Preschool - Science

Hot and Cold Preschool Worksheet

6 printable versions - Challenge Me - About 5 minutes each

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Hot and Cold

Preschool - Science - Challenge Me

Worksheet 1

  1. Which one is cold like this?

    Read aloud: Sort every picture into a hot group and a cold group in your head. Point to the only one that belongs with the snowflakes.

    A group of snowflakes.A set of snowflakes arranged in rows to be counted.snowflakesnowflakesnowflakesnowflake

  2. Which one is hot like this?

    Read aloud: Sort every picture into a hot group and a cold group in your head. Point to the only one that belongs with the sun.

    One sun.A picture of one sun.sun

  3. The sun came out. Which one melts?

    Read aloud: Two of these would sit in warm sunshine all day without changing at all. Point to the one that would not survive it.

    A group of snowflakes.A set of snowflakes arranged in a single row to be counted.snowflakesnowflake

  4. Left out all night in the cold. What now?

    Read aloud: This cup held water last night. This morning nothing pours out of it, however hard you tip it. Point to what is inside.

    A group of cups.A set of cups arranged in a single row to be counted.cupcupcup

  5. Your hands are cold. What warms them?

    Read aloud: Your coat and boots are already on and your fingers are still numb. Point to the one thing left that would help them.

    A group of snowflakes.A set of snowflakes arranged in rows to be counted.snowflakesnowflakesnowflake

  6. Straight out of the oven. Which group?

    Read aloud: These carrots came out of the oven a moment ago, so nobody may touch them yet. Point to the picture that shows why.

    A group of carrots.A set of carrots arranged in a single row to be counted.carrotcarrotcarrot
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About this worksheet

Hot and cold is the first property a child ever sorts by, learned through bath water, ice cubes, and being told to wait for dinner to cool. This worksheet keeps the sorting concrete. A snowflake is shown and your child points to the other cold thing; the sun is shown and your child points to the other hot thing. Two questions go a step further and ask what heat and cold actually do: a snowman left in the sunshine melts, and a cup of water left out on a freezing night turns to ice. Every answer is a picture, so nothing has to be read. Please treat this as a page about looking and remembering rather than about testing by touch. Talk about the rule as you go — an adult checks first, because you cannot see how hot something is — and afterwards sort real things at home by looking and asking.

What your child will learn

  • Sort familiar things into a hot group and a cold group
  • Use ice, snow, and fire as strong temperature clues
  • Know that warmth melts what is frozen
  • Know that hard cold turns water into ice

Worked example

The page shows a row of snowflakes and you ask which picture belongs in the same group. Ice is the one that is cold like snow, so your child points to the ice.

Common mistake

Sorting by where a thing is found, so anything from the kitchen is called hot, instead of using the temperature clue itself.

Helpful hint

Ask whether a grown-up would say wait, it is too hot, or brr, that is cold.

Push and Pull

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with hot and cold?
Sorting by where a thing is found, so anything from the kitchen is called hot, instead of using the temperature clue itself.
How can I help my child with hot and cold?
Ask whether a grown-up would say wait, it is too hot, or brr, that is cold.
Are these preschool science worksheets free to print?
Yes. All 6 printable versions on this page are free to download and print, with no account needed.

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