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Temperature Games for Second Grade

Teaching students about temperature and how it works is often a difficult task. When teaching your second graders about temperature, you can organize hands-on games with thermometers and other visual aids to help them learn in a fun way. Encourage your students to try their best by awarding small prizes to all game winners or for a job well done.

Paper Games
- Print several thermometers on a sheet of paper, all reading different temperatures. Give each student a copy of the paper and have him place it face down on his desk. When you say ̶0;Go,̶1; the students must turn over the sheet of paper and right down the correct temperature for each thermometer. The student who does this the fastest with all the correct answers wins the game. Another idea is to leave each thermometer blank and write a temperature above each one. The students must color in the correct temperature on the thermometer.
Matching Games
- Draw thermometers on index cards, one per card. Make two identical thermometers for each temperature. Place the cards face down and have your students play a game of memory. One player flips over two cards. If the temperatures match, they keep the cards. If not, the turn moves to the next player. The player who has the most matches at the end of the game wins. Another idea is to place some of the thermometers on a chalkboard. Have the students look at all the temperatures of the thermometers. Ask your students to close their eyes and remove a thermometer. The first child to call out the missing temperature wins a small prize.
Hunts
- Create a hunt in the classroom by hiding a plush animal. Select one student to go first and look for the animal. Explain you will call out if he is ̶0;hot̶1; or ̶0;cold̶1; by how close he is to the animal. If you say ̶0;You are warm,̶1; he is close to the item but not close enough to find it. Allow each child a chance to find the plush animal. Alternatively, allow the children to be the guide of the game so they get an understanding of hot and cold.
Estimation Games
- Place a bowl of tap water on a table and place a thermometer in the water to test the temperature. After testing the water, place other bowls of liquid items on the table. Give each student a sheet of paper on which he can write his guess of the temperature of each item. Some examples include a bowl of hot water, a lit lamp bulb, bowl of ice water and cup of pudding from the refrigerator. The student who guesses closest to the correct temperature on each item wins a prize. Alternatively, divide the class into teams and have them work together to complete this game.

Kids Games