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Water Cycle Worksheets

7 free PDFsUS Letter or A4Answer key includedNo login

A labeled water cycle diagram, label it and cut and paste versions, a coloring page, a sequence, a read-aloud story with questions and a rain cloud in a jar sheet.

Download the water cycle worksheets

Water cycle diagram

A labeled water cycle poster, a label it page with a word bank, a cut and paste labels page and a coloring page, all with the same picture.

Retell the water cycle

Put the steps in order, listen to a short story about a raindrop's trip, and make a rain cloud in a jar.

Print at 100% (actual size) for the cleanest tracing lines.

About these water cycle worksheets

Where does rain come from? The water cycle answers that question. The sun warms water in lakes and oceans, and some of it goes up into the air (evaporation). High in the sky the water cools and makes clouds (condensation). When the drops in a cloud get big and heavy, they fall as rain or snow (precipitation), and the water flows back into lakes, rivers and the ocean (collection). Then it all starts again.

These water cycle worksheets keep it simple. One clear picture, with the sun, a lake, rising water vapor, a cloud, rain on the mountains and a stream running back to the lake, is used four ways: a labeled poster with a short explanation of each step, a label it page with a numbered word bank, a cut and paste labels page and a coloring page. A picture sequence and a short read-aloud story about a raindrop's trip help children retell the cycle in their own words.

The full water cycle is studied in later grades. In kindergarten it connects to weather: children notice clouds, rain and puddles and talk about where the water goes. The rain cloud in a jar experiment sheet turns that into a hands-on model. Pages with one right answer have an answer key on page 2.

Standards

  • NGSS K-ESS2-1Use and share observations of local weather conditions to describe patterns over time.
  • NGSS 2-ESS2-3Grade 2 context: Obtain information to identify where water is found on Earth and that it can be solid or liquid. The full water cycle is taught in later grades; kindergarten pages link it to rain, clouds and weather.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.K.2Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.K.8With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.2Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media by asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not understood.

How to use them

  1. Read the water cycle diagram aloud and trace the path of the water with a finger: up, across, down and back.
  2. Act it out: crouch down as water, rise up slowly as the sun warms you, huddle together as a cloud, then fall as rain.
  3. Use the labeling page next. Children write each word's number in its box (or copy the word). For more hands-on practice, use the cut and paste page.
  4. Do the rain cloud in a jar experiment with an adult, then fill in the record sheet together.
  5. Read the raindrop story aloud, then answer the picture questions together. After a rainy day, look for puddles outside and check them again later to see if they have dried up.

Teaching tips

  • The big words (evaporation, condensation, precipitation, collection) are for exposure, not for memorizing. Simple words like "water goes up" and "rain falls" are the goal.
  • The jar is a model. The shaving cream stands for a cloud, and the blue drops stand for water collecting in it.
  • Use food color with care, and cover the table. Shaving cream should stay out of eyes and mouths.
  • Link the water cycle to your daily weather chart: on rainy days, ask where the rain came from.

Questions teachers and parents ask

How do you explain the water cycle to a child?

The sun warms water and it goes up into the air. Up high it cools and makes clouds. When the clouds get heavy, the water falls as rain or snow and flows back into lakes and oceans. Then it goes around again.

What grade learns the water cycle?

The full water cycle is usually taught in later elementary grades. Kindergarten and first grade children can learn the simple version, linked to clouds, rain and the weather.

How does the rain cloud in a jar experiment work?

Shaving cream on top of a jar of water stands for a cloud. As you add drops of colored water, the cloud fills up, and when it cannot hold any more, the colored water falls through like rain.