Kindergarten Science: how to help at home
What your child learns in Kindergarten science in the Arizona Academic Standards, and simple things to try at home.
Focus areas this year
- Our senses, light and sound
- Weather and the seasons
- Living things and their body parts
Easy ways to practice science at home
- Go on a nature walk and name what you see: leaves, bugs, clouds, puddles.
- Plant a bean seed and check it together each day.
- Ask “What do you notice?” before you explain anything.
- Talk about the weather each morning and what to wear for it.
What each unit covers
What Living Things Need
Telling living from non-living things, and what plants and animals need to live: food, water, air, shelter and sunlight.
Weather & Seasons
Dressing for the weather, the four seasons in order, day and night, and how plants and animals change with the seasons.
Stormy Weather
Practices what weather forecasts are for and how families get ready for, and stay safe in, storms, wind, snow, heat and floods.
Sky & Seasons
Day and night, the sun, moon and stars (the moon reflects sunlight), and the order of the seasons.
Light & Sound
Sources of light and sound, loud and quiet, high and low sounds, shadows, and how light passes through glass but not walls.
Animal Survival
Body features (thick fur, webbed feet, shells, camouflage) and behaviors (hibernating, migrating, storing food) that help animals survive.
Sun & Shade
Practices noticing that sunlight warms the ground, water, sand and objects, and choosing ways to make shade to keep a place cooler.
What the report card levels look like at home
- Beginning
- Just getting started with this idea. Short, regular practice with lots of support helps most.
- Approaching
- Understands parts of it and is building confidence. Keep practicing the tricky parts.
- Meeting
- Has it! Mixed review now and then keeps it strong.
- Exceeding
- Applies it confidently, even in new or harder situations. Try challenge mode and real-life problems.
Your child’s teacher decides the level on the report card. Read the Arizona report card guide.
Common questions
Go on a nature walk and name what you see: leaves, bugs, clouds, puddles. Plant a bean seed and check it together each day. Keep sessions short, about 10 to 15 minutes, and stop on a success.
The Arizona Academic Standards Kindergarten science units include What Living Things Need, Weather & Seasons, Stormy Weather, Sky & Seasons, Light & Sound, Animal Survival.
Free printable Kindergarten science practice sheet
Questions from every unit, with an answer key.