What your Preschooler will Learn:

Our bodies are warm and produce a great deal of heat. When we put on clothes or cuddle beneath blankets, that heat is trapped and warms us.

What you Need for this Preschool Weather Experiment:

Something that changes color based on heat. Try the Small World Toys Magic Gertie Ball for something that is preschooler friendly. You can also try 100 Biofeedback BIO-Squares if you want something more clinical.

What to do for this Preschool Weather Experiment:

Play with your product. Stick your Gertie Ball in freezer or outside to get it cold and then let your preschooler lay their warm hands on it. Stick a Biofeedback Bio Square beneath their shirt or tuck the Gertie ball under their shirt to show how their shirt keeps them warm. Hide the biofeedback bio square or Gertie ball beneath a hat and show your preschooler how a hat traps body heat and helps keep them warm. You and your preschooler are only limited by how far your imagination can take you.

Hi! I'm Theresa Halvorsen, the preschool science and nature writer for Preschoolrock.com. I have twin boys and am blown away by their fascination with preschool science and how the world works around them. I am always looking for fun and simple science activities so preschoolers can learn about science and the natural world. Please contact me with any suggestions, ideas or questions you have about this site.

Helpful Tips for Parents

• Use correct scientific vocabulary from the start: observe, predict, experiment, hypothesis, result, evidence. Children absorb vocabulary in context without explicit teaching.

• Integrate science into daily routines: cooking (chemistry), gardening (biology), building (physics), weather watching (meteorology). A science-rich home requires no special equipment.

• Science is everywhere: the kitchen, the garden, the bathroom, the driveway. Narrating daily life as science keeps curiosity active between formal experiments.

• Science supplies don't need to be purchased. Vinegar, baking soda, cornstarch, salt, food coloring, and dish soap cover most preschool science experiments adequately.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I keep science learning going between experiments?

Science is a mindset, not a schedule. Keep a magnifying glass accessible for impromptu investigation. Ask "why do you think...?" during daily life. Notice scientific phenomena out loud: "Look at how steam rises from the soup — where does it go?" Maintain a simple nature observation area (a window bird feeder, a terrarium, a weather chart). The child who develops the habit of curiosity about the physical world is doing science continuously, not just during scheduled experiments.

At what age can preschoolers do science experiments?

Simple science exploration begins in infancy — dropping objects (gravity), banging surfaces (acoustics), mouthing materials (texture and taste). By age 2, children engage meaningfully with water play, sand science, and simple mixing experiments. Between ages 3–5, children can follow simple experimental protocols: predict, observe, record, and discuss results. The scientific method — hypothesis, experiment, conclusion — is accessible at age 4 with appropriate support. The best preschool science is the child's own curiosity, not a formal curriculum.

Related reading: See also our color mixing science and our garden science guide for more ideas on this topic.

🎓 Skills Your Child Will Develop

• 🔬 Scientific Method — Even a simple experiment teaches the predict-test-observe cycle that is the foundation of scientific thinking — and preschoolers who internalize this process approach problems with genuine scientific confidence.
• 🌍 Nature Literacy — Learning the names, habits, and relationships of plants, animals, and natural phenomena builds the nature literacy that connects children to the living world and lays the groundwork for environmental stewardship.
• 🔄 Flexible Thinking — When an experiment produces an unexpected result, children practice adapting their thinking — a form of cognitive flexibility that makes them more resilient learners across all subjects.
• 🤔 Critical Thinking — Making a prediction, testing it, and explaining the result develops logical reasoning — the ability to move from observation to explanation that underlies all scientific, mathematical, and analytical disciplines.

This easy preschool weather experiment will teach your preschooler how warm our bodies are. This preschool weather activity will teach them that clothes and blankets help trap our body heat keep us warm during the winter. Finally, your preschooler will understand why they need to put on a jacket when they go outside. Or why they get cold when they kick their blankets off in the middle of the night. After doing this preschool weather experiment, you may never have to remind your preschooler to put their jacket on again.

Questions to Ask Your Child

Use these open-ended prompts to extend the learning during or after the activity:

• "What do you think will happen before we try it?"
• "Was your prediction right, or did something surprise you?"
• "Why do you think that happened?"
• "What would change if we tried it with something different?"
• "Can you think of a place in real life where you've seen this before?"
• "What question does this make you want to answer next?"

There are no right or wrong answers to any of these questions. The goal is to keep the conversation going, model curious thinking, and give your child practice putting their experience into words.