waterproof Medical, Suitable for Adults & Kids | Flexible Tip & Auto Shut Off

 

Don’t brush over this very important topic in your homeschool as it may be in a traditional school setting. Measuring temperature is a necessary skill, and one thing is for sure.

Combining temperature lessons with hands-on activities will bring the concept to life for your kids. Teach your kids, let them feel temperature differences, and help them to understand temperature with fun practical activities at home.

Resources to Teach Kids About Temperatures text with image of someone holding an umbrella

 

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