Winter vs Summer Sorting Activity {Free Printable}

Inside: This free printable winter vs summer sorting activity helps children understand the differences between these seasons, exploring the weather, clothing, and activities for each season. 

Most of the kids in my life love Summer! Who wouldn’t? The weather is warm, the sun is shining and drinking ice-cold lemonade every day is a must. 

But Winter isn’t so bad either… There’s snow, cozy sweaters, and, of course, (for those of us in the northern hemisphere) – Christmas! 

Whichever season your littles prefer, this sorting activity will help them to explore the features of each.

Winter vs Summer Sorting Activity

This free printable is ideal for both preschool and kindergarten teachers to teach their students about the seasons. 

I’ve focused on just two of the four seasons for this activity. If you want something that also covers spring and fall you might want to check out my free four seasons emergent readers. You can personalize them with your students’ names on every page.

Why Teach About the Seasons?

Teaching your students about the seasons will help them understand more about change and the way that time passes, as well as repeating patterns in nature.

Children can also become mini-scientists as they take a closer look at the world around them. 

We haven’t had snow for a couple of years here in southeast Texas. I know that some of my readers live in places that never get snow. Even so, kids need to learn about snowy winters to get a better understanding of the seasons in other places. 

Some children in sunny climates are a bit jealous of places with snow. (Ask me how I know!) I can’t blame them. Who doesn’t love a good sled ride?

This free sorting activity lets kids learn the differences between Summer and Winter in a super fun and engaging way. 

The cards feature weather, activities, clothing, and refreshments which are typical of each season. 

If you’re using them for a lesson, you could pop the flashcards into a pocket chart, or – if you have time – you could attach magnets to them to use them on a magnetic whiteboard.

If students will be using mini-erasers as detailed below, you should also prep by gathering nine winter and nine summer-themed mini-erasers or other small objects.

Ways to Play

These cards are pretty versatile. Use them in whatever way works best for your teaching style and your students’ needs.

Whole Group Lesson

You can use these cards as part of a whole group lesson where you’re teaching and talking about the seasons.

Your littles will love moving these cards into the right groups. Experienced teachers know how much kids love coming up to the board!

Independent or Partner Work

What I love most about this printable is that it can be used by the students on their own too. They can also work in pairs and sort the cards into groups. Perfect for kinesthetic learners!

Children can also match each card with its opposite. For example, they would match “ride a sled” with “ride a bike” and “build a snowman” with “build a sandcastle”.

If you print more than one set, kids can also play a game of “Concentration,” where they match identical pairs of cards.

Finally, you could bring mini-erasers into the action. Have the students lay out the cards, and then mark each one with either a summer or winter themed mini-eraser.

Extend the Activity

Learning about the seasons with this free printable is the perfect starting point for lots of other activities:

• Have children draw seasonal pictures.
• More advanced students could create their own pictures and flashcards for Spring and Fall too. 
• If your kids love to tell stories, get them to tell you a story that is set in the Summer. Then get them to tell you a Winter story. 
• They could write their own stories but if they’re not quite there yet, don’t worry. Have extra adults in your classroom write down the stories for them. You could even record their stories. Everybody loves an audiobook!
• Look together at how the seasons are different in other places. Are there places that have Summer all year round? What about Winter? Why might that be? It’s never too early to encourage curiosity about Science and Geography! 

Months of the Year

Once your students have got the hang of the seasons, why not check out my Months of the Year resources too? 

If you use this Summer vs Winter Sorting Activity, let me know in the comments below. Tell me your favorite season too! (Mine is Summer.) Enjoy!

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